Film Fleadh ends with prize-giving

THE 23RD Galway Film Fleadh ended last night by awarding the event's audience prize, an influential citation, to John Michael McDonagh's raucous comedy, The Guard.

On general release from last Friday, the picture – directed by playwright Martin McDonagh’s elder brother – stars Brendan Gleeson as a dissolute Galwegian police officer who, paired with strait-laced FBI agent Don Cheadle, investigates a massive drug importation to his quiet town.

Martin Sheen made an appearance yesterday to promote Thaddeus O'Sullivan's Stella Days, a film about a priest's attempts to set up a cinema in rural Ireland, and to engage in an engrossing public interview. Sheen, who recently studied at NUI Galway, has long been a friend of the city.

Other guests included Bernadette McAliskey. The veteran political activist was in town to help introduce Lelia Doolan's Bernadette: Notes on a Political Journey,a gripping documentary made over nine years.

The best first feature award was shared between Darragh Byrne's Parked and Terry McMahon's Charlie Casanova.

The Tiernan McBride Award for best short drama was also shared. Tom Sullivan's Asaland Phil Harrison's Even Godswere the honoured films.

Over the past six days, the festival unveiled a wealth of new films from Ireland and around the world. Cars 2, the latest animation from Pixar, received a screening and Unlawful Killing, Keith Allen's controversial documentary on the death of Princess Diana, had its first public showing at the event.

The festival closed with Mike Mills's eccentric, likable comedy Beginners, which follows relations between a son (Ewan McGregor) and his father (Christopher Plummer) when the older man announces he is gay.

Continuing under the stewardship of managing director Miriam Allen, this year’s event was the first to be programmed by Gar O’Brien.

Speaking before the opening film, Parked,O'Brien emphasised the festival's dedication to promoting new features from emerging talents.