The New Normal: Open Call Programme 1
Sat. April 17th, 8pm          

To book and view this programme, please visit our event page.

The opening programme of this year’s festival is an acknowledgment that 2020 has been a year like no other. With Covid-19 ravaging the world, a ‘new normal’ of worrying uncertainty has established itself in Ireland and across the globe. Beyond the immediate effects of the virus, periods of lockdown, isolation and a general interruption to life as we have known it have touched us all. This programme is made up of films received through the festival’s open call that reflect on and react to living with the pandemic. Even if society is gripped by a public health crisis, these films are heartening proof that the enormous creativity of young filmmakers aged 12 – 24 is healthier than ever. The variety and sheer imagination of this group of films is itself a sign of hope, adaptability and resilience. From thoughtful documentaries to moving dramas to unclassifiable personal responses to the lockdown – and not forgetting a couple of laugh-out-loud comedies responding to some of its more absurdist aspects! – The New Normal is a testament to the inspiring power of youthful creativity.

The New Normal (Olympia International Film Festival & Camera Zizanio)
Covid Eire (Michael Keane)
Self Isolated (Ashish Prasai)
The Year of the End (Muirinn Carty – County Wexford Youth Film Project)
Three Things That Filmmakers Should Do During Quarantine (Brandon Lee)
What About the Animals? (Tom Martin – County Wexford Youth Film Project)
Conversation Covid: Aisling McNiffe (Amy & Rebecca Moore – Kildare Young Filmmakers)
Conversation Covid: Amy O’Sullivan (Amy & Rebecca Moore – Kildare Young Filmmakers)
Who Are You? (Harini Rameshkumar)
Static (Gearoid Murphy)
Season 16 (Niamh Collins – Emerging Limerick Filmmakers)
Conversation Covid: Gary Cogan (Amy & Rebecca Moore – Kildare Young Filmmakers)
The Shipwrecked School (Ciaran Mahony)
Stay at Home (Emmet Punch)
Conversation Covid: Maeve Doyle (Amy & Rebecca Moore – Kildare Young Filmmakers)
Conversation Covid: Sharon Curran (Amy & Rebecca Moore – Kildare Young Filmmakers)
Merry Covid Christmas (Terence MacSwiney Community College Transition Year Group)
Distanced (Liam Boland)
SEM Film Project (Kacper Bogalecki – Saint Brendan’s College, Killarney)

Panel Discussion: Michael Keane (Covid Eire), Kacper Bogalecki (SEM Film Project) and Amy & Rebecca Moore (Conversation Covid) will discuss their work in a panel moderated by programmer Max Le Cain.