‘Great Scott, Marty!’ – Wexworlds Sci-Fi festival is back this weekend
THIS WEEKEND will be an out of this world one for the National Opera House as the Wexworlds Sci-Fi and Fantasy Festival returns with an action packed line-up, featuring story-telling, film screenings, panel discussions, workshops, costumed characters, sword-fighting, and hugely talented artists and writers.
Chairman of the festival, John Cunningham Ryan said: ‘ This year’s Wexworlds features a bit of everything we love, giving sci-fi and fantasy fans plenty of things to see and do, and providing a fun environment for the creative minds of tomorrow.’
Two films will be screened in the Jerome Hynes Theatre as part of the event: Jim Henson’s fantasy masterpiece ‘Labyrinth’ and sci-fi pop culture hit ‘Back to the Future’.
Fans of video games will get the chance to hear from two major contributors to the industry. John Romero, the ‘father of first-person shooters’, is the award-winning programmer and designer behind classics such as ‘Doom’, ‘Quake’ and ‘Wolfenstein 3D’.
He will be joined by BAFTA winning game designer, artist and scholar Brenda Romero, who has worked with major titles in the past, with top-tier companies such as EA. She is currently Director of the MSc in Game Design and Development at the University of Limerick.
Both will be at the Playtest Arena, a dedicated area for video game discussion, on Saturday.
Other guests include: Irish comic book publishers Rogue Comics; Ben Hennessy, a Wexford-born illustrator and comic book artist; authors Caroline Busher, Ruth Frances Long and Tina Callaghan; creative minds Mike Bennett and David Turpin; and a panel discussion on ‘Diversity in Science Fiction’ with Janet O’Sullivan and Conor Buggy.
There will be plenty of colour with cosplay characters, historical sword fighting demonstrations, merchandise vendors, the artists’ alley, and table-top gaming. The organisers are encouraging attendees to dress as their favourite character to add to the occasion.
Tickets are €5 for a day pass, or €7 for a weekend pass, and are available from the National Opera House.