Fabulous programme of screenings for the Kilcar International Film Festival

The inaugural Kilcar International Film Festival is taking place this bank holiday weekend, with a fantastic line up from Donegal and international filmmakers.

Combined, they make up a culture-rich programme, providing insightful personal stories and a wealth of entertainment.

READ NEXT: Don't miss out! New Ballyshannon dates announced for Onóir

The festival runs in Aislann Cill Chartha from Saturday, February 1 to Monday, February 3. 

Local highlights include Man of Stone, and Still He Waits.

Directed by Michael McMonagle with assistant directors Manus Brennan and Emer O’Shea, tickets for Man of Stone were snapped up when it was screened for two nights during the Allingham Festival.

It celebrates the  remarkable dedication, skills and insights of her grandfather, stone mason Patsy Mc Inaw, who has built over two miles of dry-stone wall on his farm in Mountcharles.

Patsy’s story is told through the eyes of his nine-year-old granddaughter, Sarah McInaw.

It is described as: “A fascinating glimpse into one of our great traditional skills.”

A special preview of Still He Waits directed by Paul McGuckin looks at the man behind Sliabh Liag Distillers, James Doherty. 

It is described on the film festival website as follows: “A former tea planter returns to his ancestral homeland to build Donegal's first legal whiskey distillery in 200 years, inspired by his poitín making grandfather and a life long quest for belonging. 

“The man is James Doherty; what really motivates him is his lifelong search for belonging and identity. 

“Will he find what he is looking for?”

These films will be shown as a double bill on Saturday, February 1 from 4pm. 

Three further films complete Saturday’s line-up. A double bill on Saturday at 2pm consists of two films directed by Bob Quinn. His seminal documentary The Family, deemed too disturbing for television viewers and not  broadcast until 10 years after its completion, reveals life inside the Atlantis Commune at Burtonport, where its members, The Screamers, led by English woman Jenny James, practised Reichian methods of extreme self-expression.

The second film in this billing is the star-studded Poitín, hailed as Quinn’s firebrand response to pastoral visions of rural Ireland. 

His grim depiction of rural living generated outrage when it first appeared in 1979. The story concerns two layabouts, Labhrás (Donal McCann) and Sleamhnan (Niall Tóibín), and the poitín-brewer Micíl (Cyril Cusack) they work for. Images of stupidity and cruelty dominate this defiantly unsentimental film that, even today, retains its power to act as a riposte to idealisations of Ireland.

Saturday evening will see the screening of North Circular, a documentary musical directed by Luke Mc Manus that traverses Dublin's historic North Circular Road. The film delves into the area's rich history, music and streetscapes, highlighting narratives that encompass colonialism, mental health, women's liberation and contemporary issues like gentrification. 

It screens at 8pm.

The programme continues on Sunday at 2pm with Western Lands directed by Nicolas Drolc and Andy Dale Petty. The filmmakers take a unique approach to capturing the pulse of the USA, a nation grappling with a disheartening political life, economic disparity, and an overbearing religious presence. 

This is followed by a double at 4pm, screening Tarpon, and All That is Sacred. The pairing gives an insight into the various facets of life in the Florida Keys in the 1960s and ‘70s. 

Sunday’s 6pm screening is How I became a Communist Director directed by Declan Clarke. It is described as “depicting the life of an elderly woman running a farm in the countryside between Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland and is observed in a portrait marked by stillness and a meticulous chronicling of the everyday.”

The film also explores Grimm's fairytale The Musicians of Bremen to reflect on the decline of a unified left wing political movement in Europe since the suppression of the Paris Commune in 1871.

One of the most talked about films of last year, Kneecap is showing on Sunday evening, and is already sold out.

The comedy-drama directed by Rich Peppiatt chronicles the rise of the Belfast-based hip hop trio, Kneecap. The film stars band members - Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Próvaí, portraying semi-fictionalised versions of themselves, alongside actors such as Michael Fassbender and Simone Kirby.

There is a lot of local interest in Monday’s first screening, showing at 2pm. Beyond The White Rains directed by MA Littler is shot entirely in Port, Glencolmcille. In Littler's singular style, the film juxtaposes an author's interior landscape with the dramatic exterior of a remote coastal setting. Enigmatic, elegiac and at times eerie, the film's pared-down images and otherworldly sound design reveal both the external beauty and the haunting interior landscape. 

This will be followed at 4pm by Lomax - The Song Hunter, directed by Rogiers Kappers 

Alan Lomax (1915-2002) devoted his life to recording the world's folk tunes before they would permanently disappear with the rise of the modern music industry. In Lomax - The Song Hunter filmmaker Rogier Kappers follows the route that Lomax took across America and beyond its borders, travelling to remote villages in Spain and Italy, hearing memories and music from the farmers, shepherds and weavers whose songs Lomax recorded decades earlier. 

The film also tells Lomax's story by interviewing friends such as Pete Seeger, using archival footage recordings of music greats like Woodie Guthrie and Leadbelly. 

Continuing the music theme, The Folksinger- A Tale of Men, Music and America is another wonderful offering from Director MA Littler.

It is described as: “an intimate and evocative documentary that delves into the life and philosophy of Folk Musician Jon Konrad Wert, better known as Possessed by Paul James. 

“Set against the vast landscapes of Texas and Louisiana, the film explores the raw and unvarnished world of a travelling musician as he navigates the challenges of life on the road. 

“Wert's journey is juxtaposed with the stories of other musicians, activists and everyday people, painting a rich tapestry of a country grappling with its identity, values and struggles.”

Tickets can be purchased for individual screenings at €10 each, with €25 day passes also available by searching for Áislann Chill Chartha on ticketsource.eu

They can also be bought by calling the Áislann box office at reception or by calling 074 9738376.

There may also be tickets available at the door, however tickets are selling fast for some films. 

Follow Donegallive.ie for coverage of news, sports and events across Donegal