Home Buzz Interview: Sarah Gunn, Darklight Festival
Interview: Sarah Gunn, Darklight Festival

Interview: Sarah Gunn, Darklight Festival

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Never one to go back on our word, here’s our interview with Sarah Gunn from the Darklight Festival! For more information on Darklight and to purchase your passes just head on over to the official website “www.darklight.ie“. 

What is the Darklight Festival and why do you think Arcade readers would be interested in it?

Darklight festival is Ireland’s premier festival celebrating indepent, DIY, VFX, animation and artist films.  This year’s theme LoFi vs HiFi – Game on will explore vfx on both sides of the budgetary divide from Avengers Assemble to DIY bedroom effects.  We will also have a huge emphasis on Gaming with a 36 hour Game Jam, An exhibition on the best of Indie Gaming Festival 2012, an indie game premier and the premier of award winning doc Indie Game The Movie.

What’s your role when it comes to the Festival?

We’re a super small festival with just three of us here full time, I’m mainly in charge of coordinating events, booking guests, organizing venues, print traffic and making lots of tea!

What’s the history behind Darklight? When did it all start and has it changed much over the years?

Darklight is now in its 13th year.  It was founded by Nicky Gogan who is still the director and this year’s programmer and Sue Patterson from Sink Digital Media.  Initially founded to celebrated the new digital era in the arts, it has changed over the years to accommodate and increasingly tech savvy population so that it remains technically ahead of the game, but always with a strong artist focus.

Is this the first year Gaming has been added to the festival lineup? How does it fit into the theme of Darklight?

I think I answered the second part already!  We’ve had gaming strands over the years at Darklight.  It’s always hugely popular and we’d love to expand from this year to next.

Rumour has it, people attending can get their paws on an exclusive play of a new game, care to tell us more about that?

I can tell you that it’s from the Gamers that brought you The Cat That Got The Milk (which I’m still mastering!) and that it’s called The Button. The developer Ollie Clarke will be here as well. I’m afraid that’s about all I can tell you at this stage, you’ll have to attend to find out more!

 

 In the last few years Ireland seems to have started building up quite the reputation for film festivals and we’re now beginning to see some major gaming events start up too, what do you think the future is both for Darklight and Ireland as a centre for events like it?

I hope bright.  Given the boom in both the film and gaming industry of late in Ireland.  I think we’re known as a techie and creative country and that’s always a draw for people.    

What are you most looking forward to about the festival?

The closing movie Indie Game The Movie, as its probably the only one I’ll get to see over the course of the festival! & it will wrap what I hope to be a really successful festival. 

Finally, if you were trapped in an Arcade for all eternity, what one game would you play to pass the time?

The Prince of Persia.  I played it as a kid on my mum’s PC.  I remember thinking how amazing the graphics were and loved the gorey blood and all the detail that went into it. I’m a sucker for nostalgia.

We also promised you a competition so to get your hands on a pair of Season Passes to the Festival, head on over to our Facebook page now to find out just how you can win! We’ll hopefully see some of you this weekend!

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