LIMERICK filmmakers are jetting off to California this week, for the U.S. Premiere of ‘Imbas Forosnai’ at the prestigious Newport Beach Film Festival.
‘Imbas Forosnai’ is a short film directed by Shane Serrano, written by spoken word artist Shane Davis and produced by Pete Moles. The Anthropology Consultant on this project was Dr. Billy Mag Fhloinn.
In 2021 the film won the top award at the Richard Harris International Film Festival, getting direct entry into Newport Beach Film Festival 2022.
Set in modern day Ireland, ‘Imbas Forosnai’, which translates to ‘Wisdom That Illuminates’, is based on the clairvoyant practices of poets of ancient Ireland. Still practised by those with the eyes to see, a young poet travels through space and time to come face to face with an entity as old as Éire. The film taps into the primal desire for meaning, connecting ancient ritual with contemporary concerns, combining ambitious visuals with the poetry of Shane Davis, where he embodies a great and ancient entity and speaks from the perspective of the River Shannon.
Director, Shane Serrano comments: “It’s truly a surreal experience to have a film that you made with friends, start screening in film festivals across the world, let alone in sunny California – a very different background to where we filmed in! (Lough Gur Stone Circle).
“It’s hugely important to all of us involved in the film, to see that our work, our stories and our culture, is being recognised across the globe, especially in a cinematic way. We can only hope that it leads to a thirst for more… because we have so many more stories to tell!”
Shane Davis is a spoken word artist who starred as ‘The Bard’ in the 2014 National City of Culture modern remake of The Táin. He has toured the UK and Ireland with West Belfast’s Irish hip hop group Kneecap.
Shane Serrano has worked on a whole host of short films, television series, directed over 100 music videos. He was awarded the 2019 Richard Harris Film Festival, Special Recognition Award for outstanding contribution to film in Limerick.
Billy Mag Fhloinn is a native of Limerick, Ireland. He holds a PhD in Irish Folklore, and a B.A. in archaeology, from University College Dublin. He is also the founder of the ‘Pagan Rave’, an ongoing, performance-based project which aims to reimagine folk traditions and calendar customs of Ireland.
Limerick based Pete Moles produced several shorts, a web-documentary and is the director of Emerging Limerick Filmmakers. He has partnered with Serrano’s Crude Media on many projects and is, “responsible for the full stop on the logo.”
‘Imbas Forosnai’ received funding from the Limerick Film Bursary award in 2019, granted by Limerick Arts Office and Limerick City & County Council, but due to delays during the pandemic, production did not start until mid/late 2020.
Running since 1999, Newport Beach Film Festival features the best in independent and international films for the Californian filmmaking community.
Serrano’s film joins a host of Irish films also screening at NBFF, including other local filmmakers, Engine Shorts funded ‘First Date’ by director Clara Planelles, and Pat Shortt who will be there with his own short film ‘Warts & All’ as well as hosting a Q & A after the screening of Martin McDonagh’s latest masterpiece ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Pat Shortt.
Also screening at the festival is ‘The Ghost of Richard Harris’ a new documentary on the legendary Limerick actor featuring BAFTA Award-winning actor Jared Harris, actor Jamie Harris and director Damian Harris.
