Guth Gafa film festival opens in new venue this week

In its new venue at the Mercy Convent Chapels in Kells, Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival, now in its thirteenth edition, promises the best line-up of international and Irish films ever. The beautiful chapels with their soaring ceilings and stained-glass windows are perfect for performance and cinema screenings – a soon-to-be repurposed precinct in a new and exciting format as part of the emerging Kells cultural hub.  
Coming into Kells has brought Guth Gafa right into the heart of the town. David Rane, Guth Gafa co-director explains the move.

“We believe that by being in the centre of Kells we can be part of a dynamic town buzz for this action-packed weekend.” Rane, whose film company, Soilsiú Films is also based in the town, and employs ten people, reckons it’s the best of both worlds: “Kells is amazing – in this small town in Ireland’s Ancient East, we have filmmakers from all over the world working alongside local people on films in every genre – our current feature film project combines animation and documentary, and our Guth Gafa guests come from every continent, presenting work from the highly political to the intensely lyrical. The directors we bring to the festival never fail to surprise us with their innovative work – Guth Gafa is a showcase for the best filmmaking in the world. What is slightly different from the other major documentary events across the world, is scale – we have purposely chosen venues that are remote, away from the big cities, so that we can fashion an intimate forum where the directors and the subjects of our films can interact not only with their peers but also with the public. The audience gets an opportunity to engage at the Q&A’s, to ask questions about the process of making these amazing films – it’s a very informal but dynamic space.”
Previously the festival was based at Headfort School, which provided a grand backdrop with its country feel and impressive stately house.  Co-director Neasa Ni Chianain reflects on the Headfort fests. “Well, we also made our film ‘School Life’ there, so the setting will always hold fond memories – the film was a hit and so was Guth Gafa, the space was amazing and the staff were really helpful in making us feel welcome. Guth Gafa has over the years acquired a large ‘family’ of supporters and volunteers, some of whom have been with us from day one – it’s a strange, very warm environment that seems to follow us, I can’t explain it.” 
The two Chapels and a large classroom in the Mercy Convent will be refurbished as state-of-the-art pop-up cinemas and a Festival hub, providing the gravitas for a world festival such as Guth Gafa with films from: Norway, Indonesia, Syria, China, Palestine, Hungary and the U.S. Themes for this year are Youth and Climate Change, issues the directors feel very strongly about.   
David Rane explains Guth Gafa’s position. “For us as filmmakers, our work has always had a social context and the festival has the same responsibility. Guth Gafa is a platform for directors to contribute to the fight for justice through films of a very high quality. In a world increasingly polarised over issues of climate, migrancy, gender and resources, it is vital that voices of protest can be heard. Many of the subjects of these films are under direct threat and by highlighting their plight, we inevitably act as a brake on those who would want those voices to be silenced. In a remarkable shift, this year has seen the rise of youth activism as, young people, sick and tired of establishment apathy over the impending climate disaster, have taken to the streets to demand a different future and it is this brave stance that has informed Guth Gafa 2019.” 
But apart from the global issues in the films, there’s great craic, with music films, an animation strand for the littlies and heart-warming tales of the power and the glory of nature. Being in the centre of Kells will allow punters to catch an early show before dinner, or maybe stay for a later film and then join the directors in the festival club for live music. It’s a weekend of fun, drama and a chance to meet the world’s finest documentary makers in the winter edition of Guth Gafa 2019.  
Guth Gafa is supported by Meath County Council, The Arts Council of Ireland, Screen Ireland, The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Creative Ireland, The Leader fund, Failte Ireland and many others.