The Bloomsday Film Festival is taking place this week in Dublin from 12th—15th June and Amergin, the short film I co-produced with Jonathan Brennan, will be screened on Friday, 13th June in Belvedere House, the very location where James Joyce studied in the 1890s. It is an honour to feature in this festival and, though I will not be able to make it over, Jonathan will be in attendance for the Q&A. Although we submitted the film in the Irish Poetry Shorts section we have been placed in the International Literature Shorts section, not sure why but no complaints… This may be the only time the full version of the film will be screened in Ireland so, if you are in Dublin, be sure to go along. Some info from the festival site:
The Bloomsday Film Festival presents Literature Shorts on Friday, June 13th at 3pm in Belvedere College.
These short films are adapted from, or inspired by, works of literature from Ireland and around the world.
6.14 (2022), David Bickley and David Forsythe, 12 min, Ireland
On the Blue Summer Evenings (2024), Xaviar Guárdia, 10 min, Spain
The Forest Midwife (2024), Beta Bajgart, 15 min, Ireland
In a Far Country (2025), Arthur Guezou, 4 min, France
Henrietta (2025), Bara Palcik, 4 min, Ireland
Taiji Cove (2024), Sasha Gromova, Anastasia Bukreeva and Sasha Gromova, 24 min, Russia
Amergin (2025), Jonathan Brennan and Dylan Brennan, 15 min, Ireland
Runtime: 92 minutes
The screening will be followed by short Q & A with filmmakers in attendance.
Tickets are €5.
More information available here.
On the same day we heard that Amergin had made the official selection of the Bloomsday Film Festival we also heard that we had won the Director’s Choice Award, the top award at the International Poetry Film Festival, Los Angeles. You can see our winning laurels in the image below!
Working on the film was a very rewarding experience and I never expected us to win anything so it was great to hear that Amergin had gone down well in Venice, California. We are hopeful that the film (or shortened version of the film) will appear at one or two more festivals during 2025. More info here if/when available.
In other news the new issue of Tolka has been published. Tolka is a really great journal of what they refer to as “formally promiscuous non-fiction”. In July 2024 I walked across Ireland, from Strokestown to Dublin, along the National Famine Way, to raise money for Medical Aid for Palestinians. I documented the walk in ‘Famine Haibun’ which features in this issue of Tolka. You can get your copy here.
From Tolka:
Issue Nine, published in May 2025, is now available. It includes:
Maija Makela – Ghost-bait
Kevin Breathnach – A Sample of the Truth
Annie Ernaux translated by Anna Moschovakis – The Possession
R Alice – Gliders
An Interview with Ayşegül Savas by Dearbhaile Houston
Caelainn Hogan – House Share
Dylan Brennan – Famine Haibun
Ruby Eastwood – Self-Portrait: After Joe Brainard
Gustav Parker Hibbett – Fumbling in the Dark
SJ Kim – Dear Manchester Chinatown, [고은정]
Martin Jackson – You can skip straight here if you want
Andrea Caro – And the building was briefly beautiful
Cover art by Salvatore of Lucan. Cover design by Sarah McCoy
Lastly, as always, the best way to support me is by buying a copy of Let the Dead (available here or on Kindle) for yourself or for someone else, or by simply recommending it to others. I’d very much appreciate if you did any of that but if you can’t then please just share and like this post and subscribe for free! All the best, Dylan.