DOCS IRELAND DAY SIX- REFLECTIONS
WE LOOK BACK AT DAY 6… AND THE WHOLE FESTIVAL
Well, well, well... The sun has set and Docs Ireland is over. BUT! As they say, it isn’t over until the fat lady sings, and in this case, the fat lady is Best Boy and singing is writing a final day round-up! Enjoy!
We spent the final day of Docs Ireland in the gorgeous Strand cinema, which will probably be our last time there until it reopens after its renovation, and what a way to say goodbye, at the selection shorts!
The shorts stretched across topics and themes making the shorts selections, what an event! Here are some of the films of the amazing line-up that captured our hearts and minds.
The Legend Of The Dun Cow, Colin Higgins, 2024
Our first pick is The Legend Of The Dun Cow, directed by Colm Higgins. The film pushed the boundaries of the documentary format, with striking visuals and editing. Combining tradition with modernity, in both themes and technique, you couldn’t peel your eyes away!
Another amazing short and a Best Boy certified pick was, Glimmer directed by Eva Sheils, a deeply personal film that explores identity. The film was beyond brave, and a strikingly intimate self-portrait by director, Eva Sheils.
Another film we loved was, The Eel Fisher, directed by Méabh Ní Dhoibhlin. The film chronicles the lives and historical struggles of those who fish for eels on Lough Neagh. Intertwining working-class struggle, environmental and Northern Irish history, making for an in-depth profile of people whos very job is a slice of history.
Next, was The Short Take with Ross McClean, and we didn’t even have to leave the Strand!
The Short Take is a regular Q&A series with short filmmakers, watching their work and then engaging in in-depth conversations. This iteration was in partnership with Docs Ireland, and was an absolute hoot!
Echo, Ross McClean, 2023.
Ross’s work often taps into humanity in places you may not expect to find it. From his film Hydebank (2019), following an inmate, Ryan, who cares for Hydebank prison's flock of sheep. To, Echo (2023), his film shot on beautiful 16mm film that takes a glimpse at Allistar, a man with a passion for CB radio, despite having damaged vocal cords, he still finds a way to communicate and find community. The chat was both informative for film buffs and filmmakers, lots of great tips were shared, and if you want to know these great insights from an extremely talented filmmaker, well sorry loser, had to be there. You can find out more about Ross’s films from his website.
Curtains…
Topping off both the day and this year’s Docs Ireland as a whole, we jetted off to the QFT for one last time (in terms of Docs Ireland, we will return to the QFT probably before the end of the week), to catch the closing film, No Other Land, 2024, directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor. The film won the Maysles Brothers Award for Best Observational Documentary, and it was very deserved.
The film follows Basel Adra, a Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta on the West Bank, he is constantly filming the illegal and brutal actions of the Israeli army and settlers. He is assisted in his efforts by Yuval, an Israeli journalist, the two have an unlikely partnership. However, their friendship is challenged by the obvious. It often occurs that after a day of filming illegal evictions, destruction of Palestinian property and violence, Yuvall can simply get in his car and go home, Basel must live under brutal occupation constantly, and his family are arrested, permanently injured and killed by the Israelis. Yet the film was made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists, showing us signs that there is a better future of co-existence, but for now Palestinians continue to suffer. Films like this are essential. They bring us the truth, important, painful, hard to believe and heartbreaking, truth.
