Kim Longinotto is one of the pre-eminent international documentary filmmakers working today, renowned for creating extraordinary human portraits and tackling controversial topics with sensitivity and compassion. She has won many international awards including most recently the World Cinema Jury Prize in Documentary at Sundance in 2009 and HotDocs 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award.

"Up Close", a masterclass supported by FÁS Screen Training Ireland, will explore Kim Longinotto’s work as director and cinematographer while showing extracts of her award-winning films. This event will discuss how to work as both director and cinematographer, how to work with strong human rights subjects and issues, as well as the importance of spontaneity in documentary film. The masterclass will be held on Sunday 13th June 2pm. Two of Longinotto’s films, Pride of Place (UK, 1976) and Divorce Iranian Style (UK, 1998), will also be screened over the festival weekend.

Please look for details on the Kim Longinotto masterclass at www.guthgafa.com.

After the hugely successful 2008 "Meet the Experts" event with Geoff Gilmore (Director Sundance Film Festival) and Elizabeth Radshaw (HotDocs Forum), Guth Gafa offers another eclectic line-up for this year's "Meet the Experts" round, supported by Screen Producers Ireland.

Patricia Finneran (Senior Consultant, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program), Peter Jäger (Managing Director, Autlook Filmsales) and John Appel (Multi Award winning Filmmaker, Mentor) will make this an event not to be missed.

The panel "Doc Outreach – The Festival and Beyond", supported by the Broadcast Authority of Ireland (BAI) and moderated by Mick Hannigan, Director of the Cork Film Festival, will look at the outreach and distribution of documentary films after their festival launch. Panel guests will be Dominique Henskens (Communications and Marketing Manager, IFF Rotterdam), Meike Statema (IDFAcademy and IDFA Summer School Coordinator), Hana Kulhankova (Director, One World Int’l Human Rights Doc Festival, Prague) and Lise Lense-Møller (Producer and Educator, Magic Hour Films).

The forum Through Kids Eyes, supported by RTÉ Young Peoples Programming will discuss how to make factual children’s programmes, with children, about children and for children. It will explore how adults could enter a child’s world and how filmmakers working with children can capture their lives in an authentic way.

The successful filmmakers Cúán Mac Conghail, (On the Block – Tory Island), Gabriel Noble (P-Star Rising) and Chloe Ruthven (Mario and Nini) will talk about their films and discuss different forms of documentary and the specific working methods they use when filming with children. The three films of the attending filmmakers will be screened in succession before the one hour "Through Kids Eyes" forum, which will be moderated by Sheila de Courcy, Commissioning Editor for Young Peoples' Programmes, RTÉ.

There will also be One on One Meetings with Sales Agent Peter Jäger from Autlook Films Austria and Kimberley Anwen from Journeyman Pictures UK an Industry meeting between Irish producers/directors and Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Communications during the festival weekend.

Early-bird Industry accreditation:

Guth Gafa are offering an early bird industry accreditation package, half-price until 28th May 2010. Please apply for your festival accreditation directly at our booking page at www.guthgafa.com.

For full details on our special industry events, please also visit www.guthgafa.com or call our festival team on 074 9180730.

Guth Gafa International Documentary Film Festival is proudly supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann, IFTN, RTÉ, The Arts Council, TG4, The Radharc Trust, Screen Producers Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, FÁS/STI, The Broadcast Authority of Ireland, Donegal County Council, Óstán Loch Altan and other industry partners.