THE ART of film will be celebrated at the first Wexford Film Festival which will run at Wexford Arts Centre later this month.

The event is the brainchild of local filmmaker Dave McGlone who has lived and worked in Wexford for the past 17 years. He has worked in the film industry for many years and his most recent success was a film called ‘The Girl at the End of the World’ which was released in 2014.

As an avid festival attendee, Dave decided that it was one thing Wexford needed – a film festival.

“I’m always telling people to come and film in Wexford. Every film I’ve done, some part of it has been filmed in Wexford. We have quite a few filmmakers coming over from different countries to see their films and the plan is to show them some locations here as well in the hope that they might consider the county as a filming location.”

He added that the tax breaks offered to filmmakers should be an added incentive.

The other aim is, of course, to show some top quality films.

“It’s nice to bring films here that people wouldn’t necessarily get to see otherwise. We’ve got a nice collection of really interesting films in lots of different genres and it showcases the great talent in the industry. You probably wouldn’t see films like these unless you had a festival like this in your town.

“These aren’t blockbusters – they’re films that are made to tell stories in different ways so I hope that people come along and find some films that they’ll really love.”

The programme is made up of local and international films. The organisers received over 200 submissions and had to whittle that down to the best 18 independent films. Six films will be screened per night and there is something for everyone with comedy, horror, romance, thrillers and animated films all part of the offering.

With just a few weeks to go, the organisers are hard at work seeking sponsors and advertisers.

The 18 films that will be shown are: By Any Means; Shiloh; Electric Faces; The Apparel; My Mother Once Told Me; The Irish Catskill: Dancing at the Crossroads; The United Guys Network; Breathe; Chateau Sauvignon Terroir; Here Lies Mrs. Higgins; Blood Brothers; The Fireman and the Nurse; Midnight Show; Incoming Call; Wait; Beans; Dead Pan; and Focus Group.

Tickets for the festival are available on www.wexfordfilmfestival.com or via Eventbrite and are €12 for the weekend.