Frank at Town Hall for First Fortnight
Irish director Lenny Abrahamson’s acclaimed film Frank – starring Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scoot McNairy– will be screened in the City’s Town Hall Theatre next Monday, January 12, at 8pm as part of First Fortnight, Ireland’s mental health arts festival.
The film will be preceded by No More Secrets, a new documentary on mental health-related street art in Ireland.
The First Fortnight mental health arts festival is largely Dublin based, but the two-week event, which is in its sixth year, is now extending to selected venues nationwide as it aims to challenge mental health prejudice and discrimination. The Galway screenings are being held in association with See Change, the national mental health stigma reduction partnership, and Access Cinema.
Frank tells the story of aspiring musician Jon (Gleeson) who joins the Soronprfbs, an eccentric band led by the unique Frank (Fassbender), who insists on wearing a giant fake head.
“Many of the musicians who inspired Frank were people who battled with mental health issues and somehow managed to transform those battles into wonderful art,” says Lenny Abrahamson.
“While Frank doesn’t draw any easy conclusions about the link between mental illness and creativity it is underpinned by a view of people that values all their aspects, however difficult or extreme. The film feels like a great fit for First Fortnight. I’m a big fan of the festival and I’m really happy to be involved for the second year running.”
Frank will be preceded by No More Secrets, which was produced by First Fortnight and Mental Health Ireland.
That film was directed by Aidan Kelly and Wissame Cherfi and follows the making of six street-art pieces in Limerick, Letterkenny, Dublin and Portlaoise.
The full festival line-up can be viewed at www.FirstFortnight.ie while tickets for the Town Hall screening cost €9/7 concession and are available at tht.ie, by phone at 091-569777and at the box office.