An old aircraft hangar is to be transformed into a 100 seater cinema in time for the Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival 3-7 August at Headfort House, Kells, Co Meath.
It will join a period dining room, a converted stable theatre and a former forge on the grounds of Headfort House and an old courthouse in Kells, which have already been earmarked as cinemas for the film festival.
Following last week’s shock announcement of the demise of the Cinemobile, festival organisers had to think fast to come up with another venue.
Lord Headfort, a keen aviator, kept a private plane in a hangar close by the house, which in more recent years has been used as an indoor sports area by the students at Headfort School.
“It is the only space large enough to house a 100-seat venue,” explains festival director, David Rane.
“We now have a real challenge on our hands to have a state-of-the-art cinema ready to open to the public in two weeks’ time but the biggest challenge is going to be the cost.
“The Hangar Cinema is going to cost a lot more than the Cinemobile cost us so we need to find at least €3,000, that we hadn’t budgeted for.”
But he points out that challenges are nothing new to Guth Gafa which has been surviving on a shoestring budget for the past 10 years.
Guth Gafa is built on the challenge of making the impossible happen, and it is built on the passion of a great team of people who work mostly voluntarily to 'build' this field of dreams.
“Then we wait and hope and pray that you will come. And you do,” he said with reference to the Kevin Costner film, Field of Dreams.
The festival has launched an emergency appeal for donors to contribute to its PayPal account donations@guthgafa.com to help complete this year’s ‘field of dreams’.
Alternatively, donors can contribute to Guth Gafa VRroom Kickstarter a separate Kickstarter fundraising drive which was launched to fund the Virtual Reality Cinema which is a new addition to this year’s festival and a first for any Irish film festival. Donors to this fund can avail of a generous reward system.
The cost of developing the VRroom and bringing in specialist equipment, expertise and filmmakers from the UK is estimated to be in the region of €4,000.
“We were already overstretched with the VR cinema before the Cinemobile debacle happened.
“Our total budget is still less than €50,000, and with this we will bring audiences a wealth of great international and Irish films - over 60 this year – and screen them in five different pop-up cinemas.
“We do this because we are passionate about bringing audiences the best and latest in documentary film and we believe we deliver value for money,” he added.
Check out Guth Gafa for full programme details.
