Press Release

Waterford Film Festival masthead (as pdf for print)

Bio Stephen Byrne -
Producer, Creative Director and founder of the Annual Waterford Film Festival

October 2009

3rd Annual Waterford Film Festival

The Waterford Film Festival is pleased to announce this year’s programme line up for the annual event taking place Friday 6th-Sunday 8th November in the Greyfrairs Art Gallery Waterford. Even though our funding were reduced due to the current economic climate and we had to scale down the festival, we still received hundreds of submissions worldwide and we have selected a hugely varied program which we trust will both entertain and stimulate all who attend as well as providing much needed exposure for filmmakers local, national and international. The festival is now in its third year and this year we will be screening eight feature films and documentaries and thirty short films from filmmakers from around the world.

Opening the festival on Friday the 6th of November is an independent film by Dublin filmmaker Joseph Delond. The film is called “Bitterness” and it is Delond’s debut feature film. It is a hilarious story about a man by the name of Francis who has been jilted at the altar and has become a very bitter man. His life, as he sees it, is in tatters because the world stops him from being happy. Ironically everyone he knows seems to be happy.

British Feature Fiction Film “Billy & Lilly Go to New York “will have their World Première at the festival. The film is made by critically acclaimed maverick director Bill Maloney. The film is shot in a realistic documentary style but it is a spoof. Bill playing himself (a cockney –speaking Irishman) goes to New York to represent his nominated feature film at a NY Film Festival but he decides to bypass the festival glitz in favour of shooting a documentary about the homeless people of NY. For their efforts Billy and Lilly are killed on the streets of Manhattan.

Another British film that will screen at the festival is Duane Hopkins award winning film “Better things”. Better things is a multi narrative drama depicting everyday life in a small town in England. Feature Documentaries that will screen at the festival is “Clown around Lesotho! The film was made by Irish filmmaker Mike Casey and it is about a troupe of Irish clowns travel to Lesotho, one the poorest countries in the world. Debut Feature Documentary filmmakers Cian O ‘ Laoi and Oliver Knowles film “Pipe Down” which documents Shell oil’s plans of laying down gas pipes off the Mayo Coast threatening to wreck the environment and the life’s of farmers and fishermen will screen on the last day of the festival.

Other Feature Documentaries include the award winning film “The English Surgeon” which was directed by Geoffrey Smith and was shot in a Ukrainian hospital full of desperate patients and makeshift equipment. The films follows neurosurgeon Henry Marsh as he wrestles with the dilemmas of the doctor-patient relationship. Also screening at the festival is Hayley Westenra on tour in Northern Ireland. Kate Garbutt, interviews Haley who shows what it is like being on tour and gives an insight to her life.

Closing this year festival is a low budget independent American/Irish production called Manband. Shot on location in Los Angeles California by debut director Dermott Petty. Manband tells the story of the Boy Band from hell .It is a comedy film about two music promoters hoping to find the next big thing in pop music end up creating a boyband with middle aged men.

There are four short programmes at this year’s festival which will showcase films from professionals to first time filmmakers. Each of these films has a different background. Some of them have screened internationally and have won awards while others will be screened for the very first time here at the Waterford Film Festival.

This year we introduced a short screen play competition and we received over one hundred submissions and we narrowed that down to twenty finalists. The overall winner will be announced on the last day of the festival.

The festival will give awards in the following categories:

• Best Feature Film
• Best Feature Documentary
• Best Short Film
• Best Short Screenplay

1st and 2nd place certificates will be awarded in each category and a cash prize of €600 will be awarded for 1st place in the short film and the short screenplay category.

The programme listings will be online shortly but if anyone has any questions or would like to book tickets please contact Stephen on 086-6504967 or film@waterfordfilmfestival.com

October 2008

WATERFORD FILM FESTIVAL 2008 ANNOUNCE PROGRAMME LINE-UP

The Waterford Film Festival is pleased to announce highlights of its programme for this year's annual event taking place Wednesday 5th- Sunday 9th November in venues around Waterford City including; The Tower Hotel, Greyfriars Art Gallery and Masons Night Club. The festival which is in its 2nd year will screen a total of 15 feature films and documentaries and over 50 international, national and local short films. The Waterford Film Festival is proud to support the work of the 'independent filmmaker'.

Academy Award nominee Feature Documentary 'NO END IN SIGHT' directed by Charles Ferguson will have its Irish premier at the Festival. The film is the first of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq's descent into guerrilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy. no end in sight - still 1 | no end in sight - still 2

Other international films to have their Irish premier include the award winning British film 'Outlanders' directed by Dominic Lees which looks at the underworld of London's new East European migrants and also, the chilling Japanese horror ' Twilight Phantom' by Kenro Tsushima and Tsukana Ariyoshi which tells the story of an ancient Japanese demon.

Irish films making their debut include Gabriel Murray's feature documentary 'The Lost World of the Crystal Skull' detailing the story of the real Indiana Jones who went in search of Atlantis in 1924 and found the famous crystal skull that explores Mayan cosmology and the 2012 prophecies and, Jessie Kirby's feature fiction 'The Hidden' which tells the story of the mysterious Thompson family who constantly move in secrecy from place to place bringing trouble with them.

There are 7 short programmes. The shorts programmes will showcase a mix of documentary, animation and fiction shorts, all competing for several awards.

The Waterford Film Festival will give out awards to the best films in the following categories:

• Best Feature Film
• Best Feature Documentary
• Best Short Film
• Best 1st Short Film
• Best Short Documentary

For more information or images please contact Louise Fullam (087) 9531776 or Stephen Byrne (086) 6504967

Thursday 11th October, 2007

1st Annual Waterford Film Festival attracts strong international interest

Inaugural Year of the Waterford Film Festival

Details were announced today for the first Waterford Film Festival which will take place from the 15th – 18th November at a number of venues around the City.

The brainchild of Waterford Film maker Stephen Byrne (25) this Festival will feature the work of key independent film makers films from all over the world including Ireland, the UK, the USA, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Germany and Australia.

Many of the directors and producers of these movies will attend the event including Greg Chwerchak, US Director who will be screening “Greetings from the Shore”, a romantic comedy that makes its Irish debut at the Festival. The movie follows one young girl as she spends her last summer at the Jersey Shore before heading off to college. Mourning the recent death of her Father, her plans for a normal summer soon Festival. ..... read more ->

(full press release is available here as pdf)