Gortahork Guthgafa Film Festival 12-14 June
Guth Gafa International Documentary Film festival
12th - 14th of June 2009
Films On The Edge
Guth Gafa, Gaelic for Captive Voice, is a documentary film festival situated in Gort an Choirce, a small picturesque village in the heart of the Donegal Gaeltacht. The vision of this bilingual festival is to bring outstanding films and film-makers to this remote area – Films On The Edge. This vision, combined with the wild beauty of the region, and the strength of the local culture and language, helps generate a very special atmosphere throughout the festival weekends.
Compact and familiar, the motto of ‘see all the films, meet all the directors’ is the very essence of Guth Gafa.
This year’s festival, which will be opened by Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan, promises a rich and varied programme of over 30 quality international and Irish documentaries, with an emphasis on the environment, children’s rights, the Irish language, and South African and German films.
Festival co-director David Rane describes Guth Gafa as “Bringing not only high quality, entertaining, thought provoking documentaries to the Irish audience but also having the directors in attendance to really bring the festival to life is what we have always strived to do at Guth Gafa. Creating points of discussion and inspiration for local, national and an international Audience.”
Special Guest Stephen Rea will be in attendance at the festival for the screening of An Paiste Beo Bocht / Child of The Dead End (Irl, 2009). Directed by Desmond Bell, this strong docudrama tells the story of navvy poet, novelist, dramatist and screenwriter Patrick MacGill (played by Stephen Rea), and draws upon a rich vein of early cinema archive and live action. The film was shot in Ireland, Scotland and England.
Following their successes, Guth Gafa presents two astonishing directorial debut films, Identities, directed by Vittoria Colonna, and Today is Better Than Two Tomorrows, directed by Anna Rodgers. Identities explores the multicultural transgender community in Ireland, and Today is Better than Two Tomorrows follows the lives of two young village boys in Laos as they try to find heir pathway into adulthood. Both films, supported by The Irish Film Board, mark the debuts of talented new Irish filmmakers.
Focusing on International Children’s Human rights brings Red Race (China), which deals with the cruel and often sadistic gymnastics training of 5 and 6 year old Chinese boys and girls; Kim Longinotto’s new film Rough Aunties (UK/South Africa), winner of the World Cinema Jury Prize Sundance 2008, focuses on a powerful group of women who fight child abuse in South Africa; Alone in four walls (Germany/Russia) winner of the Critics prize Locarno International Film Festival 2007 and Sundance World Cinema competitor 2008, offers a glimpse into the world of a Russian boys’ reformatory.
Environmental issues and conservation are broached in John Webster’s delightful and entertaining, Recipes for Disaster (Finland) where the director persuades his wife and two young children to go on a year long ‘oil diet’ to reduce their carbon footprint, and the beautiful award-winning Saving Luna (Canada) about a killer whale, isolated from his pod, who forms friendships with the local and indigenous people who live on a fjord in British Columbia.
Director John Dower will be in attendance to talk about his acclaimed boxing film, Thriller in Manila (UK).
Other International Festival Highlights will include Forbidden Lie$ (Australia) Audience Favourite, HotDocs 2007, which tells the story of a writer who cons the world with a non-fiction best-seller; from Iran, Letters to The President, is the remarkable story of some of the 20 million letters a year that the Iranian people write to their president, asking for his help; The English Surgeon (UK) Winner Best International Documentary, HotDocs 2008, is the moving portrait of a western surgeon who travels every year to perform critical brain surgery on desperate citizens of the Ukraine; No more smoke signals (Switzerland), winner of The Swiss Film Prize 2009; Forgetting Dad (Germany/USA) winner of the Special Jury prize IDFA (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) 2008, RIP – A Remix Manifesto (Canada) winner of Audience award, IDFA 2008; My Mother’s Farm (Norway/ Latvia, 2008); La Forteresse (Switzerland) winner of the Golden Leopard award Locarno International Film Festival 2008), as well as many more to be confirmed.
Alongside the screenings and discussions will be an Irish Film Board and Screen Producers Ireland supported Industry programme. Guth Gafa are breaking the mold this year with an open Round Circle Forum where the European model of cinema distribution for documentaries will be discussed by a panel of Irish and international experts, and all attending filmmakers will be invited to participate. A second seminar will focus on the creative aspects of documentary filmmaking New Forms of Documentary: representing reality beyond verité.
A Screen Training Ireland Masterclass will also be included in the festival programme. Full details of all of these events will be available shortly at www.guthgafa.com
Guth Gafa places the directors at centre stage. Not only are they in personal attendance for post screening discussions and seminars, but their presence over the festival weekend contributes to a wonderful atmosphere of debate and discussion around their films and other documentary issues.
Guth Gafa 2009 is gearing up to be the best festival to date. Offering films, seminars and master classes and even a free crèche, Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival has something for everyone from students and families to industry attendees.
Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival is proudly supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann, Ealaín na Gaeltachta, IFTN, The Arts Council, TG4, The Radharc Trust, Údarás na Gaeltachta, The Broadcast Commission of Ireland, and other industry partners.
For more details on our special offers and weekend packages go to www.guthgafa.com or call 074 9180730
Notes:
For all press queries please contact Emily Gotto on 0874112615 or email
marketing@guthgafa.com
For more details on bookings, programme, seminars, masterclasses or other queries contact us at info@guthgafa.com, phone us on 00353-749180730.