Here’s what to expect from Galway Film Fleadh’s 30th anniversary

Since its launch in 1989, Galway Film Fleadh has established itself as one of the most significant events both domestically and globally for film enthusiasts to attend. Attracting fans and industry professionals alike, the festival has become a launchpad for home-grown talent as well as a curation of independent and art house films from all over the world.

This year's festival, which is taking place from the 10th until the 15th of this month, is set to be even more unmissable as it marks the fest’s 30th anniversary.

After last year’s record-breaking 2017 edition, the 2018 Film Fleadh will see the festival expand on its programme of films and on its capacity. The Palás Arthouse Cinema brings an additional three new screens alongside the iconic Town Hall Theatre. An expansion of film showings means an expansion of talent - so this year will see more guest directors, actors, writers and cinematographers go west. The festival also promises “more Q&As and panel discussions”, “more diversity”, and of course, “more craic”.

Running in conjunction with the festival is the Galway Film Fair, Ireland’s only Film Marketplace. Irish filmmakers and creatives can do business. Each year it attracts producers, distributors and financiers from around the globe, earning it a nickname of ‘Cannes on the Corrib’. The Fleadh and the Fair maintains an intimate, relaxed and friendly ambiance, allowing film fans and talent to come together and celebrate cinema as a communal experience in Ireland’s most eclectic city.

Here's just some of the many titles you won’t want to miss at the Fleadh.

Premiering at the Fleadh
Katie: A documentary offering an intimate glimpse into the life of champion Irish boxer Katie Taylor as she rebuilds her career following defeat at the Rio Olympics. Making its world premiere.

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Don’t Go: A psychological thriller filmed in the west of Ireland and starring Stephen Dorff and Melissa George, it follows a couple mourning the loss of their daughter in an accident. Also making its world premiere.

Captain Morten And The Spider Queen: Ireland’s first stop motion animated feature film which launched at Cannes will make its Irish premiere at the Fleadh. The film, which was six years in the making, boasts an all-star cast including Brendan Gleeson and Tommy Tiernan.

Possum: British horror film starring Sean Harris (Prometheus), following a disgraced puppeteer who returns to his hometown and is forced to confront both his stepfather and his own past. Making its Irish premiere.

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Other noteworthy titles
Steel Country: A young boy goes missing prompting a local sanitation truck driver to play detective in this mystery/thriller.

Black 47: Thriller set during Ireland’s Great Famine of 1847 set to close the Fleadh. Cast and crew will be in attendance.

Gutland: Surrealist drama/mystery in which a German drifter wanders into a seemingly idyllic town in Luxembourg to discover not all is as it seems.

Wild Nights With Emily: Labelled the “best lesbian comedy in years”, this dramatic comedy explores poet Emily Dickinson’s romantic relationship with a woman.