Celtic media festival 2015 announces programme of public events
Issued by the Celtic Media Festival
With some of the biggest names from the broadcasting and film industries set to descend on Inverness next month for the 36th Celtic Media Festival, organisers have today revealed a programme of events and screenings which are free and open to members of the public. The 3-day celebration of film, television, radio and digital media which promotes the unique languages and cultures of the Celtic nations and regions is primarily delegate based, but the Public Event strand announced today will offer film and TV fans the opportunity to enjoy this prestigious festival, which takes place in Inverness over 22nd – 24th April.
Eden Court’s Playhouse Cinema will host a series of screenings and panel discussions, with the Public Event Programme showcasing some of the Feature Length Drama nominees shortlisted in this year’s Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards for Excellence, as well as offering a snapshot into the wider delegate programme.
On the afternoon of Wednesday 22nd April, there will be a screening of the highly acclaimed Irish film Patrick’s Day – a provocative and heart-breaking love story about the right to intimacy for everyone, which has been nominated for Feature Length Drama.
That evening, there will be a screening of Robot Overlords – the hotly anticipated homegrown sci-fi drama which invades UK Cinemas this month. Set in a world where robots rule the streets, and kids must save the world after adults lost the war. Starring Callan McAuliffe (The Great Gatsby), Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3) and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), Robot Overlords is a home grown homage to the action adventure films of the '80s, packed with incredible special effects and rebellious excitement for all ages. (Pinewood Studios, filmed on Isle of Man).
On Thursday 23rd April, there will be a morning screening of another Feature Length Drama nominee – Y Sycras. The excitement and adventure of the circus comes to life in this heart-warming film for all the family, inspired by a local story about a circus which visited Tregaron in 1848, and tells the story of Sara, a young girl who is bewitched by the travelling circus folk and its animals.
At 1pm, there will be a screening of Citizenfour - Laura Poitras’ film documenting Edward Snowden’s revelation of evidence of illegal covert surveillance programmes run by the NSA in collaboration with other intelligence agencies worldwide, which picked up both the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Documentary, and counts the award-winning Steven Soderbergh as executive producer. The film will be celebrated in the Celtic Media Festival delegate programme which will bring together key players from The Guardian who were responsible for breaking the story, and this screening offers film fans the chance to see this highly acclaimed film.
On the evening of Thursday 23rd April, there will be a special edition of the brand new comedy panel show for BBC Radio Scotland - The Good, the Bad and the Unexpected - where the audience help to decide who’s good, who’s bad and who’s unexpected. Members of the public are invited to join Julia Sutherland as she puts a panel of the UK’s top comedians through their paces.
On Friday 24th April, there will be a screening of After Bannockburn - the riveting docudrama series which reveals the untold story of how a Scottish army tried to drive the English out of Ulster and the rest of Ireland 700 years ago. This is a story of two Celtic nations, a shared heritage and a forgotten war that could have changed the course of history.
Films are free, but ticketed. Tickets will be available at Eden Court from Monday 6th of April.
Festival Producer, Catriona Logan said: “We’re hugely excited to present a programme of events which will enable film and TV fans to join the celebrations as the Celtic Media Festival returns to Inverness. All public events are free to attend, and we look forward to welcoming film and TV fans to these sessions at Eden Court.”
Last week, festival organisers revealed details of the wider Celtic Media Festival, which is open to delegates from the film, television, radio and digital media industries and which celebrates the unique languages and cultures of the Celtic nations and regions. Highlights include sessions on some of the biggest new stories in recent years – the Scottish Independence Referendum and Edward Snowden’s revelations on the workings of the National Security Agency, a keynote speech delivered by its founder, MSP Mike Russell.
The full festival programme and details on how to register as a delegate are available at www.celticmediafestival.co.uk for more information.
Delegates are able to access to the full daytime programme of events, as well as the Torc Awards for Excellence, which celebrate the very best of film, television, radio and interactive media to emerge from the Celtic nations. The prestigious Torc Awards see over 118 nominees from 78 production companies and broadcasters competing across 20 award categories, including animation, entertainment, sport, factual and feature length drama. Organisers were inundated with a record-breaking 500 entries for the 2015 Awards, exceeding 2013 entries by 28% and 2014 by 30%, demonstrating that the dedication to nurturing talent and creating outstanding productions on screen and in broadcasting across the Celtic nations and regions is consistently strong.
The 36th Celtic Media Festival, held at Eden Court Inverness from 22nd – 24th April 2015 and supported by The Highland Council, VisitScotland Conference Bid Fund, Inverness Common Good Fund and Creative Scotland as well as broadcasters and broadcast authorities from the Celtic nations and regions, will see hundreds of delegates enjoy a packed festival programme in the Scottish city. The festival continually attracts some of the biggest names in the broadcasting and film world to celebrate the unique languages and cultures of the Celtic nations and regions.