We were treated to a Secret of Kells screening a few weeks back. The film, now nominated for best animated film of the year (which I think it deserves) was directed by Tomm Moore. Friends of ASIFA-East, Spoiler Alert Radio, interviewed him recently and you can listen to it here.
Article by Katie Cropper. Pardon this review if you’ve already read the thoroughly well written review by Charles Kenny, I’ll try to take another perspective on this one. On Wednesday night, The Children’s International Film Festival hosted a screening night at the Soho House in Hell’s Kitchen. The screening room was small and I happened to be 15 minutes late and missed out on what ended up being the most comfortable leather seats I have ever sat in (for the credits, that is). I digress, sitting on the floor did not hamper the mystical experience that is The Secret of Kells. I have to say it has been an incredible year for smaller budget and independent animated features. The main reason for this small screening was to get some buzz built up for the upcoming award season. The Secret of Kells really is a unique film because the quality on a whole is so high. Often films have to sacrifice in places where they just couldn’t make up the money. The design, sound, performance, compositing, and writing were on par with work big name studios with bigger budgets and much larger staff have produced. Now onto the film; The...
Review by Charles Kenny (ASIFA-East’s civil engineer-in-residence). In true Irish fashion, better late than never. When I first thought about reviewing the film, I had no idea it would be so difficult, and, after seeing it, to be able to sum it up in more than one word is very difficult indeed. The Secret of Kells is a film unlike any other, and not just because it’s Irish! Brendan is an orphan, living in a place called Kells (in Irish, Ceannas, or “Great Chief Abode”) where his uncle, Ceallach (played by Brendan Gleeson) is the abbot of the monastery. Brendan is a mischievous boy, much to consternation of his uncle, who is always trying to warn him about the great dangers the settlement currently faces from the Vikings or ‘Noresmen’. One day, Brother Aidan (ably voiced by renowned actor Mick Lally) appears, carrying with him the Book of Iona, an illuminated manuscript of fabled beauty. Slowly but surely he teaches Brendan the calligraphy skills he once learned. It is through assisting Brother Aidan that Brendan meets Aisling, a mysterious girl who inhabits the forest outside Kells and despite being unimpressed by his presence (“What are you doing in my...
