It’s that time of the year again - the spectacular Galway Film Fleadh is coming up from the 11th to 16th July!

The line-up has been announced and boy, are we excited for what the Fleadh is boasting this year. Take a look for yourself at the great selection of animation screenings on offer:

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children

Fri 14 July / Cinemobile / 22:15 / Mature

Stranded on an island in a post-apocalyptic world, Dinky and her friends hatch a plan to escape in the hope of finding a better life. Meanwhile, her old friend Birdboy has shut himself off from the world, pursued by the police and haunted by demon tormentors. Alberto Vázquez’s Birdboy: the Forgotten Children is a darkly comic, mind-bending fantasy. Gorgeous graphic imagery brings to life a surreal and discordant world populated by adorable animated critters, searching for hope amid the ruin.

New Irish Shorts 7: IFB World Premiere Shorts

Sat 15 July / Town Hall Theatre / 12:00 / PG

Bord Scannán na hÉireann / Irish Film Board (IFB) is proud to present the World Premiere of these short films.

This screening will feature the IFB's world premiere of animation shorts: Macarooned, An Island, Late Afternoon and Departure.

New Irish Shorts 9: Animation

Sun 16 July / Town Hall Theatre / 12:00 / Older Teens and up

Programme 9 celebrates the vibrant animation industry in Ireland today. This strand of short film premieres takes us from futuristic robot utopias to animations based on true Irish stories, and features the film adaptation of the classic Irish Novel An Béal Bocht. We are delighted to showcase both student films and work from more established filmmakers.

Richard the Stork

Sun 16 July / Town Hall Theatre / 14:00 / All Ages

Orphaned sparrow Richard is lovingly raised by a family of storks. It wouldn’t occur to him in a thousand years that he’s not a stork himself. But when his adoptive parents and stepbrother start getting ready for the long haul down to cozy, warm Africa in the autumn, they have to tell him the truth: a little sparrow isn’t made for such a long trip. With heavy hearts, they have to leave him behind. Just because he’s no longer under their wing, there’s no reason to turn tail! Richard sets out for Africa on his own to prove he’s a real stork after all! Luckily, he gets help from Olga, an oversize pygmy owl, and her imaginary friend Oleg. When they free Kiki, a karaoke-singing parakeet, from his cage, a topsy-turvy adventure begins, in the course of which the three birds of a feather have to learn to take wing!

One Minute Film Festival

Sun 16 July / Town Hall Studio / 16:30

Galway City of Film in partnership with Galway Film Centre and Galway Film Fleadh are delighted to announce the return of the One Minute Film Festival! 30 one-minute films have been selected from both experienced and first-time filmmakers with all genres covered including comedy, drama, documentary, art-house and animation, with a cash award for the winning film. These super short films pack a punch proving that a really great story can be told in just one minute!

My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea

Sun 16 July / Cinemobile / 18:15 / Older Teens and up

No matter your age, part of you never outgrows high school. Dash Shaw, known for such celebrated graphic novels as Bottomless Belly Button and New School, brings his subjective, dreamlike sense of narrative, his empathy for outsiders and their desire to connect, and his rich, expressive drawing style to his first animated feature. Packed with action, My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea is about friends overcoming their differences and having each other’s backs in times of crisis.

For more info on the full Fleadh line-up and how to book your tickets, please visit: www.galwayfilmfleadh.com

Now all we need is some great weather throughout the weekend!

See you there!