Lisdoon filmmaker’s feast for the senses

A LISDOONVARNA-born filmmaker is celebrating success on the national film circuit with an animated film, which contemporises the biblical tale of The Wedding Feast of Cana.

By John Rainsford

Jesus of Limerick is a short film, which premiered to acclaim recently at the Limerick (Fresh Film) Forum and sees the miracle of the wine transposed to a modern setting.
Originally from Lisdoonvarna, Dermott Petty lived abroad for over 25 years before returning from Los Angeles almost five years ago. He now lives in Dooradoyle in Limerick.
Dermott was educated at St Enda’s National School and the Convent of Mercy in Lisdoonvarna. However, his early experiences of the educational system were negative.
He suffers from dyslexia, which was not fully diagnosed in the 1970s, so he was seen as a slow learner for most of his formative years and became disillusioned with education generally.
He explained, “I toyed with the idea of being a writer briefly when I was a teenager and returned to it in the mid-1990s when I began to write film scripts. I even wrote a column, under the pseudonym Moses McNulty, for a while, on the peculiarities of the Hollywood film industry. This was for an Irish magazine in Southern California.
“Writing is a lonely pursuit, however, and in my view, writers should help other writers as much as possible. The Limerick Writers’ Centre (LWC) is a case in point. That was Dominic Taylor’s original vision, then Mark Lloyd’s and Mike Finn’s. These guys were inspiring for my career. They had a real talent for it and I added my bit of talent also. I was very grateful to have had a part in setting up the LWC. The centre has made a real difference to the literary life of Limerick. Our monthly On The Nail reading, for example, at The Locke Bar has been a tremendous success with regular crowds of between 40 and 50 people. As a result, new talent is constantly coming to the fore.
“We have also introduced a writers’ clinic where aspiring writers can book an appointment to see a professional and have their work assessed. As well as our regular creative writing courses, we have a haiku workshop with Gabriel Rosenstock coming up in April. Gabriel is one the most sought-after haiku workshop facilitators in the world, so participants are in for a rare treat. We also have an international Elvis Presley expert coming on April 15 for a special on the ‘King’, so there is a lot happening on the ground and real progress has been made by the LWC,” Dermott said.
What makes him want to write? Maybe it is out of a sense of pleasure or some need to deal with human pain. In his view, it is also a compulsion as mysterious as the Immaculate Conception and just as unfathomable.
“I have not the slightest notion about what else I could do if I had the chance to do anything else. My ambition for the future is simple – to make films, which will blow the world’s mind. Everybody should try and develop a creative side. They have nothing to lose and I would encourage them to do so. Some days, script writing is like drawing blood from a stone. Other days, it happens of its own accord but you must persist if only to share the wonder of the everyday.”
Despite recent setbacks, he remains optimistic about life in Ireland today, feeling that it is a much better country than it was in the early 1980s when he emigrated.
“We need to write the next chapter of our country’s story but this time it must be written by the ordinary citizen not some elite. We have the talent and the vision to create a society that will inspire the world rather than the world having to feel sorry for us. We should stop looking to the USA and the UK and instead look to countries like Finland and Sweden. There is nothing this country cannot do, plain and simple.
“People are struggling with unemployment in the arts but there is hope for them. There needs to be a rethinking of our attitude towards the arts. Limerick is very well served by the high arts but more needs to be done on the ground. Some art forms are seen as vulgar or part of popular culture and as a result are neglected.
“With a bit of support and encouragement, they could provide employment and just as importantly, they could change the vision and perception of Limerick as being a negative place. Initiatives like Limerick Film Forum, Bottom-Dog Theatre and Limerick Writers’ Centre are all examples of the excellent initiatives already underway to change that perception.”
Dermott Petty’s other films include Manband, a comedy about boy bands, pop music and age discrimination. Shot on a low budget, it played to acclaim at the Unfringed event some years ago.
His second film, Paddy Takes A Meeting, is the tale of an Irish screenwriters’ meeting organised to review a script written about the legendary Brian Boru.
Just like their biblical counterpart, Dermott’s films are themselves proving to be a veritable feast for the senses. Dermott Petty’s short film Jesus of Limerick is currently on the Republic of Telly website
www.rte.ie/tv/republicoftelly/viewerspoofs/.