EXPANDED to five days, this year’s Richard Harris International Film Festival is the first time it is contracted to The Harris Estate officially, in a five year partnership with Richard’s legacy and family.
This October, anticipate big draws such as songwriting legend Jimmy Webb, the high achieving Harris brothers Damien, Jared and Jamie; actor Sean Cronin, composer Patrick Cassidy, director Terry McMahon and a competition tie in with California’s Newport Beach Film Festival as well as Limerick Film Festival.
New collaborations are to enrich vision; making connections is key; technicians, financiers, students of film and video are welcome equally.
RHIFF has revved since it was established by Zeb and Sylvia Moore of The Magic Roundabout Theatre Company and team of volunteers in 2013.
In these short unfunded years, it has become a respected platform for premiers, networking, award incentives for visual art as well as film making. Primary purpose is the promotion of relevant industry talent in the Mid West overseas, with special regard to Cannes and California.
Zeb Moore and his board of eight have spooled plenty into this year’s October weekend, the gig opening out from Thursday October 27 into bank holiday Monday 31.
“We are introducing a musical aspect,” he begins. “We are bringing to the cultural trail – or pub walk, if you prefer – the new [to festival] art forms of literature, visual art, poetry, theatre with Magic Roundabout, and Munster Rugby Support Choir will do a piece for us. Limerick Writers’ Centre and Stanzas poetry group are on the cultural trail on Saturday October 29”.
Underpinning RHIFF’s commitment to make things happen, “we are dealing with Limerick School of Acting and Nigel Mercier is helping with the Monologue Competition”. This premise invites minute-long filmed submissions by performers to the Internet platform filmfreeway. This challenge is an industry portal to actors looking to attract agency/ film attention.
“We are looking at screening seven feature length films, European and Irish and all of them connected to the Irish diaspora. There will be 40 short films selected by different criteria, 1) from the Mid West, 2) national and international and 3) those competing for Newport Beach International Film Festival.
“We have an ongoing collaboration with Newport and are the only company in Ireland to do so. The film winner is guaranteed a Californian screening”.
Other highlights: a masterclass at The Savoy with award winning director Terry McMahon [‘Patrick’s Day’ and ‘Charlie Casanova’]; a repeat of last year’s 200 strong networking night at Hunt Museum with industry bigwigs; a glitzy first time Sports genre screening on Sunday 30 at The Savoy; awards for Best Actor, Director, Movie and the Richard Harris Achievement Award – given previously to composer Patrick Cassidy and to actor Jack Reynor.
Gala night falls on Friday October 28 with ‘An Evening with Jimmy Webb’ at Lime Tree Theatre, “the man who wrote most of Richard Harris’ album hits and a lot for Glen Campbell”.
There is also a push to embrace people working in mental health “as a lot of films are themed around it such as ‘Patrick’s Day’ and Limerick’s Jay Reddan’s ‘Streetlights’ which won €40,000 worth in international competition”.
Zeb himself is no slouch on screen or in theatre. His lead turn in the crisis short ‘A Long Day Follows’ earned him a Best Actor sticker. The Jo Southwell directed ‘Deirdre,’ in which he is principal, is being picked up by Zanzibar films to be made feature length. It will be directed again by Southwell.
More anon on RHIFF 2016 and its five days of powering Limerick venues up with world class talent dedicated to celebrating film, film making and the wider arts.
