Context : Wide-field narrowband surveys are an efficient way of searching large volumes of high-redshift space for distant galaxies .

Aims : We describe the Wide Field Imager Lyman-Alpha Search ( WFILAS ) over 0.74 sq .
degree for bright emission-line galaxies at z \sim 5.7 .

Methods : WFILAS uses deep images taken with the Wide Field Imager ( WFI ) on the ESO/MPI 2.2 m telescope in three narrowband ( 70 Å ) , one encompassing intermediate band ( 220 Å ) and two broadband filters , B and R .
We use the novel technique of an encompassing intermediate band filter to exclude false detections .
Images taken with broadband B and R filters are used to remove low redshift galaxies from our sample .

Results : We present a sample of seven Ly \alpha emitting galaxy candidates , two of which are spectroscopically confirmed .
Compared to other surveys all our candidates are bright , the results of this survey complements other narrowband surveys at this redshift .
Most of our candidates are in the regime of bright luminosities , beyond the reach of less voluminous surveys .
Adding our candidates to those of another survey increases the derived luminosity density by \sim 30 % .
We also find potential clustering in the Chandra Deep Field South , supporting overdensities discovered by other surveys .
Based on a FORS2/VLT spectrum we additionally present the analysis of the second confirmed Ly \alpha emitting galaxy in our sample .
We find that it is the brightest Ly \alpha emitting galaxy ( 1 \times 10 ^ { -16 } erg s ^ { -1 } cm ^ { -2 } ) at this redshift to date and the second confirmed candidate of our survey .
Both objects exhibit the presence of a possible second Ly \alpha component redward of the line .

Conclusions :