FATHER Ted star Ardal O'Hanlon turns into a hapless underworld gangster in one of the highlights of the first weekend of the York Independent Film Festival 2003.

Irishman O'Hanlon appears in Matthew Bentley's new short, the 26-minute Another Bobby O'Hara Story, which will be screened in the Underworld section of the festival, running from 3pm at City Screen, York, tomorrow.

That section opens with the European premiere of Christopher Holme's American short, King Of The Road, the story of luckless, friendless Otto Richie (Ryan Boone), his 1967 Mercury Cougar and the beautiful girl (Jennifer Halloran) who steals his precious motor.

At 3.45pm tomorrow comes the UK premiere of Nicola de Rinaldo's Italian volcanic drama Other People's Life (95 minutes), the story new friendship between an ex-criminal and a young woman, exploited and disillusioned by an ambitious colleague.

Tomorrow's programme continues at 10.30pm with the world premiere of Playing For Change (88 minutes), Brian Dolansky's documentary insight into the street musicians of Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York City. By employing a mobile recording studio, Dolansky is able to record original music "that would otherwise slip through the cracks of society".

Sunday afternoon's first slew of shorts at 3pm takes the theme of Aspects Of Childhood and among the films is Tom Hooper's Yellow Bird (12 minutes). Already shown at the Pocklington Feb Film Fest last Sunday, this tale of loss, innocence and survival is set in the Yorkshire Wolds, where three adolescent friends perilously play out their last days of childhood. As their games become increasingly dangerous, they construct a giant kite from scaffolding poles and attempt to fly it.

The Aspects Of Conflict strand follows at 3.55pm, culminating in Alexandra M Isles's Porraimos: Europe's Gypises In The Holocaust (57 minutes), a disquieting American study of the forgotten victims of the Nazis in the Second World War, who were treated in a similar manner to Europe's Jews. Survivors are interviewed, their memories of concentration camps and experiments cutting a stark contrast with their often harsh but free travelling lives.

Weekend Two opens a week tomorrow at 3pm with the Mixed Combo Platter (To Share), a selection of UK and world premieres from Spain, the USA, the Philippines and Australia. The afternoon concludes with Vincent Lannoo's Strass (90 minutes), a Belgian satirical tale of drama teacher Pierre Radowsky devising a revolutionary new method of "open teaching" with his casting couch in frequent use. When a tape of one of his rehearsals is leaked to a television station, Pierre's world collapses.

Next Saturday's 10.30pm quartet of late-night movies promises to go to Humanity's Edge. Reyna Rosenshein's psychological thriller Notoriety features the accidental filming of a rape being turned into a gallery show; Mehmet Ozcelik's Thirst For Revenge, from Denmark, is self explanatory; and Eddy Francheteau's animated Monsieur Clou, from France, involves body piercing with nails and face piercing with screws in a story of a prostitute, a pimp, a murder by mistake, a wedding and a baby with strangely metallic cheeks. George Angeludis's often brutal Greek documentary Do Animals Dream Of Their Children looks into the heart of the meat production industry at a slaughterhouse.

Sunday, March 9, opens with The Surreal Selection at 3.45pm, bearing such promisingly titled goodies as Don't Come The Raw Prawn With Me, Mate! and The Complete Works Of God (all 19 minutes of them), and the festival ends with Love And Lust at 5.25pm. Last up will be Brian Belefant's Burning Passion, in which 20-year-old Matthew has a bizarre sexual dysfunction. "And we really, really can't tell you any more. You'll have to watch it for yourself," say the filmmakers.

York Independent Film Festival is in its third year but its first at City Screen, York, after two years at the University of York, where it began life as a York Student Cinema project. Festival promoter Andy Chapman says: "We're still a festival run entirely by volunteers committed to providing a platform for the best independent films from around the world, and this year promises to upstage previous years with films from worldwide sources including South Korea, Australia and Italy as well as the UK and USA.

"By holding a film festival, York is connected to a global community of independent film makers and festivals, giving sharp insight into different cultures and presenting many different points of view."

Trophies will be awarded for Best Feature, Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best Short, Best Short-Short (under five minutes) and Best-in-Fest.

Tickets cost £5 for each block of films, £3.50 students and City Screen members; or £12.50 for each weekend, £8.75 concessions; or £20 for the whole festival, £15 concessions. To book, ring 01904 541144.

Updated: 08:35 Friday, February 28, 2003