Short Films at the Galway Film Fleadh…

Following is a summary of any short films I saw during the 1998 Galway Film Fleadh.

Ship of Fools is an animated short not to be confused with Katherine Anne Porter’s novel or Stanley Kramer’s 1965 movie. Instead, it is a technically impressive 26-minute meditation on the sectarian conflicts in Northern Ireland. Director Art O’Briain said that he thought perhaps the theme would be outdated by the time the piece was finished, but obviously it isn’t. The film is an effective plea to alter attitudes, although it is much too poetical to provide concrete suggestions for change. (Seen 11 July 1998)

Super-8 is a brief video by a local Galway band. Interesting but looking (perhaps intentionally) a bit amateurish, it probably won’t be turning up on MTV anytime soon. (Seen 9 July 1998)