CLOSED FOR LUNCH
PREMIERES AT ESKER ARTS
Offaly-made documentary Closed For Lunch is due to have its premiere at Esker Arts on Wednesday 4th March at 7:30pm.
This short film tells the personal stories behind Offaly’s peat industry through the lens of lunchtime- be it the craic and camaraderie of the canteen, or the simple pleasures of tea and sandwiches on the bog. It’s a tribute to a local industry, but also the now-dwindling lunch break in today’s era of supermarket sandwiches and pressured working days.
The film interviews different generations of those closely involved with the peat industry, together with archive footage of the factories through the ages. It was produced by Offaly’s Mixed Bag Media as part of FilmOffaly’s Documentary Mentorship Scheme.
The scheme saw a group of five local filmmakers receive training in documentary skills from IFTA-nominated filmmaker Garret Daly. After the workshops with Garret, the filmmakers worked together to produce Closed For Lunch themselves, taking on all the production roles and earning their first professional production credit while doing so. The film is a highly personal piece of Offaly history and there is a huge amount of quality and talent on display from the local filmmakers involved.
The film will be premiered alongside behind the scenes footage and a supporting documentary. There will also be a short Q&A with the filmmakers talking about their experiences on the project.
Full details and booking information are available on the Esker Arts website at www.eskerarts.ie.
Situated in the heart of Ireland, Offaly boasts a unique landscape, good road and rail infrastructure and plenty of experience and enthusiasm in hosting film productions. We are delighted to welcome your crews here.
Offaly boasts some amazing and atmospheric locations, including 22 monastic sites and approximately 90 castles, as well as typical Irish towns with plenty of character. The north eastern part of the county is situated within the commuter belt of Dublin with the southern and western parts bordering the Slieve Bloom Mountains and the Shannon River.
FilmOffaly is Offaly's Film Commission and a project of Offaly County Council. Up and running since 2008, we are one of the first local film offices in Ireland, and our annual Film Award is now in its fifteenth year. We are cofunded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund programme 2021-2027.
