Director’s Foreword

Our Opening Gala is the eagerly anticipated collaboration of two of Ireland’s greatest film talents - Neil Jordan and Colin Farrell. Both are key figures in the international film community and it is a great honour for the festival to welcome them back to Dublin for the European premiere of their new film . Ten days later, the festival will come to a close with Luca Guadagnino’s Italian drama I Am Love with lead actress Tilda Swinton in

We will present the best of Irish film and documentary work, many films we present as world premieres. The festival aspires to bring Irish filmmakers together with their international colleagues and this year over 30 international filmmakers will travel from around the world to come to Dublin.

Established filmmakers such as Fernando Trueba, Sally Potter, Andrew Kötting are expected, as well as many filmmakers from Russia and Korea, two countries we focus on this year.

Our special events section includes talks and discussions in libraries across the city, a special screening in Mountjoy Prison and we celebrate the wonderful work of Irish filmmakers Paul and Noel Donnellan known collectively as VooDooDog. A very special highlight for me is the Nino Rota concert which we present to celebrate the 50th anniversary of La Dolce Vita

We are especially delighted to welcome Kristin Scott Thomas to the festival to present her new film Partir and we will screen a short retrospective of her French language work.

Famed cineaste, the ‘Indiana Jones of the moving image’ –maestro Serge Bromberg will bring his acclaimed silent cinema extravaganza Retour de Flamme to the Light House, a night not to be missed.

One of the huge contributions which Michael Dwyer made to the Dublin Film Festival and by extension, the cultural landscape of Ireland was the discovery of new films by as yet unknown directors, whose talent he discovered and championed with his customary zeal. His unerring eye for talent meant that festival-goers were treated to the early work of filmmakers who have become key figures in current international cinema. With our tribute to Michael, we include a small selection of the films he loved and we hope that in revisiting some of these wonderful films, we can celebrate his passion.

Many thanks as always to the many filmmakers and distributors who have been so supportive of the festival and, of course, to our title sponsor Jameson and our key funder The Arts Council. On a personal note, I’d like to thank my colleagues. Every year, we set ourselves the task of bringing the best of international cinema to Dublin and we are very proud of this year’s programme. Enjoy!

Gráinne Humphreys Festival Director

CEO’s Foreword

A Big Word of Thanks

Sometimes a mere ‘thank you’ seems inadequate to describe the gratitude that is due, but it has to be said many times, especially to so many of our continued and new festival supporters and friends.

Thank you to our title sponsor, Jameson, who have supported the festival since the inaugural JDIFF and who’s continued dedication to supporting the festival until 2012 stands out as one of greatest commitments to the arts in the country. We are also indebted to the Arts Council, whose continuing support enables the festival to present an outstanding international programme of film and film events. Many thanks are also due to Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board for their ongoing commitment to ensuring that JDIFF continues to be a world class platform for Irish film talent. I’d like to extend our gratitude to the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Dublin City Council, Fáilte Ireland, Culture Ireland, Screen Producers Ireland, FÁS Screen Training Ireland and the many cultural institutes and embassies that are supporting a range of national cinemas in this years programme. The Irish Times, Cineworld, Entertainment.ie, Windmill Lane Post Production and FM104 are once again giving tremendous support to the festival, and this year we are delighted to welcome Renault and The Merrion Hotel as festival partners. Thanks also are due to all our media supporters including RTÉ, 4FM, City Channel, Empire, IFTN and Carlton Screen Advertising. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful festival team, and extend my gratitude to my colleagues, Gráinne Humphreys, Sarah Smyth and Miriam McLoughlin for their hard work throughout the year. To our fantastic volunteers, who tirelessly help us in all departments during the busy festival period – please take a bow, we couldn’t do it without you. To the Chairman and board of directors, thank you for your continued support throughout the year, this year and every year. And to you, our loyal audience, as always, thank you so much for your support.

There is a wonderful feeling about sharing your passions and interests with like-minded people. It is one of the joys of working on the festival that your colleagues, teammates, supporters, and audiences are as interested in the festival as you are.

The JDIFF is all about celebrating cinema, a term coined by our late cofounder and dear friend Michael Dwyer. So finally, for creating the JDIFF that we all love and enjoy today – thank you, Michael.

Joanne O’Hagan Chief Executive Officer