The festival, which will take place in Schull, West Cork from Wednesday the 22nd– to Sunday 26th May, was launched last night (25th April) at the ‘Cinematographer’s Party’ at The Crane Lane Theatre in Cork.

Speakers at the event included Chairperson of the festival John Kelleher and award-winning director Carmel Winters. Also in attendance to celebrate the huge success of the festival were director Billy Cummings and William Bean alongside over two hundred filmmakers.

The most exciting news announced on the night was the inclusion of Saoirse Ronan in the programme and that Roddy Doyle would host a scriptwriter’s workshop and take part in a Q&A. Guests were also delighted to hear that Academy Award winning film historian Kevin Brownlow would screen his restored silent film Smouldering Fires, which will be accompanied by world-famous composer and conductor Carl Davis on grand piano. This unique event is possible thanks to the support of Tomar Trust and UCC.

Other guests announced were Paddy Breathnach, Moe Dunford, Sarah Greene, Jim Sheridan, Ed Guiney, Hazel Doupe and many more. The line up this year is unprecedented with over 50 expert guests taking part.

The festival will also feature 13 feature-length films, 300 short film screenings and Local Interest Films. This year’s World Cinema Programme will focus on Iceland to include three features and a short film programme curated by the Icelandic Film Institute.

The Fastnet Film Festival is a major showcase for Irish and International short film production, focusing on the craft of film and has been held in high regard on a local, national and international level for several years now.  The 2019 festival will run a series of seminars, masterclasses and workshops covering sound, screenwriting, casting, auditioning, score composition, documentary film making, creating content on your mobile phone, shorts to feature and more.

Fringe events include the Long Island Cinema, gallery cinema, filmmakers’ hub, live music, drama, fun movie quiz, café viewing all over town and more high-quality free family entertainment.