By Sean Hillen

In a major development for the film-making industry, representatives of leading international organisations in the sector are to promote and expand Ireland's exclusive documentary-only festival, Guth Gafa, in the village of Gortahork, Donegal.
The news emerged Thursday after officials with three of the largest documentary film funding organisations in the world, two of which were established by well-known Oscar-winning actors, Robert De Niro and Robert Redford, were left deeply impressed by what they experienced at  the five-day event that ended Tuesday.
Representatives of the Sundance Institute in Utah and the Tribeca Film Institute and POV group in New York will form part of an advisory committee and work closely with Guth Gafa co-directors, David Rane and Neasa Ni Chianain, over the next few months to expand the Donegal event internationally. Between them, these three organisations support documentary film-making with more than six million Euro a year in funding. The Sundance and Tribeca Festivals are leaders in the sector, attracting thousands of directors, producers and funders, as well as top actors and actresses from the world of film to their events.
“Guth Gafa is both provoking and enlightening, creating in-depth discussions on important social issues,” said a delighted Cynthia Lopez, executive vice-president of POV in Manhattan, NY, a project of American Documentary, a national US non-profit group. “It is not over-programmed, or overcrowded, and manages to incorporate cultural events into the whole experience. It is a festival well deserving of our support and we will do our utmost to help it grow through strategic partnerships.” Lopez was a member of a jury that selected the winner in Guth Gafa’s inaugural student film award. The film, entitled Rose, focused on an Irish mother’s feelings upon placing her own mother in a nursing home. The winner receives the equivalent of 10,000 Euro in production support and equipment for a project of their choice.
Added Lopez, “The films from Irish students were so impressive and so diverse, ranging from an examination of Alzheimer’s and obsessive compulsive disorder to Irish female jockeys and ballet students in training.”  
Patricia Finneran, producer, Creative Partnerships in the Sundance Institute’s documentary film programme established by actor, Robert Redford, described the Gortahork festival as one, “that enjoys an intimate setting and offers film-makers and funders an opportunity to reach a real and authentic audience and gauge their responses to issues from people within a specific culture. It is remarkable what has been achieved here, in a place far from a major city, over the last few years.”
Ryan Harrington, director of documentary programming for the New York-based Tribeca Film Institute established by Robert De Niro, following the tragedy of 9/11, said, “Guth Gafa allows people like me the opportunity to meet a mix of new film-makers, as well as established ones in a small physical area and the convenience of this easy accessibility is very important,” said “Our Tribeca Festival, due to its size, takes place in different places throughout New York. Guth Gafa reminds me of why I do what I do: connecting to people.”
Also involved in the newly-created international support and advisory committee are Elizabeth Radshaw, forum and market director at HotDocs, a leading documentary film festival in Toronto, as well as Alan Maher, production executive at Bord Scannán na hÉireann (the Irish Film Board).
“We’re delighted that people of this calibre within the global film industry consider us in such high esteem and look forward with great enthusiasm to even better programs with their international support and influence,” said Rane.      
Among strategies being prepared for future Guth Gafa festivals is greater outreach to the American-Irish diaspora, stronger funding avenues as well as even more community-based activities. One of the community highlights this week was an Irish dancing performance by world champions, Brogan McCay and John Whitehurst, screening of the film JIG, and a lively ceili at Ostan Loch Altan where Dane, Spaniard, Dutch, Romanian and Kiwi and  combined with local people to dance a lively version of the Waves of Tory.    

By Sean Hillen

Top newspaper editors and political, arts and culture leaders from Donegal and Derry have come together to launch the annual Guth Gafa international documentary film festival. A champagne event Tuesday evening at the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny highlighted some of the issues involved in one of the festival’s many documentaries, entitled “Our Newspaper” about the nature of community journalism.

The festival, now in its sixth successful year, will feature around 30 documentaries from around the globe during the weekend June 10 to 12 in Gortahork. Speakers included  - Columba Gill, editor, Donegal News, Martin McGinley, editor, Derry Journal, Ciaran O'Donnell, deputy editor, Donegal Democrat, Anita Guidera, Northwest Correspondent, The Irish Independent newspaper and Stephen Maguire, editor, Donegal Daily on-line news service.

In response to questions from host Sean Hillen, editors cited what they considered the most interesting stories in their careers to date, which ranged from a major investigation into crooked financiers here (Maguire) to the difficulties faced by women with breast cancer due to lack of access to radiotherapy services (Guidera). They also described the media campaigns their newspapers have been involved in over the years that brought much-needed benefits to the communities they serve. These ranged from the Kelvin project and publication of a bumper supplement produced by the Derry Journal on the recent Bloody Sunday findings and the apology of the British government, to road safety (Donegal Democrat) and a major lobbying effort for key health services (Donegal News).    

Marie Therese Gallagher, Deputy Mayor of Donegal , opened the evenings’ event, praising the festival organisers “for the great achievements you have made” and emphasising the importance of such festivals for tourism in the region, as well as the key role played by media in community education and activism. David Rane, festival co-director with his partner, Neasa, said he was proud Guth  Gafa “attracted over 2,000 extra visitors to Donegal every year producing an estimated 100,000 Euro in tourism revenues”  while social psychologist, Jeanne Cashin, from New Jersey and co-creator of the festival’s innovative ‘climate action day’  described how the idea emerged after a cold, chilly winter in Donegal last year. Further information on the festival’s many offerings can be found on www.guthgafa.com

Politicians and cultural and social leaders attended the event ranging from Traolach O'Fionnain, Arts Officer, Donegal Council, to Frank McBrearty, recent Labour national election candidate and prominent local councillor.