Donegal Bay Film Festival returns for second year

By Rebecca Crockett

DONEGAL Bay Film Festival returns for its second year with an exciting new free programme showing at Bundoran Eclipse Cinema from 2nd – 3rd October.

Curated by Caroline Harvey, the festival boasts a blend of drama and documentary from the most promising filmmakers in the North and Northwest.

Counted among them is Harvey herself, who won the Oscar-qualifying Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Fiction at Galway Film Fleadh for writing the beautiful Wednesday’s Child.

The Bundoran filmmaker made her directorial debut this year with the tense short film The Crucible about one surfer’s mounting anxiety on the waves. Filmed in Donegal, the short is just one of the intriguing offerings on night one at this year’s festival.

Other entries to this year’s programme include ‘Morning After’ in which Grace embarks on the near-impossible task of finding emergency contraception in Donegal in 2001. Directed by Dorothy Duffy, the short received a bursary from the Donegal Film Office in 2022.

Another surf symphony, ‘Amygdala’ follows surf photographer and director Conor Flanagan as he braves Ireland’s most dangerous waves to get the perfect shot.

‘Yara’, directed by James Doherty is an experimental drama made with members of the Syrian Community in Donegal. While ‘Simon’ confronts a mental health crisis between two brothers.

On Night Two, a host of filmmakers will join the audience in a post-screening discussion and Q&A with more amazing selections.

From Derry Filmmaker Diana Cheung comes ‘The Girl and the Lion’. This gorgeous exploration into identity follows Winnie as a lion accompanies her as she journeys through life in rural Northern Ireland, which hinders her efforts to fit in.

Gerry, directed by Sean Mullan is a lesson in stillness as an elderly pigeon breeder as he stops in the evening sun to watch his friends fly.

Other contributions include a fantastical love story, ‘A Fairytale Romance’ directed by Kate Haley, ‘Someone in Your Corner’ by Fiachra Ó Longáin and ‘Cleaner’ directed by Edwin Mullane.

The festival will take place at Bundoran Eclipse Cinemas from 2nd – 3rd October from 8pm- 10pm. You can reserve your free tickets on Eventbrite.

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