Dublin International Film Festival Directors - Screen Directors Guild of Ireland

Marian Quinn Twig In this re-telling of Antigone set against Dublin’s gangland, young Twig dreams of escaping with her lover Eamon, but her brothers’ deadly feud over the future of their late father’s kingdom draws her back. After the death of her eldest brother, Eddie, she goes in search of her other brother, Paulie, defying authority in favour of God’s law. This reception of the Sophoclean tragedy is an angry but sensitive response to the recent rise of violence in the streets of the Irish capital. Epic in its scope and fearless in its honesty, Quinn’s anti-war film comes at a very appropriate time. Thu 22 Feb / The Lighthouse Cinema / 18:30 / Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor Baltimore Rose Dugdale (Imogen Poots) was an English heiressturned-IRA sympathiser and this is the story of the event which came to define her life: the 1974-armed art theft of Russborough House. A studied sketch of the revolutionary, Molloy and Lawlor’s film is diffused with an emotionally absorbing soundtrack, creating constant drama, tension and unease. Fri 23 Feb / The Lighthouse Cinema / 20:45 / Dermot Malone King Frankie Frankie (Coonan) is a humble Dublin taxi driver, who runs his own tiny taxi firm. On the day of his father’s removal, he comes face to face with something that happened ten years ago, and the first thing that he must do is forgive himself. Malone’s debut film is about those who not only make promises but also keep them. Sat 24 Feb / The Lighthouse Cinema / 19:00 / Colin Hickey Perennial Light In coastal Ireland, the memory of his best friend’s sudden death haunts a young boy even as he ventures into adulthood. Troubled by his own vortex of dark thoughts and an unnatural obsession with death, he embarks on a quest for healing and redemption. Hickey’s film is a dialogue-free hybrid monochromatic piece of cinema, featuring hand-drawn ballpoint drawings from Paolo Chianta. Sun 25 Feb / Irish Film Institute / 13:30 / Alan Gilsenan Lord Mayor’s Gala: the Irish Question A provocative, poetic and cinematic meditation on the prospect of a united Ireland from acclaimed filmmaker Alan Gilsenan. With the likelihood of a border poll becoming an increasing possibility, do we really understand what that could mean for all those living on the island of Ireland? Or are we stumbling into some possible future as Britain once sleep-walked into Brexit? With unique contributions from the likes of Leo Varadker, Bill Clinton, Mary-Lou McDonald, Mike Nesbitt, Monica McWilliams, John Major, Susan McKay, Bertie Ahern, Fintan O’Toole, Gerry Adams, Linda Irvine and Peter Mandelson amongst many others, The Irish Question takes a fresh and sometimes surprising look at the dark trauma of the past and the unique possibilities of the future. Sun 25 Feb / The Lighthouse Cinema / 14:00 / Ross Killeen Don’t Forget to Remember There is an inherent understanding of the grieving process when a loved one is lost. But what if that person isn’t gone? What does grief mean then? In collaboration with the artist Asbestos, Killeen’s unconventional documentary explores the lived experience of Alzheimer’s whilst also honouring the ties of family. Considering the simultaneous fragility and fortitude of memory, it concludes that we can never truly lose our loved ones as long as we remember them. Mon 26 Feb / Irish Film Institute / 18:30 / Maurice O’Carroll Swing Bout This crime thriller, set backstage at a major boxing event, Ireland traces Toni Gale’s (Berkeley) tumultuous journey from the dressing room to the ring over the course of a night of deceit, betrayal, and life-altering decisions. Premiering at DIFF, O’Carroll’s film is a white-knuckle ride which tells its fisted story without ever revealing the boxing ring itself. Mon 26 Feb / The Lighthouse Cinema / 21:00 Keith Walsh Conor Walsh: Selected Piano Works Conor Walsh wrote his heart out in minimalist piano compositions. This is a musical vignette of the soundtrack of his life. It celebrates the work he left behind when he tragically died of a heart attack at 36, just when his music was beginning to flow out into the world. Tue 27 Feb / Irish Film Institute / 18:30 / Susan Thomson The Swimming Diaries Floating between conceptual documentary and experimental fiction, this film chronicles the 25,000 metres that Thomson swam during the period of her mother’s death. An adaptation of her book, it uses dance, music and memorial archives to translate text into movement. Wed 28 Feb / Irish Film Institute / 18:30 / Kathleen Harris Birdsong Ornithologist Seán Ronayne is on a mission to record the call of every bird species in Ireland – that’s nearly 200 birds. At once inspiring and cautionary, his journey reveals the beauty and importance of sound, and what listening can tell us about the state of our natural world. Alan Friel Woken A pregnant Anna (Kellyman) wakes up on a remote island of which she has no memory and to faces she doesn’t recognise. Forced to re-learn everything about the world, she will need to do all that she can to protect herself and her unborn child. Friel’s debut feature is a sci-fi dystopian thriller beginning with the human race on the verge of extinction. Fri 1 Mar / The Lighthouse Cinema / 20:15 / Tadhg O’Sullivan The Swallow In a small house by the sea, a woman begins a letter to an unknown correspondent. Surrounded by the books, mementoes and clutter of a life lived in one place, her home exposed to the waves of a rising ocean, she writes about the history of lost art. Considering what has been lost, and wondering about her own desire to hold on, she sets out on a meditation on memory, and art’s aspiration to immortality. Fri 1 Mar / Irish Film Institute / 20:30 / Pat Collins That They Might See the Rising Sun Capturing a year in the life of a rural, lakeside community in Ireland in the 1970’s, acclaimed Irish director Pat Collin’s new film THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN is an adaptation of the final novel from John McGahern, one of Ireland’s greatest novelists. The film stars Barry Ward and Anna Bederke in the lead roles. Lalor Roddy Sean McGinley Ruth McCabe and first-time actor Phillip Dolan make up the rich cast of supporting characters. Joe and Kate Ruttledge have returned from London to live and work among the small, close-knit community near to where Joe grew up. Now deeply embedded in life around the lake, the drama of a year in their lives and those of the memorable characters around them unfolds through the rituals of work, play and the passing seasons as this enclosed world becomes an everywhere. Sat 2 Mar / The Lighthouse Cinema / 19:30 /

Directors Highlights at Dublin International Film Festival

The Dublin International Film Festival runs Thu, Feb 22, 2024 – Sat, Mar 2, 2024 and features a host of Irish directors bringing their latest films to cinema screens across the capital. Marian Quinn Twig In this re-telling of Antigone set against Dublin’s gangland, young Twig dreams of escaping with her lover Eamon, but her…

Dublin International Film Festival 2024

Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) 2024 will take place 22nd February to 2nd March. Featuring star-studded Irish and international premieres, exclusive screenings and events, playful and powerful documentaries, captivating features, thought-provoking shorts, intimate Q&As, industry masterclasses and more, all celebrating and applauding the art of filmmaking. The power of Irish storytelling is evident throughout the Festival, from the world…

Dublin International Film Festival 2023 Documentary Panel

There’s still time left for you to catch the Documentary Panel that took place as part of this year’s Dublin International Film Festival The panel provided an opportunity for both the general public and filmmakers of all levels to learn more about contemporary Irish documentary – where the stories come from and the background to…

Panels & Workshops at the Dublin International Film Festival 2023

The Dublin International Film Festival kicks off tomorrow running from February 23rd to March 4th. Alongside the films screening there are a number of panels & workshops that may be of interest to members. DIFF Circle HOW TO SELL YOUR FILM WITH MICHELLE RYAN Based on years of explaining to filmmakers how important it is to…