Miriam Allen is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ireland’s leading film festival, The Galway Film Fleadh. Under her stewardship the Fleadh (the Irish word for feast or banquet), has gone from strength to strength, and now in its 25th year, the festival has become a “must-attend” event in the world-cinema calendar.
“The Fleadh is continually adapting as it grows, hosting innovative events such as the 72 hour film project, a Staffordshire University initiative; the Pitching Award, which offers budding scriptwriters the opportunity to develop their projects, and a Masterclass programme which provides peer-to-peer interaction between young and established filmmakers,” said Miriam.
The on-going success of the festival was further recognised in 2012 when it became a qualifying festival in the Academy Awards Short Film category. Of the 7,000 festivals worldwide only 68 of them have this accolade. The Galway Film Fleadh is now one of them.
Miriam has also worked closely with Staffordshire University to nurture aspiring filmmakers and support the University’s filmmaking prowess in Ireland’s education sector by screening ‘Keys To The City’ at the Galway festival; an MSc Digital Feature Film production project by FilmBase Dublin in partnership with Staffordshire University.
Commenting on her career, Miriam added:“that the most enjoyable highlights have been on the one hand, mixing and mingling with some of the great filmmakers and on the other, observing and nurturing new talent.”
The award of Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University is bestowed upon Miriam in recognition of her exceptional success with Ireland’s leading festival, the Galway Film Fleadh.
It also recognises the hugely influential role she continues to play in collaborating with Staffordshire University and aspiring filmmakers.