Solas - Skerries Film Festival present Short Film Competition for Students

Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose

Solas, the new Skerries Film Festival, is launching on midsummer day, Saturday June 21st 2008 at The Sailing Club in Skerries harbour.

This year the festival is being launched as a one-day event but will become a major four-day event planned around mid-summer every year.

The festival's opening film this year is La Vie en Rose, depicting the extraordinary life story of singer Edith Piaf. The screening of this French Oscar-winner also marks Skerries twinning with the canton Guichon in France.

On Saturday afternoon there will also be a children's screening of the classic ET.

Celebrating the best of Irish and international cinema, Solas aims to be a meeting point for filmmakers and film lovers alike and will have at its heart a short film competition for student and graduate filmmakers sponsored by Ardmore Sound.

Solas is seeking short films to compete for the award of best short film. The prize is a day's professional sound work in Ardmore Sound in Wicklow.

There will be 10 films shortlisted and shown during the festival shorts programme.The winning film will also be screened before the main film on the day of the festival and win a prize of a days sound mix at Ardmore Sound worth €2,000.

For more info go to www.solasfilmfestival.com