“We are particularly content with this year’s edition, because this time round we ran a number of risks with the programme. However, these risks proved well worth taking, seeing that the public sustained us with renewed and greater enthusiasm than ever, confirming that they enjoy, love and support Irish cinema more and more every year”: Susanna Pellis, the festival artistic director, wraps up a highly successful 15th edition of IRISH FILM FESTA. The event took place from April 4th to 7th, at the Casa del Cinema in Rome.
Several films, including Irish Classic Breakfast on Pluto, played to a full house, and the festival audience gave a particularly warm welcome to Pat Collins, who attended the Italian premiere of That They May Face the Rising Sun, and to the makers of Verdigris.
Best Short Film Award: Seán Mullan’s Once a Beige Day
The IFF 2024 Best Short Film Award went to Seán Mullan’s Once a Beige Day. Mullan attended the festival along with actor Oisin McMcCool.
Jury members Clare McArdle (Notorious Pictures Head of Acquisitions) and Giovanni Robbiano (director, screenwriter) described Once a Beige Day as “A small film that revolves around a minimal idea which plays out with an exemplary economy of narrative (and production). As good films do, it enables us to empathize with two unknown characters about whom we will learn little or nothing even as – from a few traits and fortuitous circumstances – we gain a sense of their inner nature; a line drawing, a sense of character, and above all their profound, simple humanity. It is precisely what we look for as curious and enthusiastic viewers of a film, of a story, of a small fragment of life”.
The Student Jury awarded Teacups, an animated short film by Alec Green and Finbar Watson: a selected group of students from Università Roma Tre, Dipartimento di Lingue Letterature e Culture Straniere, said they “were struck not always by the visuals but also by the way in which they convey such a delicate message. The use of teacups as a means to save lives is so simple yet so powerful that it touched all of us”.
