Joe Alwyn, Paul Mescal and more big stars will be in West Cork this weekend

Rumours are flying that Taylor Swift could be accompanying her partner as this year's festival has an even greater array of celebrities than usual heading to the West Cork village

Thu, 26 May, 2022 - 10:50

Esther N McCarthy

If it takes a village to raise a child, then the people of Schull have certainly driven the success of Fastnet Film Festival. The festival has grown and evolved without ever losing its sense of community and that, say organisers, is part of its appeal to a growing audience.

Fastnet has drawn some of our best-known screen storytellers including Saoirse Ronan and Lenny Abrahamson to West Cork. This year’s festival could well be its most high-profile yet, with Conversations With Friends cast Joe Alwyn and Alison Oliver, actors Paul Mescal, Ciarán Hinds and Stephen Rea among the attendees.

Schull’s stunning surroundings and the festival’s laid-back atmosphere are part of the appeal, according to co-founder Hilary McCarthy. Guests tend to travel with family and friends and make a short break out of it. “It's based on the sea, it's a holiday destination and the town has a real holiday feel,” says McCarthy. “I heard Lenny and [Element Pictures producer] Ed Guiney talk about it once and Ed said: ‘All my best friends are here, how great to be able to spend a long weekend with them’. I think they just come and they have fun and they enjoy themselves. There's no red carpet, it's very relaxed.

“Saoirse Ronan will head off out on a boat kayaking or she'll hang out around town. Her mom Monica has offered to be a volunteer this year, even though Saoirse isn't here this year. Similar with David Puttnam, he's donated so many pieces of equipment and everything to us. It's that kind of vibe that people are welcomed, because we're thrilled to see them.”

This year’s busy programme includes over 300 short films and more than a dozen feature films. A double focus on Conversations With Friends will feature a public interview with lead actors Alison Oliver and Joe Alwyn, as well as a behind-the-scenes insight into making the show.

Hilary McCarthy and Helen Wells of Fastnet Film Festival. Picture: Gerard McCarthy

Other leading events include a focus on filmmaker Aisling Walsh (Song for a Raggy Boy, Maudie) and actor Stephen Rea.

“We have three main focuses this year. One is Aisling Walsh. We're screening three of her films,” says McCarthy. “We also have Stephen Rae who is taking part in an acting masterclass and bringing three of his films. He's going to do an in-depth Q&A with Greg Dyke, ex director-general of the BBC. We're also doing a focus on Scotland.

“Lenny a few years ago had suggested maybe we can get some of the cast of Normal People. Between COVID and the whole lot, it fell between two stools. This year he said: ‘How about if I brought Joe and Alison?' Then we got another call saying Paul Mescal would like to come too. And in the last couple of days, we've confirmed Paddy Breathnach and Pauline McLynn.”

Other elements to the packed programme include a focus on social justice while further guests include actor Ciarán Hinds and Stephen Warbeck, the Oscar-winning composer of such scores as Shakespeare in Love and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

McCarthy believes that keeping the festival’s sense of intimacy is a key part of its appeal. “It's important, and we didn't want to let the festival get too big number one, and not get too commercial either.

“We started 15 years ago, and it basically formed out of an arts festival where one night was a film night, and there was a queue out the door and around the corner. So we said let's try a short film festival. It was small, and we decided we would go with short films. We tried to screen every single film that was submitted. But it got to a point where there were so many, up to 700 films, so we had to reduce it to 200 films get through to competition.

“That's a really nice thing that filmmakers can come down and see people watching their films and get a bit of feedback. We had more guests coming, so we would start showing some of their features. It kind of morphed into features, as well as shorts.”

Ultimately, says McCarthy, Fastnet is organised and attended by people who share a love of filmmaking, and that remains their ultimate goal.

“We always stuck with the craft element - that's really important. This year, we have 12 Really good workshops with BAFTA, IFTA-winning experts from sound editing, direction, directing for TV, documentary making. Though it has changed and grown, we try and stick to the core values.”