Where other than the Galway Film Fleadh can you sit down and spend half a half an hour in a one to one and pitch your film project to the following companies, and then later have dinner or a drink in the bar with key people from more of these companies –
BBC Films, BFI , The Irish Film Board, Creative Scotland, Film 4, Film Agency for Wales, Film Fund Luxembourg, Hanway Films, Amazon Studios, Ingenious Finance, Content Media, Altitude Films, Dogwoof, The Finnish Film Foundation, Pathe, Tribeca Enterprises, Paramount, eOne, Studiocanal, William Morris Endeavour, Fox Searchlight, Magnolia Pictures, Northern Ireland Screen, Prescience Finance, Protagonist Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, Studiocanal , Universal Pictures International, Bankside Films, Walt Disney oh yes and Guerilla Films and many many more ?
Nowhere. Absolutely no other place on earth. I have been every year since 2005 and I would hate to miss it.
This is a unique event, and I am baffled still as to how many UK producers just don’t take advantage of this wonderful resource across the water. So many go to the Cannes Film Festival hoping to have this kind of meeting and so few ever do. In Galway you can meet them and they cannot veto you !!
Yes, there is a €175 fee to attend then flights and accommodation but let's face it you all spend that much on alcohol in Cannes and all you come away with a very few low-level meetings and sunburn.
Over the years I have been dozens of films have been financed as a result of Galway.
Actors have been cast at Galway, writers found directors, producers have found distribution and sales etc. And it all takes places in one of the friendliest countries in the world.
Can you afford not to go?
There are so many financiers, sales agents, distributors, filmmakers, actors, screenwriters, casting directors etc all under one roof. They are all welcoming and unlike Cannes, you can meet everyone.
If you are interested contact them. Tell them I told you about it and they will help you with good cheap accommodation - fair@galwayfilmfleadh.com
Fly into Dublin (not Shannon or Knock) and take the express bus from the airport to Galway. I once took the train and it took far longer.
Over the years I have been dozens of films have been financed as a result of Galway.
Actors have been cast at Galway, writers found directors, producers have found distribution and sales etc. And it all takes places in one of the friendliest countries in the world.
Can you afford not to go?
There are so many financiers, sales agents, distributors, filmmakers, actors, screenwriters, casting directors etc all under one roof. They are all welcoming and unlike Cannes, you can meet everyone.
If you are interested contact them. Tell them I told you about it and they will help you with good cheap accommodation - fair@galwayfilmfleadh.com
Fly into Dublin (not Shannon or Knock) and take the express bus from the airport to Galway. I once took the train and it took far longer.
I am not sure who will be there this year. It won’t be all of the above but it will be many of them. Ted Hope of Amazon Studios arguably the most powerful man in Indy film was there in 2016. At least 30 people were able to pitch to him directly for 30 minutes each.
(Ruth Negga and Jim Sheridan)
As you are planning your summer really think carefully about Galway. I personally think it is very, very special and love it.
But what do I know ?
(One UK filmmaker took me to task recently in a jokey but meaning it kind of way a few years ago for always writing about the advantages of Galway. He said that as he had rasied the money for two of his films there over the last decade he did not want me letting the world and his wife know about it as it would mean less money for him).
(One UK filmmaker took me to task recently in a jokey but meaning it kind of way a few years ago for always writing about the advantages of Galway. He said that as he had rasied the money for two of his films there over the last decade he did not want me letting the world and his wife know about it as it would mean less money for him).
