Young film fans gearing up for a reel good time

Young movie buffs will have plenty to entertain them from November 12-15 when the 20th Junior Galway Film Fleadh takes place in locations across Galway City.

The Fleadh’s light-hearted entertainment will feature sing-along version of the Disney hit, Frozen, along with a costume contest on Saturday, November 14.

But there are serious elements too. This year’s programme of World Cinema will include the usual popular French section, and there are also two German movies, Sputnik and Life’s No Piece of Cake. In addition, there’s a moving Spanish drama from Guatemala. The Golden Dream (La Juala de Oro) tells of group of Guatemalan teenagers as they attempt to make their way to the USA, dreaming of a better life.

As well as providing a window into different languages and cultures, the Junior Fleadh aims to stimulate discussion amongst students on themes explored in various movies. These include Women in the Workplace, European History, and Coming of Age, Society and Cultural Politics.

This year’s Irish language programme includes Torthai na Daoirse, a powerful film about the Dunnes Stores workers who went on strike over South Africa’s apartheid regime in 1984. This was joint winner of the Best Documentary award at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh. Human rights issues will be explored when the Junior Fleadh hosts a Mental Health Awareness screening of I Used to Live Here (winner of Best First Feature at the Film Fleadh), which will be followed by a group discussion chaired by Jigsaw Galway.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.