Rarely-seen films in West Cork to be returned home for festival

THIS May, audiences in Schull will have a chance to experience some rarely-seen films made in the area as part of the West Cork Chronicle at the Fastnet Film Festival.

The Irish Film Institute is to screen the films made in West Cork as part of the Local Films for Local People initiative, which brings films from the IFI Irish Film Archive back to the communities they came from.

The IFI is Ireland’s national cultural institution for film, providing audiences with access to the finest independent, Irish and international cinema, preserving and promoting Ireland’s film heritage.

The home of the IFI in Eustace Street, Dublin, presents new Irish and international work all year around, but the institute also shows films in cinemas and arts centres around the country. On May 24, the IFI team will bring the IFI Irish Film Archive films made in West Cork and environs from the 1940s to the 1970s.

These include Patrick Carey’s sublime Beara (1979), the rarely-seen King of Spades (Monard, 1947) and Father Jack Delaney’s West Cork (1930s).

These screenings are part of the IFI Local Films for Local People programme, which sees bespoke and county-specific programmes brought to all corners of Ireland.

These programmes include both professional and amateur films, documenting all aspects of Irish life from the early days of cinema to more recent times, with audiences invited to revisit their shared history and to celebrate amateur and professional filmmakers who documented their county in years gone by.

Head of Irish Film Programming Sunniva O’Flynn, said, “This year we look forward to presenting film programmes to new audiences and to re-engaging with festival audiences in Fastnet, Galway, Cork, and Kerry, where appetites have been whetted with programmes in recent years.”

The Fastnet Film Festival, taking place from May 22 to 26 will see screenings across several venues and has a star studded list of attendees including Paul Mescal.