The North Shore Gaelic Heritage Society is hosting their third annual Féis Fhiolmaichean na Reul-iùil, an all Gaelic film festival during July 23-25. The weekend will feature both live and cinematic storytelling traditions, host screenings of Scottish and Canadian Gaelic films, and host lively ceilidhs.
A highlight of the festival weekend will be the scriptwriting workshop, conducted by award-winning Cape Breton author Sheldon Currie. Participants will get clear, comprehensible instruction in crafting all the important elements of a story. Research, character development, basic plot devices, and the common obstacles writers face will all be covered. Participants will work individually or as part of a team to make a 3-5 minute script and receive mentoring from Currie.
The workshops are scheduled to run from 10:00am to 3:30pm July 24 and 25. Organizers recommend the workshop to adults and youth over 16, due to the complexity of material and length of the sessions.
Currie takes inspirations from select aspects of Cape Breton history, as read in The Company Store and The Glace Bay Miners’ Museum. His most recent novel, Down the Coaltown Road, tells about the internment of Cape Breton’s Italian Canadians during World War II. His short story Lauchie, Liza and Rory was adapted for theatre with tremendous success, winning a 2004 Merritt Award for best play by a Nova Scotia writer
The workshop registration fee is $25 for two days. To register, call (902)929-2011. All film festival events take place at the Gaelic Singers’ Hall, located at 43594 Cabot Trail, Breton Cove. Tickets for film screening available at the door, with cash as the preferred payment method. For more information on the film festival’s schedule of events, visit feisfhiolmaicheannareul-iuil.com
