ANJELICA HUSTON may love her home from home in Galway, but word has it that she doesn’t do engagements before noon.
As a result, the award-winning actress did not feature at one of the highlights of this year’s film fleadh: a ceremonial “sod-turning” yesterday for the city’s first arthouse cinema.
Master of ceremonies was Labour Party president Michael D Higgins, who emphasised the significance of the project for the arts in the west.
The new Picture Palace is the brainchild of the Solas initiative, chaired by filmmaker Lelia Doolan, who has been associated with Bord Scannán and the Cinemobile project.
The three-screen cinema is to be built on a Galway City Council-purchased site on Merchant’s Road near the docks. Construction is expected to take 16 months, with a target completion date of winter next year.
Financial support has been provided by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, the local authority, and the Cultural Cinemas Consortium, backed up by a loan from the Western Development Commission
Project manager Tracy Geraghty says the Picture Palace will screen films reflecting a wide cultural and ethnic diversity and will cater to younger audiences.
Huston, who appeared at Spanish Arch just after midday for a photo-call, is the special guest of honour at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh, which opened last night.
She will give a public interview in the Town Hall Theatre on July 12th and there will be a "mini-retrospective" of films she has acted in or directed, including The Dead, directed by her late father, John Huston.
Actor Michael Fassbender and screenwriter Christopher Hampton are also among participants at this year’s 21st annual fleadh.
The programme includes a tribute to Irish producer Redmond Morris and a producer’s masterclass by Ted Hope.
Eight world premieres due to be screened include Zonad, the latest film by John Carney.
Documentaries will include an insight into the destruction of Tibetan music and culture, the human dimension to outsourcing employment.
Also showing will be N a Coisithe – Ar Thóir Mo Sheanathar, a personal portrait of Irish language revival poet Liam S Gógann.
The failure by either the State or the Catholic Church to issue a public apology or offer redress to the women incarcerated in the Magdalene laundries will be examined in a documentary by Steven O'Riordan entitled The Forgotten Maggies, which will be screened today in the Cinemobile.
Several women who spent many years in the institutions are travelling to the event, which is running in tandem with the official fleadh programme.
Amnesty International is tomorrow hosting a screening of and discussion on Sweet Crude, a documentary on the impact of resource exploitation in the Niger delta in Nigeria.
It will explore whether parallels exist between the Niger delta and Rossport in Co Mayo.
Director Sandy Cioffi and his film crew were arrested and held for a week without charge in April 2008 while travelling in the Niger delta for the making of the film.
More than 100 short films will compete for awards, a number of comedians will select their favourite comedy films, while the “Out On Film” strand will feature a selection of works on gay and lesbian themes.
Tickets for screenings are available from the Town Hall Theatre, Galway (tel: 091-569777). The festival programme is online at www.galwayfilmfleadh.com