Cinema Paradiso pops up in Skibb

It’s been christened the ‘Cinema Paradiso’ of West Cork — an intimate venue full of character where people can rekindle their love of film.

Members of a dynamic youth project have been praised for transforming Skibbereen’s town hall into a pop-up cinema. And with their first red-carpet screening under their belt, members of the town’s Youth in Action project, are now planning to showcase a series of short films made by local transition year students. They tackle the issues faced by teenagers today, including stress, bullying, stereotypes and road safety.

Members of the youth group made the announcement yesterday just days after they screened the War of the Buttons to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its filming in the area.

The event featured a talk from some of the film’s cast and crew, a showcase of props, gourmet food and live music along with professional pianist Sacha Puttnam, son of the film’s Oscar-winning producer David Puttnam.

The group transformed the town hall into a cinema as part of Skibb Scenes: Cinema on your Doorstep — a community cinema project that aimed to screen six events during the year.

“The project was founded to combat rural isolation and provide the town of Skibbereen with much needed amenities,” said the group’s chairperson Callum Petford.

Last December, the committee’s facilitators, Skibbereen Community and Family Resource Centre, applied to Leargas, the national agency appointed to administer the ‘Youth in Action’ programme in Ireland, for funding. The money was secured in January and since February, a group of local young people aged between 15 and 21 have been meeting every Wednesday to drive the project on.

“We have been working tirelessly to make this venture a success as we would love to see something valuable added to our local area,” said group spokesman Michael Keohane.

Mayor of Skibbereen Karen Coakley described the project as “truly inspiring”.

“It’s been years since we saw the hall so packed. They put a massive amount of work in to it. It was so positive to see the work of the teenagers.”

As a teenager, she attended discos in the town hall and she thanked the group for “bringing the hall back to life”.

The members of Skibb Scenes are turning their attention to the next event — a showcase of short films made by transition year students — which will be held in late May with dates to be