Offaly-made documentary to screen at prestigious film festival

An Offaly-made documentary 'Closed For Lunch' has been selected for the Disappear Here Film Festival, taking place in Ballyliffin, Donegal this month.

The short film tells the personal stories behind Offaly’s peat industry through the lens of lunchtime, featuring interviews with different generations of those involved with the industry, together with archive footage of the factories through the ages.

It was produced by Offaly’s Mixed Bag Media, as part of FilmOffaly’s Documentary Mentorship Scheme, and was supported by the EU’s Just Transition Fund.

The scheme saw a group of five local filmmakers receive training in documentary skills from IFTA-nominated filmmaker Garret Daly. After the workshops with Garret, the filmmakers worked together to produce 'Closed For Lunch' themselves, taking on all the production roles and earning their first professional production credit.

The film is a highly personal piece of Offaly history and received a packed premiere earlier this year at Esker Arts, Tullamore.

“The Film Offaly Documentary Mentorship Scheme was a fantastic opportunity for us to upskill and connect with other aspiring filmmakers.” said the film’s co-director Helen Keenan.

The filmmakers enjoyed the experience on 'Closed For Lunch' so much that they have already made a second film together – a short documentary titled' Just For The Record', which looks at the development of the Midlands music scene from the showband years through to the streaming age.

“The reaction to 'Closed For Lunch' from the local community has been humbling, and we’re overjoyed the film will find an audience further afield.” said FilmOffaly’s Darren Lee.

'Closed For Lunch' will be shown as part of the short documentaries programme at Ballyliffin Hotel on October 17 at 4pm. Booking information can be found at www.disappearherefilmfest.com