‘It’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done’ – Hall-Walshe

Regan Kelly

A young Westmeath filmmaker is having his movie premièred at the Offline Film Festival in Birr, County Offaly, on October 8.

‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’ was written, directed, and produced by Rochfortbridge man Liam Hall Walshe, and his love for Westmeath bleeds well into this film.

Speaking on this, Liam said: “It was filmed exclusively in Mullingar and Rochfortbridge, so it’s done very locally. I couldn’t have done this without the support of local businesses, local actors, and local crew.”

Filming on a budget is not always easy, and that can often impact the length of time it takes to produce a film like this.

For Liam, this has been a long time coming, taking a total of two years, but like anyone who puts in this kind of effort, it’s rewarding.

Liam said: “It’s exciting, I’m looking forward to showing it off and being able to speak about the film.

“I want to showcase what can be done if you have enough people who are passionate enough to spend their time creating something like this.”

Providing opportunities to those interested in film making is important to Liam, especially in his local area.

Liam said: “To be able to give people their first opportunity, and see them light up on set, it was amazing.

“A lot of these people had never been on a set before, so being able to bring a certain level of industry to your locality is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.”

Collaborating with the Offline Film Festival is important to Liam, and he believes that festivals like it can really help budding filmmakers.

“During the Offline Film Festival, there is a Keynote where you can pitch, shoot, and stream a film. This gives people an opportunity to be able to create a film and have it screened as part of the festival.

“It’s a massive opportunity for grassroots filmmakers for us to network and put your movie on a massive cinema screen at a big festival.

“So this is a very important collaboration for us because we are joining forces with an established film festival, and we’re giving people the opportunity to be able to showcase themselves,” Liam concluded.