On the Town: The stage was set, the lights were low and there was standing room only as director Jim Sheridan praised Filmbase and its role in training and supporting young film-makers.
"Education in this medium is really important," said the director of In America, My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father and The Boxer. "One of the first things I learned was that unless you advertise, nobody is going to come. Anybody going into film, deep down, has to have a bit of business savvy or know-how. It's a tough, practical thing."
Filmbase, which aims to facilitate budding film-makers by providing training courses and sponsoring awards, threw a party in Dublin this week to celebrate its move from Eustace Street, Temple Bar, to larger premises in nearby Curved Street.
"Back in 1980, when I started, there was nowhere to learn," Sheridan said. "The only place to go was New York." Now, he added, "a lot of great people have gone through here and have won awards". Among the award-winners he listed were his daughter, director Kirsten Sheridan, and directors Damien O'Donnell, Shimmy Marcus and Vinny Murphy.
"Filmbase is an invaluable resource," said Jane Doolan, Arts Council film consultant. She congratulated Seamus Duggan, Filmbase chief executive, saying he "has been very important in dragging Filmbase out of the back alley".
Among those who gathered to celebrate were director Stephen Bradley, whose film Boy Eats Girl, featuring Samantha Mumba, will be released on September 23rd; Elaine Devlin, of Plan, the developing world charity which focuses on children; and actors Owen O'Gorman and Pádraig Murray, of the ReActors Agency.
Others included Gráinne Humphreys, assistant director of the Irish Film Institute; Kevin Dawson, commissioning editor of factual programmes at RTÉ1 television; Joanne Kelly, of the Dublin International Film Festival; and Maretta Dillon, director of Access Cinema, which promotes arthouse cinema regionally.