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18 March 1999 Edition

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Cinema: West Belfast Film Festival

Yamila Petruschansky
The 4th West Belfast Film Festival will open on March 22 at the Cineplex in the Kennedy Centre.

This Festival will be the biggest, brightest and most ambitious yet says Brian Campbell of the Festival's press office,'' the presence of Martin Sheen will put the Festival in the map''

In Fact, American star Sheen will launch the Festival with the Irish premiere , of his latest work, The War at Home.

The top Hollywood actor will also participate in a Question & Answer event.

A special theme this year will be films and film makers from the North of Ireland. Four programmes of thirty short films including , Saoirse from North Belfast film director Brendan Byrne and A Rap at the Door from West's Belfast rising star, screenwriter Pearse Elliot will be on show at the Virgin Cinema.

``Although 90% of the shows are in Falls Road, I think it is good to get out to Waterfront and Virgin Cinemas. It will help us to attract the audience'', explains Campbell.

The programme includes a day of Irish language films, sponsored by Felix Feirste, who will also host a seminar on the role of Irish Language in film.

There will be also a show of Basque short films, ``there is a link and similarities between what happens over there and over here, also there are also lots of Basque people living here and in the rest of Ireland, this is a way to recognise them'', adds Campbell.

Celebrating the 40th Cuban Revolution Anniversary, West Belfast Film Festival presents a programme of wonderful Cuban films, featuring particularly the work of the internationally well known director Tomas Alea and the premiere of a documentary by the Film Festival's manager, Michele Devlin, about a trip a Cuba by a group of Belfast women last year.

As a part of Draoicht, the local children's Festival, films for children will be screened by Cinemagic and animation workshops will take place since on March 16.

A rare treat for movie- and music- fans will be a silent film with piano accompaniment at the Waterfront Studio and for soccer fans, two evenings of rarely screened films about football.

An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland