The Bloomsday Film Festival wrapped last Sunday with a programme of eclectic literary film events around Dublin City. The festival began during the Covid pandemic, and is now in its third year.
Highlights included sold-out short film screenings in the James Joyce Centre, a visit from Oscar winning filmmaker Charlie Kaufman for a screening of his new short poetry film Jackals and Fireflies, a packed out event in tribute to late poet Niall McDevitt and a Bloomsday screening of the award winning Irish musical documentary North Circular.
The judging panel consisted of writer and journalist Sinéad Gleeson, artist and actor Caitríona Ni Threasaigh and Oscar and Bafta nominated producer Baldwin Li.
Expectant filmmakers and special guests gathered at the IFI last Thursday for a jubilant Award Ceremony followed by an afterparty featuring traditional music and Bloomsday themed entertainment.
The winners of the awards are as follows:
Best Overall Film Short Film sponsored by Writers’ Tears Whiskey
They Call Me Bridget by Tzarini Rose Myler
Clare Minock from Writers’ Tears Irish whiskey presented the winner with a €1,000 cash prize plus a limited-edition bottle of Writers’ Tears Ulysses Centenary edition whiskey. The limited, collector’s edition bottle was produced to commemorate the centenary of Ulysses in 2022. The bottle features Sweny’s Pharmacy, which Joyce himself visited in 1904 and features in Episode 5 of the novel. Winners in all the other categories received a special Writers’ Tears gift in addition to the Bloomsday Film Festival special award.
Best Feature Film
Translating Ulysses by Aylin Kuryel and Firat Yucel
Best Irish Poetry Short
Out of the Blue by Pat Boran
Best International Poetry Short
What Athena Saw When Tiresias Looked Douglas by Tyrrell Bunge
Best Literature Short
They Call Me Bridget by Tzarini Rose Myler
Best Irish Experimental
In Velvet by Jessica Kennedy and Megan Kennedy
Best International Experimental Short
L’Amour Rebelle by Leo Crane
Best Irish Joycean Short
A Bible, a Book and a Beach by Liz Roche and José Miguel Jiménez
Best International Joycean Short
Ulysses by Duane Michals
Best Dublin Story
Rello by Michael Creagh
Special mentions included Nemeton by David Smith, Bruise by Maureen O'Connell, North Circular by Luke McManus and Crane Count by Jonny Farrelly
Bloomsday Film Festival founder and organiser Tommy Creagh commented:
“This year was the biggest and best we’ve had. Sold out, meaningful screenings and fantastic filmmaker and audience interactions along with the wonderful whisky tasting events provided by Writers’s Tears made it very special indeed. We can only see the festival flourish even more in the coming years.”
Clare Minnock, Global Brand Director for Writers’ Tears, said:
“We are delighted to support the festival and help it go from strength-to-strength. Writers’ Tears has a strong connection to the creative community and especially to Sweny’s which we have supported since 2019.”
