Small is beautiful as closet film fans descend on Schull

It’s a fair bet there hasn’t been a man wielding a sword in the parish hall in Schull in a while — but sure enough, there was yesterday.

No need for alarm. The man dressed as a Viking warrior was stunt actor Peter Dillon, getting in gear ahead of his first workshop at the 10th Fastnet Film Festival, a burgeoning event that is expected to attract thousands of people to the West Cork fishing village until Sunday.

The signs on entering Schull declare that the whole village is a screen, with numerous pubs, shops and public buildings hosting films both long and short over four days. And this year, in addition to the makeshift Odeons, Adelphis and Plazas, there’s a new addition — the Closet, the festival’s tiniest cinema which has a capacity for three people.