The Kerry Film Festival will includes Irish features RUN AND JUMP and THE SUMMIT, as well as a wealth of Irish and International Short Films and Events.
KFF, which runs in Tralee from 8th to 12th of October and in Listowel, Kenmare, Killarney, Cahirciveen and Waterville later in the month, will open with Nick Ryan’s THE SUMMIT, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and came away with the Editing Award and the same festival.
The film is a heart wrenching look at the climbers’ code which demands that mountaineers do not try to save fellow climbers who get into difficulty on peaks like K2, because those that do invariably fail, dooming both to certain death. Irishman Ger McDonnell, however broke this code in a brave attempt to save some stranded Korean climbers and his story is at the heart of the film.
RUN & JUMP is the feature directorial debut of Steph Green and was written by Tralee native Ailbhe Keogan. “Steph is a wonderful director and a previous KFF award winner for her short film, NEW BOY, which screened at the 2007 Kerry Film Festival,” says Artistic Director of KFF Roisin McGuigan. “We’re delighted to see Steph back at the festival with her first feature and just as thrilled that Ailbhe will have a ‘home town’ screening. RUN & JUMP is a remarkable little film that wonderfully captures the beauty of life and, while it focuses on a flawed family, it does so with incredible warmth and humanity. It’s fantastic to see “real” life captured in all it’s beautiful poignancy.”
RUN & JUMP premiered at Robert De Niro’s prestigious Tribeca Film Festival earlier this summer and went on to win Best Irish feature the Galway Film Fleadh.
As well as the home grown films, Richard Linklater’s acclaimed BEFORE… Trilogy -BEFORE SUNRISE, BEFORE SUNSET and BEFORE MIDIGHT, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy – will screen at KFF, giving audiences a chance to experience these wonderful films on the big screen again.
As well as the wonderful selection of features on offer, Kerry Film Festival is, as always, bringing a dazzling selection of short films to screens right across Kerry. The cornerstone of this year’s shorts programme looks at the early work of Academy Award winner, Roman Polanski who, between 1958 and 1962, made a series of short films. An Irish Premiere, these Polanski’s short films accompanied by a live score by Polish Duo SzaZa will screen in the beautifully surrounds of St. John’s Church on Ashe Street in Tralee on Thursday, October 10th at 7.00 pm.
Another first at this year’s KFF is the inclusion of new cross media and interactive films, which demonstrate how filmmaking is changing and embracing new technologies for both making and viewing films. The Kissinger Twins will be on hand to do a live edit of one of their films, as part of the inaugural Cross Media section of the festival programme.
KFF runs in Tralee from 8th to 12th of October and in Listowel, Kenmare, Killarney, Cahirciveen and Waterville later in the month.
For more information on Kerry Film Festival please log onto www.kerryfilmfestival.com or call 066 712 9934