4 minute read
PROUD TO BE THE OFFICIAL GROOMING PARTNER TO THE DUBLIN FILM FESTIVAL 2023
Pray for our Sinners
INFO: Fri 3 Mar / Light House 1 / 20:30 / 81 mins
DIRECTOR: Sinead O’Shea
WRITER: Sinead O’Shea COUNTRY: Ireland
Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Sinéad O’Shea trains her lens towards the everyday citizens pushing back against powerful establishments. In doing so, they confront the Catholic Church’s history of brutality against women and children, from corporal punishment to state-sanctioned mother and baby homes. In a deeply moving and personal film, O’Shea returns to her home town of Navan to chronicle the courage and stories of those who stood up to authority.
*FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE
Peter O’Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba
INFO: Sat 25 Feb / Light House 1 / 15:30 / 90 mins
DIRECTOR: Jim Sheridan
WRITER: Brian O’Flaherty
CAST: Anthony Hopkins, Jane Merrow, Peter O’Toole
COUNTRY: Ireland
With HoH Captioning
His pure acting talent and colourful nature made him one of cinema’s most-iconic and memorable stars. Yet Peter O’Toole first began working in theatre in what grew to be an illustrious and lengthy stage career. Jim Sheridan’s documentary reflects on the theatrical legacy of the man who brought a touch of danger to his work. Appropriately structured over four acts, Sheridan’s film features vast archive footage and interviews with those who knew him best.
*FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE
Stolen
INFO: Thurs 2 Mar / Light House 1 / 20:30 / 102 mins
DIRECTOR: Margo Harkin
WRITER: Margo Harkin
COUNTRY: Ireland
Trailblazing filmmaker Margo Harkin (Hush-a-Bye-Baby) returns to the screen with a powerful account of the one of the greatest scandals in the history of the state. Stolen provides an insight into the Irish mother and baby homes scandal that reverberated around the world and revealed the terrible injustices that had been imposed on families. Harkin’s film examines the circumstances of the scandal and the revelations that went on to spark a government inquiry.
*FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE
The Future Tense
INFO: Wed 1 Mar / Irish Film Institute / 18:00 / 90 mins
DIRECTOR: Joe Lawlor & Christine Molloy
WRITER: Joe Lawlor & Christine Molloy
COUNTRY: Ireland
Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor follow their smart and timely thriller Rose Plays Julie with this documentary about Ireland and England’s complicated relationship. It’s centred around the flight time between Stansted and Dublin Airport - a journey the filmmakers know well - as they consider moving back to Ireland. They explore their own immigration story with wit and intelligence as they ruminate on whether to stay or go, contemplating writer Rebecca Solnit’s line: “In different places, different thoughts emerge”.
*FILMMAKERS IN ATTENDANCE
Day After...
INFO: Mon 27 Feb / Light House 2 / 15:50 / 115 mins
DIRECTOR: Kahmar Ahmad Simon
WRITER: Kahmar Ahmad Simon
COUNTRY: Bangladesh
Kanaval: A People's History of Haiti in Six Chapters
INFO: Fri 24 Feb / Light House 2 / 16:30 / 76 mins
DIRECTOR: Leah Gordon, Eddie Hutton-Mills
WRITER: Leah Gordon, Eddie Hutton-Mills
COUNTRY: Haiti
"Every year the Haitian seaside town of Jacmel embraces its carnival spirit. But this is no ordinary party of floats and fireworks. Instead, locals dress in outfits that reflect their own often-troubled history and culture.
This documentary captures - and echoes the spirit and colour of - Haiti’s carnival celebrations, unlike any Mardi Gras you’ve ever witnessed.
It’s a remarkable testament to the country’s turbulent past - and its people’s courage and dissent in the face of suppression. "
*DIRECTOR IN ATTENDANCE
Hamlet Syndrome
INFO: Tue 28 Feb / Light House 2 / 18:10 / 85 mins
DIRECTOR: Elwira Niewiera & Piotr Rosolowski
WRITER: Elwira Niewiera & Piotr Rosolowski
CAST: Oksana Cherkashyna
COUNTRY: Poland & Germany
What if a river could tell stories? That’s the question at the heart of Kamar Ahmad Simon’s seductive and immersive film. The second part of his “water trilogy” (after Are You Listening!) is set in central Bangladesh, where a century-old paddle steamer transports people from all walks of life along their daily lives. Through the stories, conservations and hopes of its passengers, the film serves as both a fascinating travelogue and a funny and moving account of social life.
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the country faced conflict in the Donbas region. Ukrainian theatre maker Roza Sarkisian set out to mount a production of Hamlet with five young actors who all bear scars of trauma due to their experience in Donbas. Directors Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosolowski capture their rehearsal process - and the extraordinary healing powers of performance - amid rumours that a full-scale invasion is imminent.
*DIRECTORS IN ATTENDANCE
Calf
DIRECTOR: Jamie O’Rourke
WRITER: Jamie O’Rourke
PRODUCERS: Ronan Cassidy & Greg Burrowes
With the looming arrival of the birth of a calf on the horizon, a sinister farm accident leaves Cáit with a terrible decision to make.
Suitable for 15 years or over
INFO: Sat 25 Feb / Light House 2 / 18:30
Unhinged
DIRECTOR: Zoë Brennan-Whitmore
WRITER: Mary Kirwan
PRODUCERS: Fiona Dwyer
Following a recent sighting of her crush on a dating app, an overthinking, fat millennial searches for reassurance that her feelings are reciprocated. With the help and hindrance of the “Ghosts of Dating Apps Past”, finding these signs is easy. However, in a world awash with fatphobia, believing them can feel impossible.
Suitable for 15 years or over
INFO: Sat 25 Feb / Light House 2 / 18:30
Good Chips
DIRECTOR: Nell Hensey
WRITERS: Brigid Leahy & Nell Hensey
PRODUCERS: Lara Hickey & Sarah Ahern
In Dublin 1989, a family of Vietnamese immigrants struggle to keep their takeaway business afloat, while their 12 year old daughter Tam unexpectedly finds common ground with a local Irish boy.
INFO: Sat 25 Feb / Light House 2 / 18:30
Suitable for 12 years or over