POP, pop, pop. That was the sound of Limerick’s film industry taking off like Prosecco bubbles at the launch of Richard Harris International Film Festival (RHIFF) 2017, October 26 to 30. Brightest in the flashbulbs is the feature movie by American film maker Marina Donahue that will go into production in Limerick next year. Interviews for casting and crew recruitment locally will begin within months.
The film, ‘For the Good of the Child’, will drive the (annual) live script reading on Sunday 29 in Belltable with big name actors.
Munster Rugby CEO Garrett Fitzgerald with Zeb Moore, actor/ festival director, Mayor of Limerick Sean Lynch and Sylvia Moore, RHIFF creative director Photo: Paul Mullins
So stakeholders from the world of film, Limerick Council, Munster Rugby, host venues and the entertainment industry gathered on Monday night at George Boutique Hotel for a roll out of buoyant industry deals with international production companies, Limerick venues and the movie shoot brokered by a Limerick company.
Representing Limerick Council, Mayor Sean Lynch made clear the councillors and Council’s financial and social support for RHIFF’s harness of profile, tourism and employment for Limerick.
New: festival film entries are eligible for IFTA nominations for the first time; screenings double from last year to 108; funding of €30,00 from Limerick Council has upped game;
Photo: Paul Mullins
RHIFF joins with April’s Limerick Film Festival (LFF) to afford graduate film-making an international screening platform, TV stream and networking; award winning South African director Darrell Roodt will attend for the Richard Harris retrospective, ‘Cry The Beloved Country’, Q&A and to screen his horror movie ‘Siembamba’.
Interestingly, RHIFF chairman Rob Gill will show his fiction short ‘A Very Irish Family’ before the retrospective. A consultant with 15 years experience in finance, he’s a Crescent College SJ man like Richard Harris wo both produced and wrote the film that was shot in Limerick and Cavan. Rob himsel is cast as Col. Richard.
Screenings will take place in LFF’s Millennium Theatre and Belltable. All nine feature movies will have their film makers in attendance.
“The big news is that we have just confirmed there will be a feature film made in Limerick in 2018 with a budget of €1mn,” festival director Zeb Moore told Limerick Post. The project is written by and will be filmed by director Marina Donahue ”with two of the lead roles cast already with her daughter Rachel Donahue and John Conors attached to the production. We will be signing for cast after Christmas in Limerick for speaking roles and for the extras needed.”
He underlines that local input into cast and crew will be significant – integral to the founding mission of this “very young boutique festival”.
The showcase concert ‘Goldenhair’ at University Concert Hall will feature an orchestra of 16 musicians, Limerick and international singers and Academy nominee Stephen Rea with Patrick Bergin. Together they stage the words of James Joyce to music composed by Brian Byrne. The tie-in is that Richard Harris was known for his love of poetry.
Bergin attends the festival also for his movie ‘Native’, made by Donohue. More hooks: producer Noel Pearson tasked Byrne as composer on recommendation from Des Moore, Zeb’s father and music director of Celtic Woman, Riverdance and more – back at RHIFF 2014.
Another collaboration is with Limerick Writers’ Centre for ‘Culture at the Castle’ for Stanza’s poetry collective, Mr Valentine Jazz duo, directors Gerry Stembridge and Bob Quinn; supported by Shannon Heritage and Treaty City Brewery.
The festival will close on bank holiday Monday October 30 after Belltable hosts the Sports Documentary day with two screenings ‘Morningside 5’ courtesy of ESPN and ‘Climbing Everest’ – the story of the youngest Irish person to scale Everest, accomplished Limerick man Rob Mortell.
Five day festival programme Thursday October 26 to Monday 30 for its nine partner venues plus screenings at Millennium Theatre and Belltable at richardharrisfestival.com
