Fastnet Film Festival in Schull: 'There is no red carpet. There's no dress code'
Barry Keoghan is one of the stars heading to Fastnet Film Festival in Schull later this month; right, Lenny Abrahamson, Daisy Edgar Jones and Paul Mescal at a previous festival; festival chairman Tom McCarthy, and programme manager Hilary McCarthy.
It has grown from modest beginnings to become one of Ireland’s most popular and vibrant film festivals. Fastnet Film Festival is set to delight movie fans again this month with a guest list that blends Hollywood stars and Irish talent, screenings, panels and masterclasses in the striking setting of Schull.
Actors Domhnall Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Nicola Coughlan, filmmaker Rebecca Miller and US acting legend Bill Pullman are among the stars heading to West Cork for Fastnet, which runs from May 21st-25th.
It was when some well-known filmmakers attended Schull’s former arts festival - and hosted screenings which drew huge interest - that the idea of a film festival for the village was first seeded.
“Chris O'Dell, who's a cinematographer, Maurice Seezer, who's a composer, and David Putnam the producer and director, took part in the arts festival, and they each screened a film and spoke about it,” says Hilary McCarthy (Communications and Programming), who has a long association with Fastnet. “Those three events had queues down around the road and around the corner.
“I think it was decided then that they were going to set up a short film festival, and had their first committee meeting, which I was invited to. I ended up at the very first one, along with Helen Wells and Pauline Cotter, who came up with the idea first off. Maybe 25 people showed up for the first meeting and it took off from there.”
Eighteen years later, the festival that started with a couple of guests and about sixty short films has grown every year and organisers have adapted to meet Fastnet’s success.
“We've put shuttle busses on for the last few years, three shuttle busses from Skibbereen, Bantry and Goleen into Schull in the morning and back out at night, so that it means that people can stay further afield,” says McCarthy. “This year, we'd over 600 submission films - it’s grown legs.”
As the film numbers have grown, so has the guest list - and McCarthy feels that the West Cork setting, family friendly set up and lack of pomp are part of what draws the festival’s high-profile guests to Schull. “There is no red carpet,” says McCarthy of the Fastnet experience. “It's very casual. There's no dress code. Everybody just shares the same space, and it's a small town, and it's a lovely town.
“Schull is really beautiful, and you're obviously so close to the water. A lot of the guests bring their togs, and they swim in the sea over a couple of days. We've been very lucky with the weather. And we always say to the guests: ‘Come for a couple of days, bring your family’. So for them, it's a bit of a holiday. It's networking, all their friends are here, and it's holidaying at the same time.”
Fastnet even has its own “currency” - known locally as Schull Money - that attendees can use for goods and services in the area.
“Pretty much I think every business in town takes part in it, and what we do is we give the guests, depending on how many events they're taking part in, notes that we print out and emboss, and they can spend them around town,” says McCarthy.
- The Fastnet Film Festival takes place in Schull on May 21-25. See www.fastnetfilmfestival.com
Fastnet’s shorts programme is at the heart of the festival and this year, over 600 films from all over the world were submitted. This year’s programme will be screened throughout the festival with listings, venues and timings on www.fastnetfilmfestival.com Bill Pullman: the US star of hits including (which will screen at Fastnet) and will reflect on his expansive career as well as his passion for architecture and preservation.
One of Ireland’s many successful acting talents, Gleeson’s screen credits include and Alex Garland’s smart which will be screened at Fastnet. He also stars in Lenny Abrahamson’s which will be screened and Gleeson will discuss his career in an interview with Greg Dyke.
One of our busiest actors with roles in films including and will discuss his career. There will also be a screening of Irish-film drama thriller which stars Keoghan.
Acclaimed Irish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson - who describes Fastnet as “the world’s friendliest film festival” will host an interview with Coughlan, the star of and
The award-winning filmmaker whose credits include and will take part in a live interview and book reading. There will also be a screening of - an intimate documentary about Miller’s playwright father. Miller’s son, Ronan Day-Lewis, will also discuss his feature debut Anemone, starring his father Daniel Day-Lewis.
Following the international success of his horror thriller West Cork filmmaker Damian McCarthy recently completed the forthcoming starring actor Adam Scott. Screenings of and will be followed by a Q&A with McCarthy.
This year’s Irish-language day will take place in the striking setting of Cape Clear island, with events including a special screening of Aislinn Clarke’s evocative Irish-language horror Clarke and lead actors Bríd Ní Neachtain and Clare Monnelly will be in attendance.
Fastnet will host the world premiere of this documentary featuring John Kelleher - Ireland’s last film censor and first Director of Film Classification. Kelleher narrates this account of Irish movie censorship.
Maria Doyle Kennedy: Fastnet will host a Q&A with the actor and musician as she reflects on her career. A screening of will also take place.
This documentary traces the process of creating a fiddle from a piece of wood by fiddle maker Jim McKillop. It will be followed by a live performance by folk musicians Zoe Conway and John McIntyre.
West Cork filmmaker Carmel Winters’ film, described as an interspecies meditation on bereavement, will be followed by a Q&A with Winters.
This panel discussion featuring director Lenny Abrahamson, producer Emma Norton, actor Domhnall Gleeson and distributor Patrick O’Neill, is facilitated by producer Ed Guiney. It will explore the decision-making process behind their work, including script quality, team dynamics, creative instinct and strategy.
Filmmaker Paddy Breathnach will host a discussion taking attendees behind the scenes of the hit crime series. Joining the conversation are the show’s stars Clare Dunne, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Aidan Gillen as well as the show’s co-creator and writer, Peter McKenna.
