The Dublin Web Fest, the first ever web series festival in Ireland, will launch in Filmbase, Curved St, Templebar from 20th to 22nd of November 2015. The festival celebrates the power of online storytelling by gathering directors, writers, producers and distributors from all over the world under one roof and over one weekend.
Founded by Mikael Thiery (film-maker and producer) and Erol Mustafov (cinematographer and director), the Dublin Web Fest is dedicated to online creative content including web series. A number of series screening at the Dublin Web Fest have featured on RTE’s “Storyland” a successful initiative which platforms new Irish talent in screenwriting, acting and directing.
(R)onanism, is an award-winning comedy set and filmed in Cork written by Tadhg Hickey and directed by Shaun O’Connor about a man who is involved in a romantic relationship with himself. Also selected for screening is Burning Wishes, a black comedy about death, friendship and grave-robbing directed by Vincent Gallagher from a script by Cian McGarrigle, and starring Mark Doherty, Colum McDonnell and Barry Murphy. On a more serious note, there is Belfast based drama Farr, written and directed by Aidan Largey and staring Shaun Blaney whos performanace won him Best Actor at the International Academy of Web Television Award in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Other Irish talent showcasing in November include satirical humour from Gavin Duffy’s “Irish Mega News Anocht” , Diarmuid O’Brien’s “Paddy Angryman” , along with animation from student Billy Crinion’s Billys Toon Times and “5 Cents and the Boyz” by Black Ostrich Entertainment, a comedy about a Dublin lad trying to break into the hip-hop scene
Accompanying this great selection of new Irish talent, the Web Fest will showcase web series from around the world in categories such as Sci-Fi, Thriller/Mystery Drama, Animation, Comedy, French language, LGBT , Music Video and Documentary. In addition to screenings, there will be a number of talks, panels and masterclasses over the course of this three-day inaugural event.
A cinematography masterclass will be conducted by the award-winning Muriel Aboulrouss from Beirut, the first female cinematographer from the Arab world.
At the directors workshop, Conor McMahon will talk about his experience making the web series “Zombie Bashers” for RTE, directing some of the highest viewed YouTube clips for Republic of Telly, and how we connect with our audience. Conor’s credits also include 2012 feature “From the Dark” and numerous award-winning shorts
There are even a number of free talks and panels :”From New Wave to Web Series – the (R)Evolution of Film-making”, “GLUE VFX Liquid Simulations” and “Ireland as a Cinematic Location” but remember to register on time for your tickets.
Taking the lead from the LA, San Francisco and Berlin web festivals, the Dublin Web Fest will be the first in Ireland. “Being in Ireland for years it was natural to set up the Dub Web Fest as everybody loves stories and watch digital content online” says Mikael Thiery, co-founder of the Dublin Web Fest. ”Ireland is a unique place. It has an historical tradition of famous writers and story tellers, and it is an important film production hub. At the same time, the biggest high-tech companies have their European headquarters here. Tech savviness and creative edge, this is the perfect match!”
The Dub Web Fest ,which is dedicated to creativity, imagination, connection and most importantly meeting and sharing, will gather together industry professionals, emerging creatives and enthusiasts from Ireland and the rest of the Globe over the three days from Nov 20th-22nd in Filmbase. After the screenings, the networking will continue down at the festival club “The Liquor Rooms” on Wellington Quay where everyone is welcome!
Tickets for all screenings and masterclasses are now on sale here with further information on all of the screenings on www.dubwebfest.com.
Regular updates can be found on their Facebook and Twitter pages and keep an eye on Scannain for our Dub Web Fest competition.
