Tipperary filmmaker to host fundraiser film showcase this month

​Tipperary-based filmmaker William O’Keeffe has been carving a path for himself through his recent endeavours on the silver screen.

William, who lives in Thurles, has been touring recently, screening one of his latest films, ‘A Thurles Tale’.

The film has been lauded by plaudits for its quick wit and charm, with rave reviews coming in from all over the world.

Speaking with the Tipperary Star, William outlined where his passion for filmmaking came from at a young age, what led to him pursuing filmmaking as a career, and how it all culminated in him making a film in his home town.

“I’ve been a filmmaker for quite some time now, probably professionally, let’s say six years, but all together, about 14, 15 years. I made a lot of films made for no money, I used to make a lot of stop-motion stuff as a child, and I was very inspired by a lot of animation like Aardman, and a lot of Disney stuff, and a lot of European animation as well. I got very bored when I was in secondary school, so I would make films to pass the time. Now I’ve reached a point where I went to film school and managed to refine what skills I didn’t have, or maybe I was starting and just didn’t know how to properly apply myself, so now I mostly make comedies about Tipperary and Thurles and sport. I never thought I’d say that because I’m not a very sporty person, but I find it fun to play with these ideas.”

Speaking on the film, William says it has been shown all over the world, which he is thrilled with, as he is able to share a window into Thurles with people from across the globe.

“‘A Thurles Tale’ is a crime comedy, it’s set in Thurles, and it’s about a bank robbery that isn’t what it seems. That’s all I’ll give away, but it’s a very silly, very slapstick-heavy short film, it’s only ten minutes long. It’s very stylistic, it takes the idea of what hurling is in Thurles and turns it on its head in a fun way. The film is actually screening in different countries as well, so I managed to make a film that has a lot of colloquialisms, but I’ve also had feedback from people who’ve never set foot in Ireland, who got their own interpretation, and got their own enjoyment from it.

“I’m very pleased with the film, as I got to showcase the town of Thurles and what it’s known for, but I also got to share it with people around the world in an entertaining way.”

Reaction to the film has been immense, according to William, with praise coming from far and wide for the piece.

“In Thurles anyway and Tipperary, I had a screening of that short film, and I got really good responses. They liked that there was a main story that kind of bridged all of these cultural references together, and everyone had their own interpretation of the story. It’s a story that’s told in three parts and from different points of view. I was kind of shocked at how much people were into it.

“And from outside Tipperary, I’ve shown it in Dublin, I’ve shown it in Cork, in Dublin for instance, hurling’s not as popular there, but it still appealed to people, they still got something out of it, which I really appreciated.

“I’ve seen reviews online, I’ve seen, the perfect dichotomy of opinion on the film, is I saw a one-star review and a five-star review, and the reviews are basically the same: ‘I had no idea what was going on’. One of them was ‘This is the greatest thing ever. I had no idea what was going on’, and ‘This is the worst thing ever. I had no idea what was going on’. So the main thing is, if people laugh, and they get something out of it, which most people seem to, I’m pretty happy with that.”

‘The Long Way to Tipperary’ is another film William has made, which he will showcase this month at a special fundraiser event.

“This one is a little more relaxed, it’s less crazy, it’s more standard. It’s a comedy about an Irish man who lived in Vienna for ten-odd years, and has basically lost his identity, and returns home to Ireland, where everything’s changed, and so has he. It’s very silly, I made it with some other writers, and the process was very different to what I’ve done before, I usually write my films myself, and it includes some actors from Ireland and some actors from all over the world.”

William will host the fundraiser screening on Wednesday, September 30 at 8pm in the Horse and Jockey Hotel, showcasing both ‘A Thurles Tale’ and ‘The Long Way to Tipperary’.

The event is being run to raise funds for a feature film he and his crew are hoping to produce, with tickets on sale at tinyurl.com/TippFilm, costing between €5 and €15 depending on the donation amount.

“It’s a fundraiser screening of the two short films. There will also be a Q&A with myself and hopefully some actors. This time we’re fundraising, not for festival funds, but for a feature film that me and my crew and some of my writers and some of the people that I work with, that’s going to be shot in Thurles and Tipperary next year.”

William is calling on anyone who may be interested in getting involved in the project to reach out to him, stating that experience does not matter, and that one of the main aims of the project is to showcase local talent.

You can follow @thurles_tales_filum on Instagram for more updates.