The Galway Film Fleadh is now accepting short film submissions for its 2021 edition. With three Oscar® qualifying categories, the Film Fleadh’s advocacy for emerging film talent is reflected in its annual programme of approximately 100 short films from all over the world, including drama and documentary, live action and animation, and everything in-between.
As an Oscar® qualifying festival, the winners of the Tiernan McBride Award for Best Fiction Short, the James Horgan Award for Best Animation Short and the TG4 Award for Best Documentary Short will qualify for Academy Award consideration without the standard theatrical run. Galway also rewards first time directors in drama and animation, as well as the Donal Gilligan Award for Cinematography in a Short Film. Winners through the years include Lenny Abrahamson, Kirsten Sheridan, Ken Wardrop, Rebecca Daly, as well as DOP’s Kate McCullough, Tim Fleming, and many more.
After becoming the first Irish film festival to successfully pivot online last year, the Fleadh’s selected films reached over 43K viewers, including delegates from 34 countries. For 2021, the Fleadh hopes to reintroduce physical screenings but awaits official word on government guidelines and Health Service advice on keeping audiences safe. Three of the Fleadh’s 2020 selected shorts made the shortlist for the 93rd Academy Awards announced this week – International Fiction Award winner White Eye, and Ghanaian/Belgian co-production Da Yie, in the Live Action category and the native Hawaiian story Kapaemahu, in the Animation category.
In addition to screenings, the Fleadh also delivers panels and networking events tailored towards short filmmakers, providing opportunities to meet with international and industry guests. Filmmakers can watch back some of the panels from the 2020 online event on the festival’s Youtube channel.
The Galway Film Fleadh is a six day international film event in the West of Ireland. Featuring Ireland’s only film & TV marketplace, and an annual industry conference called the Fleadh Forum, Galway welcomes audiences & filmmakers from around the world to the edge of Europe each July. The Galway Film Fleadh is funded by the Arts Council.
Galway’s short film submissions are now open across all categories. The Film Fleadh accepts all types and genre of short film under 40 minutes, as well as picture-locked rough cuts.
- The Earlybird Submission fee is €25 and the deadline is 5pm, March 15th.
- The Regular Submission fee is €30 and the deadline is 5pm, April 26th.
- There will be a late deadline of 5pm on Monday May 10th and the late submission fee will be €35.
For further information or to submit a film, visit www.galwayfilmfleadh.com.