The Galway Film Fleadh is arguably the most special film festival Ireland has on offer annually. Leaving aside my personal bias - as my family comes from Uachtar Árd in Connemara, Co. Galway - it is one of Ireland's longest running film festivals having celebrated its 21^st Birthday this year, and consistently attracts a large number of attendees with many premieres and screenings selling out days in advance. Running for six days each July this International festival is usually a Summery affair – a notable exception being this year's extremely stormy weather – and kicks off a stretch of festival delirium that segues straight into the Galway Arts Festival, the Galway Races and finally culminates with the Oyster Festival. It attracts a colourful mix of filmmakers and artists of varying cultural backgrounds and generations.

The first Galway Film Fleadh took place from 19-24 July 1989 in the Claddagh Palace (a now defunct cinema in Galway). The festival originators were Lelia Doolan, Bob Quinn, Miriam Allen, Joe McMahon and Steve Woods. According to the programme, in its early days it was “operated out of a wardrobe, had one computer and a fax” yet it quickly grew to have a reputation for relevant and imaginative programming lineups, an excellent pedigree of participating talent and guest masterclasses from some of the industry's finest. In 1991 for example the festival featured a spotlight on Westerns that had female lead characters, such as Johnny Guitar, The Woman They Almost Lynched and Calamity Jane, alongside a 40^th Anniversary screening of The Quiet Man.

My very first Fleadh was in 1996 when the festival moved to the Town Hall Theatre and the new Omniplex Cinema to allow for its ever expanding lineup of international and domestic features, documentaries, animations, world premieres and Irish shorts. I have attended religiously since 2002, the year Aidan Quinn gave the Actors' Masterclass, followed by Pierce Brosnan in 2003 and even timed a year out in Australia to return early so as to make the 2004 Fleadh.

In 2004 Graham Cantwell's short A Dublin Story won the Tiernan McBride Best Irish Short Award at the Fleadh and went on to be shortlisted for nomination in the 2004 Academy Awards in the Best Short Film category. In 2007 Steph Green's New Boy premiered at the Fleadh and went on to secure a nomination for an Academy Award in the same category. Likewise John Carney's feature Once, which won Best Original Song at the 2008 Academy Awards, received its premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh, so it is additionally an Academy Qualifying Festival and a popular launching pad for films on the festival circuit.

Such is the magic atmosphere at the festival that each year, filmmakers, young and old, from all over Ireland and abroad make a point of attending and returning time and again. It has a unique charm and cultural significance that is unparalleled.  For a full list of this year's programme and winning films please visit www.galwayfilmfleadh.com. There is so much on at any given time, that you can't see everything but below is my personal Fleadh diary to give you a flavour of the GFF experience.

Galway Film Fleadh Diary – 7-12 July 2009
I spent my time at the Fleadh alongside director Graham Cantwell and actor/artist/photographer Susan Loughnane enjoying the wide array of movies, seminars and networking on offer. Here is my diary of those events:

Thursday 9th July

'Wild Cards'
We kicked off our Fleadh by checking out one of the Wild Card's programme of events shown in the Cinemobile. The Cinemobile, as it says on the tin, is a mobile cinema which travels to, and then parks outside the main screening area and this vehicle facilitates many premieres of low budget Irish features, made through the dedication and initiative of those involved, and deemed deserving of an official festival premiere. These premieres included amongst them two new features shot on location in New York, and Portugal respectively. The first a black and white arthouse piece Dreaming For You, directed by and starring upcoming Irish actor Eoin Macken screened in the Cinemobile on Thursday 9th at 14:00. The latter Memoria, directed by Brian O'Toole and starring Camille Donegan, Chris Gregory, Tatiana Fillipo and Celine Mullins premiered on Saturday 11th at 18:00.

Meeting | Thursday 09 July 
We then had a meeting regarding the imminent dvd release of Anton with Sasha Wieser of East West Distribution in Vienna, and Producers Patrick Clarke, i4i Productions and Anthony Fox of Foxglove Films who is also Artistic Director of The New Theatre, Dublin's premier Fringe venue.

The Real Deal Reception | Thursday 09 July | Radisson SAS Hotel | 16.00.
In attendance: Edwina Forkin, Zanzibar Films - Executive Producer of Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne and of 2009 Oscar nominated short New Boy, braving a broken foot to participate! Brendan Muldowney & Conor Barry, Director and Producer respectively of Savage, receiving its world premiere at this year's Fleadh. Niall McKay, San Francisco based Filmmaker and Producer on Irvine Welsh's directorial debut Nuts. Gerry O'Brien, Irish Actors Equity Executive Committee Representative. Katie Holly of Blinder Films and Producer of One Hundred Mornings, which was also receiving its world premiere at the Fleadh. Derry O'Brien & Sidhe Murphy, Network Ireland Television. Simon Perry, C.E.O. of the Irish Film Board. Prolific Producer David Collins of Samson Films and French Producer Antoine Simkine of Les Filmes d'Antoine, in Paris.

The Rowing Club (Official Festival Club)  | 7-12 July
In attendance: Talented artist Stephen Kane, Director of indie features Starfish and The Crooked Mile. Playwright Arnold Thomas Fanning whose new play Shafted will be premiering at The New Theatre on August 24^th 2009. Alan Fitzpatrick, Manager of Filmbase in Dublin, a not-for-profit resource centre for filmmakers. Christian O'Reilly, critcally acclaimed playwright and Jessica Curtis, Director of Galway's Tyger Theatre Company. Sean Branigan, Director of Martin which won Best First Short at last year's Fleadh. Tom Maguire, Borderline Productions and producer on Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne. Eugene McCrystal, grader on Savage and Anton. Denis McArdle, director of award winning short film Burning The Bed starring Aidan Gillen.

The Disturbed  | Thursday 09 July | Town Hall Main | 23.00
Written & Directed by Conor McMahon
This horror starred Carla McGlynn whose actor friends and colleagues turned out in force to support her debut feature film lead – glamorous actresses Aoibheann McCaul, Vanessa M Fahy, Diane Jennings, Philomena Fitzpatrick, Klara McDonnell, Danielle Masterson and actors Seamus Hughes, Ciaran O'Grady and Patrick Murphy. Vinny Murphy the Director of Accelerator, and Composer of the score for The Disturbed was also in attendance.

Friday 10th July

New Irish Shorts: Drama Programme 1 | Friday 10 July | Town Hall Main | 10.00
Short Film Coordinators - Daragh Thornton & William Fitzgerald
While the standard was very mixed with some shorts suffering on production values, I enjoyed the best of these.  The programme kicked off with a light comic piece Bow Bow Uhm! Directed by Brian Folan, Produced by Joanne Cunningham, and starring Karl Argue as a dog! Thursday Afternoon, directed and produced by Manus McManus was one of my personal favourites and also picked up the win in the Best First Short category. Other highlights included: Fantabulous, from IADT students Joasia Goldyn and Trisha Flood. This was a funny short about a cross dressing teenager who dreams himself into a dazzling dance show (let's just say West End worthy!)  Tá an Bealach Fada [The Way is Long], directed by Eoin Heaney and produced by Nora Windeck was a beautifully shot story with an Irish language narrative. Questions, directed and produced by Mark Noonan was a series of intimately observed moments between two brothers after the death of their parents. The first half culminated with our own WWII short The Letter.

Meetings | Friday 10 July | Rowing Club
We followed the screening up with a Development Meeting with Fintan Maguire, the Head of Commissioning for TV3 and then followed this with a second meeting with fabulous producer Eimear O'Kane, who had worked on two features premiering at the festival – Savage and One Hundred Mornings. Eimear was in town with director Richie Conroy and production manager Jessica Birmingham. We also had coffee(s) with Declan Cassidy, director of Timesnap Productions and award winning short film Whatever Turns You On, who was in town with actress/musician Martha Christie. And yet more coffee with Producer Jonny Figgis of October Eleven Pictures and award winning composer Kim Carroll, who was over from LA.

Savage | Friday 10 July | Town Hall Main | 22.30
Director Brendan Muldowney, Producer Conor Barry. Starring Darren Healy and Nora Jane Noone.
A really excellent debut feature. This review says it best.

Saturday 11th July

We regretfully skipped the IFTA BBQ at the Radisson Hotel on Saturday afternoon as it was dauntingly stormy, but made the next IFTA organised event which was...

In Conversation with Redmond Morris | Saturday 11 July | Cinemobile | 16.00
In Association with Irish Film and Television Academy. As this was held in the Cinemobile - that is to say without a reception area - kudos must go to the fearless Deirdre Hopkins who had to battle the elements to host the event on the steps of the Cinemobile (think of those steps from the airplane to the tarmacadam when you aren't lucky enough to get an airbridge straight inside the terminal) and get tickets distributed to guests on a particularly blustery afternoon! Once inside, legendary Producer Redmond Morris was interviewed by the equally legendary Lelia Doolan. A very interesting, lively and even nostalgic insight into a magnificent career. Towards the end of the conversation it was opened to a Q&A to the audience which included an amusing steer by his own son, producer Luke Morris into the pre-Oscar tensions between Harvey Weinstein and director Stephen Daldrey when The Reader was nominated for the award, as well as some insightful questions from up and coming filmmaker Fiona Ashe. John Lynch of Subotica Films and director of Night Train starring John Hurt, was also in attendance at the event.

The Irish Film Board Reception | Saturday 11 July | Radisson SAS Hotel | 18.00.
In attendance: Lance Daly of Fastnet Films whose third feature film Kisses picked up an impressive seven IFTA nominations earlier this year. Micheal Ó Meallaigh of TG4, Ireland's Irish language TV station, based out of Galway. Actor and director Hugh O'Connor, who began his career as a child actor in My Left Foot and is still going strong. International Aid Worker turned Filmmaker Shannon Moncrief of Pandora Pictures. Thyrza Ging, Casting Director. Noel Brady, Phoenix Artz (Director of Duality, which picked up a special mention at the Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival in Cork earlier this year) with writer Trish Groves, whose recently published book Petticoat Rebellion: The Anna Parnell Story has been selected for Great Irish Book Week in October. Trish will be collaborating with Noel as producer on their forthcoming production The Fall of Ferdia. Agent Patrick Duncan was in town to support his client Martin McCann's star turn in Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne. This feature film was directed by Conor McDermottroe, Produced by Tom Maguire, Hermann Florin and Edwina Forkin, and Production Managed by Howard Gibbins. (A special mention must also go out to the lovely and talented makeup artist Nina Ayoub who worked on this film and also did a beautiful job on The Letter.) The film finished runner up in the Best Irish Feature category at the Fleadh. Finally Peter Johnston of the 15 Second Film Festival made a splash in a hilarious Don Pedro costume complete with inflatable pig and oversized cigar!

One Hundred Mornings | Saturday 11 July | Town Hall Main | 21.00
Written and Directed by Conor Horgan, Produced by Katie Holly. Starring Ciaran McMenamin, Alex Reid, Rory Keenan, Kelly Campbell, Paul Ronan
This was the final screening we attended and was another finely crafted debut feature film. It was visually interesting with incredibly tight performances. Produced under the Catalyst Project low budget production scheme, it was heralded by The Irish Times as the "finest domestic feature" at this year's Fleadh.

It was as hard as ever to tear myself away, but a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert in Dublin is as good a reason as I could muster.

Galway Film Fleadh 2009. Key organisers are: Miriam Allen (managing director); Felim Mac Dermott (programmer); Cathy O' Connor (administrator); Debbie Mc Vey & Annette Maye (film fair). Email info@galwayfilmfleadh.com. Email Film Fair fair@galwayfilmfleadh.com. Full information at www.galwayfilmfleadh.com

(c) Amy-Joyce Hastings 15 July 2009