The Galway Film Fleadh has announced that FelimMcDermott will be the new programmer for the July event which marks itseighteenth edition in 2006.

Having studied filmproduction at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design& Technology, McDermott has worked for 10 years in numerous capacities witha variety of film organisations.

They include the Cork and Galway Film Centres andthe Visions festival in Galway (as co-director in 2003).

Most recently he wasco-ordinator of the Short Film Symposium which took place as part of the recentCork Film Festival.

He has worked with theGalway Film Fleadh for a number of years,co-ordinating numerous acting, directing and writing masterclasses.

He has co-written Screencraft: Screenwriting, a series of interviews withmany of the world's leading scriptwriters and this year completed the MA inScriptwriting at the Huston Film School at NUIG.

"I am delighted to havebeen asked by the Galway Film Fleadh to take up thisposition," said McDermott. "The Fleadh has adeservedly strong reputation for encouraging new Irish filmmakers and forbringing the best in world cinema to Galway.

"My predecessor Sally AnnO'Reilly has, over the last five years, brought the festival to new heights andI hope to build on these successes and bring an ever more diverse andexhilarating programme to our audiences, old and new."

Miriam Allen, ManagingDirector of the Galway Film Fleadh, said "I lookforward to working closely with Felim over the comingmonths to deliver the 18th Galway Film Fleadh. Felim's passion for film is endless and I know he willbring his unique and contagious energy and enthusiasm to this position."

The 18th Galway Film Fleadh will run from July 11th to 16th 2006.