INNOVATIVE FROM THE BEGINNING
Last Friday, 9th of November 2018, marked the launch of the 63rd Cork Film Festival. Cork Film Festival is Ireland’s longest running film festival and was initially part of the An Tóstal initiative, which was a series of festivals around Ireland organised to attract tourists and celebrate Irish culture.
63 years later, Cork Film Festival is still doing the same thing but in a very different Ireland.
“The 1950’s were a fractured and conservative time and the festival was very innovative” said Finola Doyle O’Neil, broadcast historian and Festival Board member, when speaking to the Irish Examiner in 2015.
As times change and the world progresses, Film continues to be a focal point of innovation and creativity making waves in the technological, societal, cultural and political worlds.
So, how and when did this all begin.
In 1888, the French Inventor, Louis Le Prince, created what is termed to be the film short film ever in existence. The film was called the Rounday Garden Scene and was shot in Leeds. It was a basic black and white film that last only seconds, however it was an invention that would change the world forever.
In 1895 the Lumiere brothers launched the first commercial cinematographic motion pictures in Paris, France. This took the world by storm. Only 4 months after the Lumiere brothers’ short films had been shown to the public, they were being displayed in Dublin, Ireland.
Although the pace of film innovation following the release of the first films was extremely rapid. Ireland wouldn’t produce their own films until 1917. That’s 22 years after the Irish had been exposed to Film. Reasons for this span from political to cultural and economic to historic.
However, the changes that were taking place the world over did not take 22 years. Film was on the rise and it was an exciting era for innovation.
GLOBAL FILM INNOVATION
Advancements in Film and in Film technology come about quickly and are integrated quickly not for mere profitable gain but because the filmmaker simply yearned to tell a better story.
The timeline for Film innovation is brisk and exciting following a demand for and a love of film and film production.
1888 – Roundhay Garden Scene, First Short Film
1895 – Lumiere Brothers have commercial breakthrough in Film
1897 – The First Film Studio is developed
1898 – First Rotating Camera is invented
1906 – The First Multi-reel Production was shown in an Australian cinema
1910 – Artificial Lighting and Fire effects are introduced to film production.
1910 – Actors began to receive credit for their screen time creating film stars and ultimately the Film Industry that we know today
1920 – Hollywood became the Film Factory of the world producing 82% of the global total of Films.
Special jobs were created and developed as Film innovation continued. Specialist writers were employed to simplify stories from novels for audiences who were not used to storytelling. These specialists became screenwriters.
As films developed genres of film became prevalent starting with only two; Comedy and Drama, the world of Film Genre changed and expanded massively.
INNOVATION AND IDENTITY IN IRISH FILM
At the same time that Hollywood was producing nearly 800 films annually, Ireland hadn’t produced any of their own.
Although the Irish were know globally for their storytelling talents, Irish cinema was slow to rise from the shadow of Irish literature.
Ireland was a relatively poor country stuck in the cross-wind of two global giants in Film production. The United Kingdom and it’s strong stance in Film production for propaganda purposes to spur patriotism and dedication during the war at one side. On the other, The United States and their glamours capitalists depiction of the American Dream.
Ireland had only just seen an end to the Great Famine when Film first entered the world. The Great Famine which rocked the Irish culture, society and population.
This was a time of crisis and poverty for the Irish who were left in search of an Identity and a culture to call their own.
However, this Great Famine and turmoil in Ireland would simultaneously be the catalyst for Ireland’s innovation in Film.
The Irish diaspora who had been forced overseas during the famine to the US, now had a longing and a desire to see their homeland in films.
With this came the production of many Irish Films who were depicting the emigration narrative to the Irish at home and abroad.
Through Film, the Irish were able to remember who we are; Storytellers. We began again to tell our story.
FILM AND INNOVATION IN MODERN IRELAND
Modern Irish Cinema is very much a reflection of Modern Ireland; Diverse, Multi-faceted and Globalized.
The Identity of Irish Film is very much unfixed because our Identity is constantly in flux.
Irish Film is an innovative way for us to be doing what we have been doing since the beginning of time; telling our story.
Innovation in Film and creative ways of expressing a story has changed and developed since 1888 and will never cease to continue this development because of the nature of Film.
Film is relevant, popular and democratic.
Film changes and evokes people.
In Modern Ireland we have seen the production of award winning Films such as; The Young Offenders, Room, Brooklyn, Black 47, The Lobster, which have made audience laugh, cry and feel.
Film brings people together for a shared experience and will continue to do so.
The latest innovative venture in Irish Film is that The Irish Film Board have now changed their name to Screen Ireland since June 2018.
I will leave you now with a quote from Anna Doona, Chair of Screen Ireland which will explain the name change and the Innovative steps we are taking for the future of Film in Ireland.
Screen Ireland reflects the evolution of screen storytelling as well as our ambition and vision for the future of Ireland’s film and screen sector. It is indicative of a more inclusive and representative name for both the Irish creative talent working on storytelling on screen and audiences for this work.
Earlier this year, the Irish Government announced their commitment of an investment of €200 million in media production and the Irish audio-visual industry and this unprecedented commitment will further consolidate Screen Ireland’s efforts to fully realise the ambitions of Pillar 4 of Creative Ireland, which is to make Ireland a global centre of excellence for media production.
Operating under Screen Ireland allows the agency to wholly fulfil its expanding remit and to support Irish creative talent in new and exciting ways, so that our uniquely Irish stories can reach further than ever before.
Annie Doona, Chair – Screen Ireland
