 Michael Hannigan |
A Short Film Like a Joke
- Ingenuity is the foremost quality of a good short film. Other important factors in this genre are its short-form, the briefness of narration, and the fact that something important is said so compactly. A good short film is like a joke: it's pithy and it has a climax. After seeing such film, the audience will think how funny, shocking and surprising it was, says Michael Hannigan, the director of the Cork Film Festival.- In a way, short films a paradoxical. They are often made with small financial and technical resources. Of course, their length is also shorter. Despite of these limitations, they can be more imaginative, experimental and exciting than feature-length films.
New films and filmmakers
According to Hannigan, who sits in the jury for International Competition, Irish cinema is going through a positive development phase. At the moment, Ireland produces yearly a dozen feature-length films and 150 short films.
Of the rising filmmakers he mentions, among others, Neil Jordan and Damien O'Donnell, who has directed and written Thirty Five Aside. This short film of his has won many Irish awards, and also his first feature-length film East Is East has received acclaim.
In Ireland the popularity of domestic films has risen during the past few years. Many of the films have become box-office hits, which to Hannigan is a pleasant surprise. Most of the tickets have been sold to the screenings of Hollywood films.
- I think that nowadays the Irish audience is more open about domestic films. The quality of films has also developed. Hannigan thinks that this is mainly so due to the fact that at the moment there are more films produced domestically. The filmmakers also have a chance to try different options more freely.
New times, new subjects
- New Irish films are urban, cosmopolitan and they handle current issues. The attitudes of the Irish young have changed drastically. They don't consider politics, the fight for independence, unemployment, recession or the supremacy of the Catholic church to be very important topics.
- Irish young see themselves as citizens of Europe and the world. They get their influences and values mainly from the outside of Ireland. Of course, the traditional values are also present, but it can be said that nowadays there are no "typical Irish films" being made.
Väliotsikko
Text: Lassi Karppinen
Photo: Veikko Niskavaara
Translation: Leena Hyttinen
Irish film in change
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