While the 5th Underground Cinema Film Festival officially opens, at 7pm on Thursday, September 11th, with the screening of A Nightingale Falling, events kick off 7 hours later with the first Short Film Programme. That will be immediately followed by the first of four more features films that make up day 1 of this impressive festival.
Maidens of the Sea, by Los Angeles based director Kerri Kutcha, or Kerri K, is the first film to screen at festival at 2:45pm. An Irish/ US co-production the film tells the story of a lonely sailor who discovers a mysterious island full of secrets. The fantasy genre is ripe with great stories about mermaids and men’s pursuit of these maidens of the sea. This promises to be no different. Tickets are available online now.
http://vimeo.com/98872725
Film two of Day 1 is Bittersweet Monday, from American director Jaime Lee, screening at 5pm. The film sees an emotional goodbye between longtime best friends begin an unexpected love affair, putting two marriages and many friendships at stake. The film was officially selected for the Fort Myers, Harlem, Bahamas, and Golden Door film festivals. Tickets are on sale now.
http://vimeo.com/31853420
We’re sticking with American productions for film three, which sees John Hawthorne Smith’s mystery thriller Indigo at 7:15pm. This one sees a successful photographer and recovering heroin addict try to solve a mystery and conquer his demons after his son is kidnapped. That’s right up the street for most mystery fans so this could be a must-see! Get your tickets here.
The last film of the first day is the extraordinary Saol from the Spanish born, Dublin-based director Paco Torres. This 84 minute drama was filmed in just 14 hours, as part of a new concept called Whisper Film Projects, which aims to make low-budget feature films in 12 hours. The film is told from the perspective of a young girl with severe OCD, who trapped in her own house and in her own life after losing her dad a year before. The film shot with no script with scenes improvised between the actors and director during the 14 hour shoot. This film epitomises the guerilla style of film-making for which Torres is renowned. Tickets can be procured here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPhWOFxVlQw