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Alan Duggan

Bradford City of Film present an UNESCO Creative Cities Annual Meeting special radio report

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David Wilson, Director of Bradford City of Film, presents a monthly radio show ‘The Cutting Room’ for Bradford Community Radio.

This month’s programme is a special recording from the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Annual Meeting in Östersund, Sweden and features a short interview with Declan Gibbons, Director of Galway City of Film.

Hear the full programme on The Cutting Room SOUNDCLOUD page at this link:

https://soundcloud.com/bradford-city-of-film/the-cutting-room-ostersund-special

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network Annual Meeting is held to define the Network’s activities, support urban policies in favour of culture and creativity and foster partnerships between the members.

#GalwayCityofFilm #UCCN2016

Galway City of Film taking part in 10th Annual meeting of UNESCO’s Creative Cities’ Network in Östersund, Sweden.

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Declan Gibbons, Director of Galway City of Film is currently in Östersund, Sweden as part of the 10th Annual meeting of UNESCO’s Creative Cities’ Network.

Östersund, designated in 2010 as UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, in the Region of Jämtland Härjedalen, Sweden, will welcome the UCCN members. The Annual Meeting in Östersund will be a key platform dialogue between the Creative Cities and UNESCO, covering UCCN strategic objectives and operations and exchange of information from Member Cities.

The Annual Meeting is held to define the Network’s activities, support urban policies in favour of culture and creativity and foster partnerships between the members. It will provide the opportunity to affirm the role of the Network as an enabler of sustainable development in urban environments, in line with UNESCO’s Culture and Sustainable Urban Development Initiative and the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“Every Annual Meeting of the Creative Cities Network represents an opportunity to strengthen the ties between its members,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO. “The Network today comprises 116 cities in 54 countries and its diversity enhances its cooperation potential. The Network is a unique platform that helps place culture, creativity and innovation at the heart of sustainable urban development in the spirit of the 11th Goal of the 2030 Agenda.”

The main cultural urban policy achievements of the Creative Cities will be presented in several sessions and thematic workshops during the meeting.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network covers seven creative fields: crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, music and media arts. Creative Cities work together to place creativity and cultural industries at the core of their local development plans and cooperate internationally through partnerships.

On 15th September, a creative business workshop will gather local and regional businesses as well as international guests to develop their networks and exchange views on the creation of new businesses.

Just ahead of the Annual Meeting, from 11th to 14th September, Mid Sweden University (MIUN) will hold a conference, “Valuing and Evaluating Creativity for Sustainable Regional Development” (VEC), that will examine ways to maximize the potential of urban-rural connections.

Find more information by looking through the website for UCCN 2016 Annual Meeting which will be updated continuously: http://creativegastronomy.com/uccn2016/agenda/

#‎uccn2016 #GalwayCityofFilm

Galway City of Film visits Bradford City of Film

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Galway UNESCO City of Film representatives Declan Gibbons (Director, Galway City of Film), Celine Curtin (Chairperson, Galway City of Film) and Dr. Paddy Tobin (Head of Centre for Creative Arts & Media, GMIT) recently visited Bradford UNESCO City of Film.

The group were warmly welcomed by both David Wilson and Steve Abbott, the Director and Chairperson of Bradford City of Film respectively.

The trip included a visit to the University of Bradford campus where they met with Peter Lasey, Associate Dean and Mark Garratt, Director of External Affairs and included a tour of the School of Media, Design & Technology University TV Studios which produces live broadcasts for the University, SME’s and local organisations.

The Galway group also met with Stuart Goulden from York UNESCO City of Media Arts, the UK’s first UNESCO City of Media Arts and discussed the future plans for all members of the Creative Cities Network to create more opportunities for individuals and communities and to continue to form strong partnerships.

The Bradford College representatives Damian O’Keefee and Nathan Kelly also warmly welcomed the Galway contingent and spoke of the film courses available and their development plans at the college.

Galway City of Film also presented information on all the film developments in Galway to the Bradford City of Film board meeting during the trip. The Bradford City of Film team in turn presented a summary of all film activities in the Bradford region including information on Screen Yorkshire.

For over ten years, Screen Yorkshire has been at the forefront of championing the film, TV, games and digital industries in Yorkshire and the Humber. Its aim has always been to secure and support the very best projects, companies and individuals, helping to make Yorkshire and the Humber one of the most sought after destinations for production in the UK. Screen Yorkshire is a specialist business which invests first and foremost in content, but also in developing talent. As an investor in content it runs the largest investment fund of its kind in the UK – the £15m, ERDF – supported Yorkshire Content Fund.

Galway City of Film looks forward to continuing to discuss and develop projects with the Bradford City of Film team and sustaining this special relationship.

Bradford College

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Photos from 100 Years of Cinema: The Irish Short in An Taibhdhearc

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Galway UNESCO City of Film Banner

The Irish Short poster

Felim MacDermott & Mick Hannigan outside An Taibhdhearc

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Ray Martin, Jill Beardsworth, Jacque Glynn & Victoria Smith FILMMAKERS from GFC Documentary School Course

John O’Donnell, Declan Gibbons, James Finlan & John Lawlor.

John O’Donnell, James Finlan, John Lawlor & Kevin Liddy

Filmmakers Deirdre De Grae & Manuela Corbari

An Taibhdhearc

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Felim MacDermott & Mick Hannigan

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Attendees

Celine Curtin & Mick Hannigan

James Finlan & Guest

Jonathan Gunning & Claire Riordain

Images Matt Kavannagh & Mary Deely

100 Years of Cinema: Film & The Church curated by Galway Film Society | Saturday 19th March

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March Poster

Galway, UNESCO City of Film, is commemorating the 1916 Rising with an exciting programme of seminal Irish Cinema and landmark television events to take place over eight Saturdays throughout 2016. This programme, called 100 Years of Cinema, will take the form of one-day events, roughly one Saturday per month, to include screenings, debate and lively discussion of the development of our national identity and our national cinema over the past one hundred years. Each event will be themed and programmed by a different guest curator, with the March screening curated by Galway Film Society.

Galway Film Society will explore the theme of Film & The Church on Saturday 19, March in An Taibhdhearc with selected screenings and discussion. The programme starts at 12pm on the afternoon of Saturday 19th March with a special UNESCO City of Film FREE SCREENING of footage from The Radharc Archive. The Radharc collection is unparalleled in the canon of Irish filmmaking due to its longevity and the breadth of the subjects it covered. The Radharc team made over 400 documentaries between 1961 and 1996 displaying the type of insightful and challenging filmmaking that would garner them many critical accolades. They were not afraid to tackle difficult and often controversial topics and their standing as clergy allowed a level of access that a team of lay filmmakers may not have been able to achieve.

At 1.30pm there will be a double bill of screenings with Our Boys & Budawanny. Our Boys, directed by Cathal Black, is a politically and technically bold short docu-drama that fuses dramatisation, interviews, and archive footage in an exposé of the culture of fear and brutality that defined the regime in educational institutions run by the Christian Brothers. Budawanny, directed by Bob Quinn, is a contemporary silent film, made in 1987 and acknowledged by many as perhaps Bob Quinn’s greatest achievement. This fascinating and rarely seen film tells the story of a young priest, played by the great Donal Mc Cann, who becomes romantically entangled with his housekeeper.

At 4.30pm Stella Days, directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan, starring Martin Sheen is a pastoral drama about a scholar priest struggling to maintain authority in small-town 1950s Ireland. Sheen plays forward-thinking Father Barry, whose hopes of reappointment to Rome are dashed by tenacious Bishop Hegarty whose sole objective is to control the ‘hearts and minds’ of the dwindling population by building modernist churches designed to dominate horizons around the country.

Following this at 7.15pm will be a screening of new Irish documentary The Judas Iscariot Lunch, with director Teresa O’ Grady Peyton in attendance. Refreshing in its approach, The Judas Iscariot Lunch presents thirteen Irish ex­priests who speak candidly and frankly about the crossroads they came to with their beliefs, after being ordained and positioned as missionaries in East Asia, the Pacific and South America in the 1960s and 1970s.

To finish the event, at 8.15pm, there will be a Panel Discussion chaired by Matthew McAteer with Bob Quinn, Thaddeus O’Sullivan, Teresa O’Grady-Peyton, & Tony O’Dwyer. The panel will initiate discussion on topics raised in the films including the Catholic Church and its influences on education and censorship.

Tickets, €5.50 per film and €15.00 for the full day, are available from An Taibhdhearc on 091-562024. You can also book online at http://antaibhdhearc.com/imeachtai/

Details of upcoming 100 Years of Cinema events at www.galwayfilmcentre.ie

Photos from 100 Years of Cinema: The Rising on Film-

By News

Galway City of Film screening of Man of Aran, Mise Éire, The Curious Journey and Ryan’s Daughter on Saturday 20th February at An Taidhbhearc. Curated by Gar O’Brien of Galway Film Fleadh. Followed by panel discussion with Dr Conn Holohan, Director Of Huston School of Film, Patsy Murphy, Lecturer Huston School of Film, and Professor Kevin Rockett, Trinity College Dublin.UNESCO sign Gar, Dec & Kenny Panel participants Alice & man Gar & prof Josephine 7 friend Kenny & Julia man panel discussion #2 panel discussion #3 panel discussion panel participants #2

Photographs by Mary Deely & Matt Kavanagh

Galway City of Film is delighted to announce 2nd course of FREE ‘Animation Training’ for primary school teachers in Galway.

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Galway City of Film is delighted to announce it’s second course of  FREE ‘Animation Training’ for primary school teachers in Galway.

Galway Film Centre in partnership with Galway Education Centre will lead primary school teachers through a structured approach to introducing the animation film making process into the classroom as a cross-curriculum medium from concept, scripting, character building, backdrop creation, scene development, shooting and movie production. All technical elements will be covered from scratch using digital tablets, phones, computers and iPad technologies.

The course will provide comprehensive lessons that support the development of children’s creativity and critical response through media literacy while the tutor will give clear practical technical information about the animation making processes and techniques, and equip teachers will all of the skills necessary to bring this fun and exciting medium into the classroom using materials and equipments already available in most schools.

The course will run over 6 weeks, 2 & 1/2 hours per week and will cover a range of modules, developing essential skills in moving-image literacy, communication, teamwork, links across the curriculum, visual arts and even numeracy … and bring so much vibrancy into the classroom.

Eascaitheoir/Facilitators: Denise Mc Donagh and Michael Mc Namara
Dáta / Dates: 10th & 24th February, 2nd & 9th March, 6th & 13th April 2016.
Ám / Time: 7.00pm to 9.30 pm
Clarú Riachtanach / Booking Essential

TO BOOK PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK: http://www.galwayec.ie/courses/galway-city-of-film-animation-course-2

For any further information please contact:
Galway Education Centre,
Cluain Mhuire,
Wellpark,
Galway

Tel: 091-745 600
Fax: 091-745 618
Email: info@galwayec.ie
Website: www.galwayec.ie

City of Film Red SquareGalway film centre animation course

Galway UNESCO City of Film commemorates 1916 with ‘100 Years of Cinema’ programme

By News

100 Years of Cinema

Galway, UNESCO City of Film, is commemorating the 1916 Rising with an exciting programme of seminal Irish Cinema and landmark television events to take place over eight Saturdays throughout 2016. This programme, called 100 Years of Cinema, will take the form of one-day events, roughly one Saturday per month, to include screenings, debate and lively discussion of the development of our national identity and our national cinema over the past one hundred years. Each event will be themed and programmed by a different guest curator, beginning this month with Gar O’Brien, Programmer, Galway Film Fleadh.

Gar will explore the theme of The Rising on Film on Saturday 20, February in An Taibhdhearc with selected screenings and discussion. At 2pm Mise Éire (‘My Ireland’) will be screened. The film has held an iconic status in Irish cultural history since its release in January 1960. Mise Éire was actually the first Irish feature-length film that utilised an orchestral soundtrack, a specially commissioned score by Seán Ó Riada, but its renown also rests on its director’s then relatively novel technique of recounting historical events entirely through existing archive material. The film is a stirring chronicle of Ireland one hundred years ago and contains newsreel camera footage of critical developments during the Easter Rising.

This will be followed by the documentary, Curious Journey at 4pm. In 1973, Kenneth Griffith, the renowned documentary maker, gathered together a group of nine veterans of the Irish Rising. Almost half a century after the terrible events they lived through, this highly diverse group – branded terrorists by the British in their youth  – gave their own vivid account of what it was like to live through those turbulent times. This emotional film is a powerful and heartfelt testament to nine brave men and women who risked their lives for their country as well as being a first hand historical record.

The film will be followed by a discussion on how the Rising was captured and portrayed on film with Dr Kevin Rockett, Professor of Film Studies, Trinity College Dublin and Dr. Conn Holohan, Huston School of Film and Digital Media and will be chaired by lecturer in Film Studies, Patsy Murphy.

Finally there will be a 7pm screening of David Lean’s cinematic masterpiece, Ryan’s Daughter. The film is set in 1916 and is arguably the most visually impressive film ever made in Ireland. In keeping with his distinctive epic scale, the production was famously long and drawn out while the meticulous director waited for perfect weather conditions for his many and spectacular outdoor scenes, leading actor Robert Mitchum to comment that working with the director was “like constructing the Taj Mahal out of toothpicks.”

As a added bonus at 12pm on the afternoon of Saturday 2oth February there will be a special UNESCO City of Film free screening of Man of Aran (1934) with a new soundtrack by UK Indie band, British Sea Power. This haunting new score uses guitars and modern sounds to add a new dimension to this highly influential documentary, which the British Film Institute recently listed as one of the top ten most important documentaries of all time.

Tickets, €5.50 per film and €15.00 for the full day, are available from An Taibhdhearc at tickets or on 091-562024. Details of further upcoming 100 Years of Cinema events at www.galwayfilmcentre.ie.

UNESCO GCoF