Kerry Film Festival's New Venture Secret Cine Club Goes From Strength to Strength
Unique New idea Sees Film Fans Meet On A Monthly Basis To Enjoy A Secret Film In A Secret Location.
Kerry Film Festival's latest venture, the Secret Cine Club, is an idea that does exactly what it says on the tin - it offers fans of groundbreaking films the opportunity to meet on a monthly basis in extraordinary settings which are kept a secret until the last minute to watch a film that remains a secret until the credits actually roll across the screen!
So how on earth are those who are interested supposed to figure out where to turn up? Roisín McGuigan, the chairperson of Kerry Film Festival, explains with a laugh, "We give people hints as to the location, and to the film itself, on Facebook and Twitter and just hope that people figure it out! The hints and clues for the location are a little easier to work out because we want people to turn up! But we do announce the location on the morning of the screening so that people can meet there."
Kerry Film Festival also gives hints as to the film. The hints and clues, generally, start with more obscure clues and become gradually easier but the film itself often remains a complete mystery to many attendees until the credits actually roll, however the first person to guess the title of the film gets a prize. "It's part of the fun of the Secret Cine Club," says Roisín, "when we first mooted the plan a few months ago we weren't sure if anyone would bother coming, particularly because people wouldn't necessarily know what the film was before turning up but we've been happily surprised with the numbers that have come along to the first two screenings."
Secret Cine Club is all part of the burgeoning trust between Kerry Film Festival and its growing audience. Kerry Film Festival was the fastest growing festival in all of Ireland between 2006, when its total audience was only 1,700 and 2011 when its audience topped 10,000 for the first time. Along the way it instigated a number of awards and new ventures that really put the festival on the map, including the Maureen O' Hara Award which has seen some of the biggest names in world cinema come to Kerry; including Juliette Binoche, Saoirse Ronan, Brenda Fricker and Rebecca Miller and her husband Daniel Day Lewis.
"Kerry has been synonymous with film since the earliest days of last century," says Roisín, "when in 1910, the New York based Kalem Film Company made history by sending its leading filmmakers, director Sidney Olcott and screenwriter and lead actress Gene Gauntier, to Beaufort in County Kerry to produce a series of groundbreaking films that are celebrated to this day for their authentic Irish settings and use of scenery. The Secret Cine Club is simply the latest in a long line of ventures that brings films and cinema to the people of Kerry."
The July screening which takes place on Thursday, July 25th is the third Secret Cine Club screening, so what can attendees expect? "Well our previous screenings took place in Kerry County Museum and Yummy Café Market in the middle of Tralee and we screened The Coen Brothers' debut film, BLOOD SIMPLE, and Wes Anderson's MOONRISE KINGDOM, so attendees can expect a fantastically good film in an unusual screening location. I can't tell you any more, I'm afraid, because it's a secret!" says Roisín with a laugh.
And in these straightened times Kerry Film Festival's Secret Cine Club offers more than just the opportunity to watch a film in a unique location, attendees are also given a glass of complimentary wine prior to the screening and encouraged to stick around afterwards when likeminded fans decamp to the nearest watering hole. "We're conscious of how difficult it is for many people nowadays and so have kept our prices as low as possible," says Roisín. "Tickets, including the film and the complimentary wine are only €5. Basically we're just trying to cover costs and any money over is put into our education screenings that bring free screenings of films to primary schools. So not only do you get to enjoy a wonderful film - you're also supporting the Kerry Film Festival in Schools programme."
Anyone interested in Kerry Film Festival's Secret Cine Club should log onto www.kerryfilmfestival.com for more details or just call 066 712 9934.