Virgin Media Dublin International Festival 2019 Catalogue by Dublin Film Festival

Discover Different

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Contents 002 003 005 006 018 021 023 107 108 114 117 121 122 136 140

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Booking Information Festival Survival Guide Pick Your Films Schedule Introductions Virgin Media Opening Gala: Papi Chulo Film Listings Closing Gala: Wild Rose Awards In Focus Special Events Industry Events Fantastic Flix Festival Map Film Index

Booking Information ///

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Ticket Prices Afternoon screenings (before 5pm) Evening and weekend screenings Special Presentations Galas Fantastic Flix Family Ticket Season Ticket/Bring a Friend

€10 €13 €15 / 18 €18 / 25 €5 / 10.50 €25 €250 / 450

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‘Discover Different’ Bundles Find festival gems with our ‘Discover Different’ bundles! Choose 3 tickets within each of our curated strands and get up to 50% off the ticket price. – Cutting Edge: Filmmakers who are pushing the boundaries of film – New Voices: Films from new and interesting creative voices – Homegrown: Choose films from our Irish talent Find out more at www.diff.ie/discoverdifferent

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Festival Survival Guide ///

Social Media

Tips

Let us know how you’re enjoying the festival! @dublinfilmfest @dublinfilmfestival DublinFilmFestival All Festival News: #VMDIFF19

To help you make the most of the festival, follow these useful tips: – For the most up-to-date information see diff.ie or follow us on social media – Arrive at the cinema on time! All seating is unreserved and allocated on a firstcome, first-served basis – We operate as a members’ festival and membership is included in the ticket price. All screenings are over 18s (with the exception of Fantastic Flix, or unless otherwise stated) – Don’t forget to check out In Focus (pg 114), our programme of Q+As, panel events and workshops on the art of film and filmmaking – Looking for a place to relax between screenings? Pop into our Festival Club (pg 139) and soak up the festival atmosphere

Remember, if you are looking for film or event recommendations, our Box Office staff and volunteers are always on hand to help you explore the programme and send you on a cinematic adventure!

Ticket Collection Tickets can be collected up to 30 mins before the screening at the relevant cinema. You will be required to present your booking confirmation email or the card you paid with.

e-Tickets Buy tickets online at diff.ie and avoid queues at the box office. We’ll email you a PDF ticket which can be scanned from your phone or printed at home.

Notes ///

Use these pages to keep notes! Remember this booklet is your festival companion...mark it, fold it, scribble on it!

Pick Your Film ///

Galas & Special Presentations An Elephant Sitting Still 72 Dark Lies the Island* 79 Eighth Grade 129 Fighting With My Family* 75 Fragment of an Empire 103 Papi Chulo* 21 Surprise Film 47 The Kid 34 Wild Rose* 107 World Cinema 3 Faces 62 Alpha, The Right to Kill 102 An Elephant Sitting Still 72 Angelo 74 Another Day of Life* 94 Ash is Purest White 82 Ballon* 39 Beats* 99 Belmonte 88 Blind Spot 37 Bulbul Can Sing 82 Clean Up 73 Dear Son 38 Dirty God* 105 Donbass 38 Duelles (Mothers’ Instinct) 44 Everybody Knows 48 Family First 29 Fighting With My Family* 75 Fragment of an Empire 103 Fugue* 92 Greta* 97 Happy as Lazzaro 44 Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story* 89 Her Smell 26 Hotel Mumbai 30 Intruder in the Dust* 73 Jesus 83 Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life* 91 José 95 Keep Going 63 Leto 30 Loro 54 Mid90s 26 My Foolish Heart* 64

* Filmmaker in attendance

Out of Blue* 65 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer 88 Permission 35 Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) 28 Pororoca 57 Rafiki 24 Ray & Liz* 83 Ruben Brandt, Collector* 99 Scarborough* 84 Shadow 35 She’s Missing* 92 Summer Survivors* 74 Tell It to The Bees 90 The Aftermath* 57 The Comet* 98 The Crossing 105 The Dive 36 The Hummingbird Project 49 The Little Comrade* 64 The Man Who Feels No Pain 94 The Merger* 104 & 119 The Public 89 The Sisters Brothers 67 The Third Wife 28 The White Crow 91 The Wind 96 To the Ends of the World 45 Transit 49 Treat Me Like Fire 55 Tyrel 102 Up the Mountain* 62 Vox Lux 85 Werewolf 39 Whatever Happened To My Revolution* 29 Wild Rose* 107 Woman at War* 48 Your Mother Should Know* 65 Yuli* 45 Irish Cinema Dark Lies the Island* 79 Dub Daze* 36 Dublin on Screen* 117 Floating Structures* 55 Gaza* 95 Greta* 97

Land Without God* Papi Chulo* She’s Missing* Shooting the Mafia* When Hitchcock Met O’Casey*

85 21 92 98 24

Documentary Another Day of Life* 94 Floating Structures* 55 Gaza* 95 Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story* 89 Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life* 91 Land Without God* 85 Maiden 54 Maria by Callas 37 Of Fathers and Sons 90 Prisoners of the Moon* 96 Scotch: The Golden Dram* 97 Shooting the Mafia* 98 Up the Mountain* 62 What Time is Death?* 63 When Hitchcock Met O’Casey* 24 Shorts Short Films #1* Short Films #2* Short Films #3* Short Films #4* Short Films #5*

40 50 58 68 77

Young People: Fantastic Flix Alone in Space 126 Departures 127 Eighth Grade* 129 Fantastic Flix Shorts 124 Land of Glass 128 Los Bando* 127 Mia and The White Lion 125 Rafiki 24 Rosie & Moussa* 126 The Kid 34 The Kid Who Would Be King* 124 The Muppet Movie 125 This Crazy Heart* 128

Schedule /// Young People: Fantastic Flix / 13 Feb – 10 Mar Find the Fantastic Flix listings on pages 122 – 133

Wednesday 13 / 02 11:30 / 2hr 12m

The Kid Who Would Be King* Light House 1

16:30 / 1hr

Joe Cornish Workshop Light House 3

Saturday 16 / 02 11:00 & 14:00 / 1hr 15m

Sunday 24 / 02

Music in Film Workshop with Morgan Cooke The Ark

Saturday 23 / 02 11:00 / 1hr 20m

Fantastic Flix Shorts Light House 3

12:00 / 1hr 20m

Fantastic Flix Shorts Odeon Charlestown 9

12:00 / 1hr 38m

Mia and the White Lion Movies@Dundrum 1

14:00 / 1hr 8m

The Kid* Light House 1

Monday 25 / 02

Tuesday 26 / 02

10:00 / 1hr 35m

The Muppet Movie Movies@Dundrum 1

10:00 / 1hr 30m

Rosie & Moussa* Light House 3

10:00 / 1hr 44m

This Crazy Heart* Movies@Dundrum VIP

11:30 / 1hr 35m

The Muppet Movie Light House 1

10:00 / 1hr 25m

Alone in Space Odeon Blanchardstown 6

10:30 / 1hr 28m

Land of Glass Light House 3

14:00 / 1hr 35m

The Muppet Movie Odeon Point Village Screen 2

12:15 / 1hr 34m

Los Bando* Light House 3

12:45 / 1hr 23m

Rafiki Movies@Dundrum VIP

14:00 / 1hr 35m

The Muppet Movie Odeon Charlestown Screen 9

12:45 / 1hr 37m

Departures Light House 1

16:00 / 1hr 35m

The Muppet Movie Cineworld 17

Film Screenings: Listed In Purple Gala & Special Presentation: Listed In Red Events & Workshops: Listed In Black

Wednesday 27 / 02 18:15 / 1hr 33m

Eighth Grade* Cineworld 17

Tues – Fri 19–22 / 02 10.30 & 14.30 / 2hr 30m

Lego® Animation Workshops The Ark

* Film will be accompanied by an introduction, Q+A, discussion or live musical accompaniment

Friday 01 / 03 11:00 / 1hr 5m

Dublin on Screen* Light House 1

Saturday 10 / 03 11:00 / 2hr

Directing for the Screen with Dearbhla Walsh The Ark

Schedule /// Main Festival + Special Events / 19 Feb – 03 Mar Key

Festival 20 Feb – 03 Mar

Film Screenings: Listed In Red

Photography Exhibition: Celebrating Irish Talent 20 Feb – 03 Mar Powerscourt Centre 59, South William Street

Galas & Special Presentations: Listed In Purple Special Events & In Focus: Listed In Black

Wednesday 20 / 02 Papi Chulo* (Opening Gala) Cineworld 17

21:00 / 1hr 38m

Papi Chulo* (Opening Gala) Cineworld 17

18:00 / 1hr 30m

Sean Bailey City Hall

Exhibition: Alternate Take 20 Feb – 03 Mar / Light House Cinema

* Film will be accompanied by an introduction, Q+A, discussion or live musical accompaniment

18:30 / 1hr 38m

Tuesday 19 / 02

Thursday 21 / 02

Friday 22 / 02

18:15 / 1hr 23m

Rafiki Cineworld 9

16:00 / 1hr 55m

Picnic at Hanging Rock* Light House 1

18:15 / 1hr 30m

When Hitchcock Met O’Casey* Light House 3

18:15 / 1hr 36m

The Third Wife Light House 3

19:00 / 1hr 10m

David Shire Light House 1

18:15 / 1hr 27m

Family First Cineworld 9

20:15 / 2hr 14m

Her Smell Cineworld 9

18:30 / 1hr 5m

Dublin on Screen* Light House 1

20:40 / 1hr 25m

Mid90s Light House 1

20:15 / 2hr 6m

Leto Light House 1

20:15 / 1hr 28m

Whatever Happened to my Revolution* Light House 3

20:30 / 2hr 5m

Hotel Mumbai Cineworld 9

20:30 / 1hr 44m

A Girl from Mogadishu Odeon Point Village 2

Schedule /// Main Festival + Special Events / 19 Feb – 03 Mar Saturday 23 / 02

Sunday 24 / 02

Monday 25 / 02

11:00 / 2hr 6m

Shadow Light House 1

13:50 / 2hr 5m

Happy as Lazzaro Light House 1

18:00 / 1hr 39m

Shorts 3* Light House 3

14:00 / 1hr 8m

The Kid* Light House 1

16:00 / 1hr 34m

18:00 / 2hr 30m

Loro Cineworld 9

14:00 / 1hr 25m

Permission Light House 3

The Wedding Guest Odeon Point Village 2

18:15 / 1hr 33m

Maiden Light House 1

14:00 / 1hr 30m

Dub Daze* Cineworld 9

16:00 / 1hr 30m

The Dive Light House 3

16:00 / 1hr 38m

Blind Spot Light House 1

18:00 / 1hr 40m

Shorts 1* Light House 1

18:00 / 1hr 53m

Maria by Callas Cineworld 9

18:10 / 1hr 45m

Dear Son Light House 3

20:20 / 1hr 50m

Donbass Light House 3

20:30 / 1hr 20m

Werewolf* Light House 1

20:30 / 2hr

Ballon* Cineworld 9

16:15 / 1hr 37m

Duelles (Mothers’ Instinct) Light House 1

18:30 / 1hr 4m

Floating Structures* IFI 1

18:00 / 1hr 43m

To the Ends of the World Light House 3

20:00 / 1hr 43m

The Merger* Pavilion Theatre Dun Laoghaire

18:00 / 1hr 55m

Yuli Cineworld 17

20:15 / 1hr 25m

Treat Me Like Fire Light House 1

18:00 / ?hr ??m

Surprise Film Odeon Point Village 1–3

20:20 / 2hr 32m

Pororoca Light House 3

18:10 / 2hr 12m

Everybody Knows Cineworld 9

20:50 / 1hr 36m

The Aftermath* Cineworld 9

18:15 / 1hr 41m

Woman at War Light House 1

20:15 / 1hr 35m

Shorts 2* Light House 3

20:40 / 1hr 41m

Transit Light House 1

20:40 / 1hr 51m

The Hummingbird Project Cineworld 9

Film Screenings: Listed In Red Galas & Special Presentations: Listed In Purple Special Events & In Focus: Listed In Black

Tuesday 26 / 02 13:00 / 1hr

I’m Gonna Write Him A Script He Can’t Refuse: Screenwriters in Conversation Central Library

15:30 / 2hr 6m

Up the Mountain* Light House 1

18:15 / 1hr 40m

3 Faces Light House 3

18:30 / 1hr 22m

What Time is Death?* IFI 1

18:30 / 1hr 24m

Keep Going Cineworld 9

20:00 / 1hr 43m

The Merger* Droichead Arts Centre

20:15 / 1hr 38m

The Little Comrade* Light House 3

20:15 / 1hr 50m

Out of Blue* Light House 2

20:30 / 2hr 1m

The Sisters Brothers Cineworld 17

20:40 / 1hr 32m

Your Mother Should Know* Cineworld 9

20:45 / 1hr 41m

Shorts 4* Light House 1

* Film will be accompanied by an introduction, Q+A, discussion or live musical accompaniment

Wednesday 27 / 02 13:45 / 3hr 50m

An Elephant Sitting Still Light House 3

14:00 / 1hr 27m

Intruder in the Dust* Light House 1

16:00 / 1hr 44m

Thursday 28 / 02 13:00 / 1hr

I’m Gonna Write Him A Script He Can’t Refuse: Screenwriters in Conversation Pavilion Theatre Dun Laoghaire

Clean Up Light House 1

16:30 / 1hr 35m

Bulbul can Sing Light House 3

18:00 / 1hr 31m

Summer Survivors* Light House 3

18:00 / 2hr 17m

Ash is Purest White Cineworld 9

18:15 / 1hr 3m

Fighting with my Family* Light House 1

18:15 / 1hr 43m

Ben is Back Odeon Point Village 2

19:30 / 1hr 43m

The Merger* Solstice Arts Centre, Navan

18:15 / 1hr 48m

Ray & Liz* Light House 1

20:30 / 1hr 27m

Dark Lies the Island* Cineworld 17

18:30 / 1hr 16m

Jesus* Light House 3

20:00 / 1hr 43m

The Merger* The Model, Sligo

20:40 / 1hr 24m

Scarborough* Light House 3

20:45 / 1hr 50m

Vox Lux Cineworld 9

20:50 / 1hr 14m

Land Without God* Light House 1

20:30 / 1hr 51m

Angelo Light House 3

20:40 / 1hr 35m

Shorts 5* Light House 1

/// Please Note: Additional events may have been added after this catalogue went to print. Please check our website www.diff.ie for the most current schedule.

Film Screenings: Listed In Red Galas & Special Presentations: Listed In Purple Special Events & In Focus: Listed In Black

Friday 01 / 03 13:00 / 2hr 27m

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer* Light House 1

16:30 / 1hr 14m

Belmonte Light House 3

18:10 / 2hr 2m 18:15 / 1hr 30m

* Film will be accompanied by an introduction, Q+A, discussion or live musical accompaniment

Saturday 02 / 03

Sunday 03 / 03

11:00 / 2hr 14m

The Man Who Feels No Pain Light House 1

11:00 / 1hr 34m

Alpha, The Right to Kill Light House 1

13:40 / 1hr 25m

Another Day of Life* Light House 1

11:00 / 3hr 50m

An Elephant Sitting Still Omniplex Rathmines 7

The Public Cineworld 17

14:00 / 1hr 32m

Gaza* Cineworld 9

13:30 / 1hr 36m

Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story* Light House 3

14:00 / 1hr 59m

The Shining Light House 3

Fragment of an Empire* Light House 1

16:00 / 1hr 25m

José Light House 1

14:00 / 1hr

DFCC Awards Light House Bar

16:30 / 1hr 15m

Prisoners of the Moon* Light House 3

14:00 / 1hr 26m

Tyrel Cineworld 9

14:00 / 1hr 43m

The Merger* Omniplex Rathmines 5

15:30 / 1hr 39m

The Crossing Light House 1

16:30 / 1hr 24m

Keep Going Cineworld 9

17:30 / 1hr 44m

Dirty God* Light House 1

20:15 / 1hr 41m

Wild Rose* (Closing Gala) Cineworld 17

18:15 / 1hr 46m

Tell It to the Bees Light House 1

18:20 / 1hr 39m

Of Fathers and Sons Cineworld 9

19:30 / 1hr 43m

The Merger* Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford

20:30 / 1hr 46m

Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life* Light House 1

18:00 / 1hr 26m

The Wind Cineworld 9

18:00 / 1hr 27m

Scotch: The Golden Dram* Omniplex Rathmines 7

18:00 / 1hr 36m

Ruben Brandt, Collector* Light House 1

20:30 / 2hr 2m

The White Crow Cineworld 9

20:40 / 1hr 42m

Fugue* Light House 3

18:30 / 1hr 12m

The Comet* Light House 3

20:40 / 1hr 43m

She’s Missing* Cineworld 17

20:00 / 1hr 43m

The Merger* The Riverbank Arts Centre, Kildare

20:10 / 1hr 38m

Greta* Light House 1

20:20 / 1hr 34m

Shooting the Mafia* Cineworld 17

20:30 / 1hr 42m

Beats* Light House 3

The Science of Ghosts

While You Live, Shine

The Arts Council proudly supports film festivals to bring the best of film to you. Deargdhúil

The Great Wall

Making the Grade

Oíche Nollaig na mBan

The Floating World

Sponsors & Supporters ///

Title Sponsor

#VMDIFF19 — 14 / 15

Principal Funder

Gold Sponsor

Official Hotel Partner

Sponsors & Supporters ///

Funding Partners

Media Partners

Official Radio Partner

Official Print Media Partner

Official Online Partner

Official Digital Out of Home Partner

Supporting Partners

Official Beverage Partner

Official Print Transport Partner

Official PostProduction Partner

Sponsors & Supporters ///

Festival Venues

Cultural Partners and Embassies #VMDIFF19 — 16 / 17

EMBASSY OF DENMARK

Introductions ///

Sponsor’s Introduction

Chairperson’s Welcome

—

Virgin Media is really proud to be the new title sponsor of the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival. Virgin Media’s sponsorship of the festival underlines our commitment to foster creativity in film production and television content as Ireland’s leading connected entertainment provider. In 2019, Dublin will once again become a global showcase for the best films and talent both locally and from around the globe.

This festival exists to showcase remarkable homegrown and international talent. Our goal is to bring their unique and diverse voices to an Irish audience in a schedule that has been carefully curated to celebrate cinema’s unparalleled ability to entertain, challenge and tell great stories.

We share a goal with the Dublin International Film Festival of bringing together amazing entertainment so it can be discovered by all. This festival celebrates the discovery of the blockbusters and the hidden gems and is committed to bringing together the best of Irish and international cinema to enable the discovery of new entertainment experiences. At Virgin Media we connect people to the best entertainment with Ireland’s fastest broadband network and we strive to make it easy for our customers to discover the content they want to watch, when they want to watch it. We have a boundless passion for entertainment, aiming to bring a difference to everything we do. This year’s programme looks bigger and better than ever. We look forward to audiences discovering the very best of Irish and international cinema. Niamh O’Driscoll Senior Manager – Brand, Marketing and Communication Virgin Media

2019 marks the first year of our title sponsorship with Virgin Media. This exciting new partnership will allow us to bring the festival to a much wider audience and allow us all to discover a deeper and more engaging experience than ever before. On behalf of the board, I would like to thank the Arts Council and Screen Ireland, not only for their funding but for their ongoing encouragement and support. The beating heart of the festival is our wonderful team, supported by an army of dauntless volunteers, who put blood, sweat and tears into giving our audience an extraordinary experience. As this is my first year as chairman, I’d like to thank my board colleagues for their time and commitment in ensuring that the festival continues to develop and grow stronger every year. Most importantly, I’d like to thank you, the audience. Whether you are a loyal companion or a new friend, I’m grateful than you are with us for this journey. I hope you enjoy the ride. Aidan Greene Chairperson

Director’s Introduction —

Welcome to the 2019 Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival – bringing the best of world cinema to Dublin.

Each year, we try to find new ways of celebrating the creativity of contemporary cinema, engaging with filmmakers and the passionate advocates and disruptors who are changing what we see on screen, those people who dream big. As the inaugural speaker of our Creative Catalyst Event, we are delighted to welcome President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production Sean Bailey. He will speak about his extraordinary career with Irish writer Eoin Colfer. Since the festival started in 2003, our Audience Award is regularly won by documentaries and this year we launch our Documentary Competition which features a really special

We will open the festival with John Butler’s wonderful new film Papi Chulo and our Closing Night is Wild Rose which features a show stopping performance by Jessie Buckley. Its a festival filled with incredible films, a lineup I’m very proud of and I hope that you find a film or two to inspire you. As ever there is a list of acknowledgments; a huge thank you to our Funding Partner the Arts Council who support our year-round activity, and we recognize the vital support of Screen Ireland, Screen Skills Ireland, Culture Ireland and all our sponsors, embassies and partners and a special mention for our new Title Sponsor, Virgin Media. I’d like to thank my colleagues, our Board of Directors and our brilliant Volunteers. And of course, the talented and generous filmmakers who give their films each year and you, the audiences, who support us every year. Gráinne Humphreys Festival Director

#VMDIFF19 — 18 / 19

The programming team have scoured the globe and watched thousands of films to curate the line-up of films you hold in your hands. Our selection criteria is based on originality, representation, quality of filmmaking, geographical range and relevance to Irish audiences. We have a fantastic selection of work from established titans like Neil Jordan, Zhang Yimou and Christian Petzold, while also celebrating the latest crop of emerging talent with superb debuts from filmmakers such as Emma Tammi, Tuva Novotny and Alice Rohrwacher. With some of the most exciting cinema coming from Asia we have gathered new work from China and Korea, including Bo Hu’s masterpiece An Elephant Sitting Still.

line-up of films. Music bookends the festival with Oscar winner David Shire curating a season of his own work. He will explain his choices in conversation with Aedín Gormley. Our Warners Creative Talent event will celebrate the film composer Jocelyn Pook. This event is part of our Public Events strand which will also include our Careers in Screen event in the IFI, Screenwriters in Conversation and a film quiz with some of the finest film brains in Irish cinema pitted against each other.

Photography Exhibition: Celebrating Irish Talent

Our third annual exhibition of portraits by Hugh O’Conor, highlighting the wealth of Irish talent in this year’s programme and showcasing O’Conor’s distinctive style.

u Fortune Image: Kwak O’Conor h Photo: Hug

INFO: The Powerscourt Centre, 20th February - 3rd March

Papi Chulo Virgin Media Opening Gala —

Writer and director John Butler’s (Handsome Devil, The Stag) latest comedy/drama sees the filmmaker return to the themes of empathy and unlikely friendship. In this case, the bond forms between a well-heeled, gay presenter and an older, straight, labourer from Mexico. Set in modern-day Los Angeles, it tells of a down-on-his-luck weatherman Sean (Matt Bomer) who is shaken by the end of a relationship. He has a teary on-air meltdown, prompting concerned bosses to persuade him to take some time out. To fill his days, he employs Latino migrant worker Ernesto

20 / 21

Info: Wed 20 Feb / Cineworld 17 / 18:30 / 1hr 38m Info: Wed 20 Feb / Cineworld 17 / 21:00 / 1hr 38m Director: John Butler / 2018 / Ireland Writer: John Butler Cast: Matt Bomer, Alejandro Patiño, Elena Campbell-Martinez Filmmakers in attendance

(Alejandro Patiño) to paint his home but also to keep him company. Bringing Ernesto along on walking and boating trips, Sean offloads his woes to his paid companion even though one’s English is as bad as the other’s Spanish. Despite their cultural, age and language differences, they connect in this affecting culture-clash comedy. Butler’s intimate, moving and thoughtful film looks at all the big stuff through the little prism of their growing connection, friendship, class, ethnicity and economic migration.

John Butler’s new film is a wonder, a warm- hearted celebration about friendship and love... a gem. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

BECAUSE LIFE IS FOR LIVING People, culture, travel, books, art and cinema. All inside Ireland’s most-read Culture Magazine free every week with the Sunday Independent.

Highlights /// — An Evening with David Shire Light House 1 / 19:00 / Page 25 Mid90s Light House 1 / 20:40 / Page 26 Her Smell Cineworld 9 / 20:15 / Page 26

22 / 23

Thursday 21 / 02

Rafiki

Info: Thurs 21 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 18:15 / 1hr 23m Info: Tues 26 Feb / Dundrum VIP / 12:45 / 1hr 23m Director: Wanuri Kahiu / 2018 / Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Netherlands, France, Norway, Lebanon Writers: Wanuri Kahiu, Jenna Cato Bass Cast: Samantha Mugatsia, Neville Misati, Nice Githinji Rafiki is also screening as part of Fantastic Flix Afro bubblegum culture is alive in this sparkling love story about two unique women. As Wanuri would say: fun, fierce and frivolous. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

Kenyan Wanuri Kahiu is one of an emerging generation of African storytellers whose moving stories are garnering international acclaim. Her latest, a romantic drama, revolves around two female friends who fall in love. In doing so, they must face the challenges of family expectations and the conservative society in which they live. The film, which was banned in Kenya before the filmmaking ban was lifted, was the first movie from Kenya to screen at Cannes.

When Hitchcock Met O’Casey

Info: Tues 21 Feb / Light House 3 / 18:15 / 1 hr 30m Director: Brian O’Flaherty / 2019 / Ireland Filmmaker in attendance

Brian O’Flaherty’s long gestating project explores a fascinating but little-known corner of Hitchcock’s filmography. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

It was a collaboration between one of Ireland’s most noted playwrights and cinema’s greatest directors, yet the 1930 release of Juno and the Paycock is often neglected in the repertoire of both men. Brian O’Flaherty’s documentary aims to find out why. Featuring extensive, incisive interviews with family members, academics, directors and actors – including Shivaun O’Casey, Prof. Charles Barr, and Peter Sheridan – it tells the story of how these two iconic figures met and the legacy of the film.

An Evening with David Shire

Thursday 21st — 24 / 25

Special Presentation —

Info: Thurs 21 Feb / Light House 1 / 19:00 / 1hr 10m

David Shire, an Academy Award and two-time Grammy winner and multiple Tony and Emmy nominee, has composed prolifically for film, theatre and television. The current David Shire season in the Light House Cinema highlights some of his most celebrated scores, including The Conversation, The Taking of Pelham 123 and Zodiac. An Evening with David Shire on Thursday 21st of February will be a career retrospective interview, hosted by Aedín Gormley from

RTÉ Lyric FM’s Movies and Musicals. Shire will perform live songs and pieces on the piano with vocal accompaniment from Suzanne Savage. Suzanne Savage is a vocalist for high-profile acts across jazz, dance, choral, Irish and classical music. She has performed with Paul Brady, Rosanne Cash and Van Morrison, toured with Riverdance and made a critically acclaimed solo album Jellymound.

Her Smell

Info: Thurs 21 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 20:15 / 2hr 14m Director: Alex Ross Perry / 2018 / USA Writer: Alex Ross Perry Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens

Elisabeth Moss tears into the role of Becky Something, a strung-out hellion indie rock star of the early ’90s, like an angry lioness ripping through a slab of raw meat. – Variety

Elisabeth Moss excels as an unconventional rocker in this emotionally intense drama written and directed by Alex Ross Perry. Moss is Becky Something, a ’90s rocker whose all-female trio once filled arenas and commanded adoration. Now playing smaller venues while struggling with home life and a chaotic life on the road, Becky finds herself increasingly alienated. It’s time to clean up her act and find the creative force that once made her the star she was.

Mid90s

Info: Thurs 21 Feb / Light House 1 / 20:40 / 1hr 25m Director: Jonah Hill / 2018 / USA Writer: Jonah Hill Cast: Sunny Suljic, Katherine Waterston, Lucas Hedges

Nostalgic and great fun with a wonderful soundtrack, Jonah Hill’s winning first feature is a joy and will leave you smiling all day. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Jonah Hill makes his feature directorial debut in this smart, thoughtful, coming-of-age comedy which he also wrote. Hill mines the era he grew up in for the story, which centres around an LA teenager who finds solace from his home life in the company of his skater friends. Giving a strong sense of time and place, Hill’s film eschews typical approaches for the genre, delivering a debut that feels both relatable and fresh.

Highlights /// — The Third Wife Light House 3 / 18:15 / Page 28 Leto Light House 1 / 20:15 / Page 30 Hotel Mumbai Cineworld 9 / 20:30 / Page 30

26 / 27

Friday 22 / 02

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

Info: Fri 22 Mar / Light House 1 / 16:00 / 1hr 55m Director: Peter Weir / 1975 / Australia Writers: Joan Lindsay (novel), Cliff Green (screenplay) Cast: Rachel Roberts, Anne-Louise Lambert, Vivean Gray As part of our Inspirations Strand, with a special introduction from Tana French I love this film for its overwhelming sense of the almost-known, of some revelation shimmering at the edge of your mind, just out of reach. – Tana French

Peter Weir’s 1975 classic is widely acclaimed for its sense of mystery, sexual fear and hysteria, stunning cinematography and cultural undertones. Set in 1900, it tells of a group of girls from a strict boarding school who embark on a picnic to a local beauty site. When three of the girls and one of their teachers vanish, Weir allows his film to raise more questions than it answers, creating a groundbreaking cinematic experience.

The Third Wife

Info: Fri 22 Feb / Light House 3 / 18:15 / 1hr 36m Director: Ash Mayfair / 2018 / Vietnam Writer: Ash Mayfair Cast: Long Le Vu, Mai Thu Huong Maya, Nguyen Phuong Tra My

Beautifully proportioned and shimmeringly beautiful, as perfectly formed as a Fabergé egg. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Ash Mayfair’s exquisite-looking and critically acclaimed feature is set in her native Vietnam in the 19th century. A winner of the Spike Lee Production Fund and based on true events, it tells the story of May, a 14-year-old girl who becomes the third wife to a wealthy landowner. It’s the story of a child forced to grow into a woman and the consequences of her journey and self-discovery.

Family First

Info: Fri 22 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 18:15 / 1hr 27m Director: Sophie Dupuis / 2018 / Canada Writer: Sophie Dupuis Cast: Théodore Pellerin, Jean-Simon Leduc, Paul Ahmarani With support of the Embassy of Canada

JP, who lives with his brother, mother and girlfriend in a modest apartment in the Verdun district, is trying to balance family obligations with his work as a small-time drug dealer for the uncle who is more like a father. But the consequences of his actions are catching up with him.

Whatever Happened To My Revolution

Info: Fri 22 Feb / Light House 3 / 20:15 / 1hr 28m Director: Judith Davis / 2018 / France Writers: Judith Davis (screenplay), Cécile Vargaftig (screenplay) Cast: Judith Davis, Malik Zidi, Claire Dumas With the support of the French Embassy in Ireland Filmmaker in attendance

Witty and sophisticated, Judith Davis’ debut feature is a very sweet yet pointed snapshot about thirtysomethings. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Angèle is a thirtysomething planner, living in the outskirts of Paris, outraged by the many injustices around her. Deeply involved in politics and passionate about the need for social revolution, she’s been losing sight of, and isolating herself from, loved ones. That is, until one day she agrees to meet her estranged mother. Judith Davis’ film is a revealing story of a generation born “too late” at a time of global political turmoil.

Friday 22nd — 28 / 29

The Canadian entry for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars has many admirable qualities, but the turn by lead actor Théodore Pellerin is the performance of the festival. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

The underworld of crime in Montreal – and the adage that blood is always thicker than water – comes under focus in writer/director Sophie Dupuis’ character-driven crime thriller.

Leto

Info: Fri 22 Feb / Light House 1 / 20:15 / 2hr 6m Director: Kirill Serebrennikov / 2018 / Russia, France Writers: Mikhail Idov, Lili Idova, Ivan Kapitonov, Natalya Naumenko, Kirill Serebrennikov Cast: Teo Yoo, Irina Starshenbaum, Roman Bilyk

Serebrennikov shows that rock’n’roll was a real vocation. These people were like the early Christians, worshipping in secret. And what they were doing was removing the first bricks from the Berlin Wall. – The Guardian

Filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov brings a strong sense of time and place to this film about the passionate but clandestine music scene in early 1980s Leningrad. The movie, focused on real-life rock star Viktor Tsoy, also depicts the birth of the Soviet rock scene, forced underground. For the fans, music was a real vocation, to be treasured despite the risks. The film about cultural identity and freedom is all the more vivid given its director has spent over a year under house arrest.

Hotel Mumbai

Info: Fri 22 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 20:30 / 2hr 5m Director: Anthony Maras / 2018 / Australia Writers: John Collee, Anthony Maras Cast: Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Jason Isaacs, Dev Patel

A tense and terrifying real life nightmare is brought brilliantly to the screen, with a fantastic cast led by the superb Dev Patel. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

The shocking events of the siege of Mumbai’s Taj Hotel in 2008 saw the effects of terrorism reverberate in the city itself and on media throughout the world. The story is brought vividly to life in a tense thriller that recalls how the hotel’s guests and staff fought to survive days of fear and chaos. Among them are the hotel’s head chef and a waiter, who go to enormous risk to protect their guests.

Exhibition: Alternate Take

Festival lms as interpreted by NCAD Second Year Graphic Design and Illustration students. INFO: Light House Cinema, 20th February - 3rd March

Image: ‘Maiden’ by Patrick Butterly

Highlights /// — Shadow Light House 1 / 11:00 / Page 35 Blind Spot Light House 1 / 16:00 / Page 37 Ballon Cineworld 9 / 20:30 / Page 39

32 / 33

Saturday 23 / 02

The Kid

Special Presentation —

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 1 / 14:00 / 1hr 8m / Ages 8+ Director: Charlie Chaplin / 1921 / USA Writer: Charlie Chaplin Cast: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan

With live musical accompaniment from Maud Nelissen

The great Charlie Chaplin was already an established star when he decided to make his first full-length feature. The result is a beloved and treasured classic of silent cinema which returns to the big screen for one magical screening.

famous boy in America.” This timeless classic blends slapstick comedy with real drama, some of it dark, to give audiences, as described in the movie itself, “a smile – and perhaps, a tear.”

Chaplin rescues an orphan (a terrific Jackie Coogan) from the streets and they make an unlikely but effective pairing. Coogan’s performance so beguiled audiences on release that he became known as “the most

Accompanied by a live musical score from acclaimed pianist Maud Nelissen, adapted from and inspired by the musical score from Charlie Chaplin, The Kid promises to be a truly unique and memorable cinematic experience for all the family.

A unique opportunity to see Chaplin’s first feature film. Pure joy. With a very special new composition by Maud Nelissen, adapted with blessing from Chaplin’s orignal score. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

Shadow

Acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s atmospheric thriller features striking imagery that makes this work, in a career of spectacular-looking and affecting films, among his finest.

Don’t miss the fantastic opportunity to see Zhang Yimou’s latest martial arts opus on the big screen. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

The filmmaker who brought us such accomplished works as House of Flying Daggers and Raise the Red Lantern brings us his latest period epic. The drama centres on the kingdom of Pei, a place ruled by a young and volatile king amid growing signs of unrest both inside and outside the walls of the realm.

Permission

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 3 / 16:00 / 1hr 25m Director: Soheil Beiraghi / 2018 / Iran Writer: Soheil Beiraghi Cast: Baran Kosari, Amir Jadidi, Leili Rashidi

A simple premise disguises a film of great skill, its power generated by the low-key approach and a fantastic lead performance. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Iranian writer-director Soheil Beiraghi’s politically charged drama centres on a professional female soccer player. Afrooz is the captain and star player and due to lead her team to compete in the Asian Cup – but by law, a women requires permission from her husband to travel abroad, and her marriage is not in a good place. Beiraghi and her cast crank up the tension as she desperately attempts to make it on time.

Saturday 23rd — 34 / 35

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 1 / 11:00 / 1hr 56m Director: Zhang Yimou / 2018 / China, Hong Kong Writers: Wei Li, Zhang Yimou Cast: Chao Deng, Li Sun, Ryan Zheng

Dub Daze

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 14:00 / 1hr 30m Director: Shane J. Collins / 2019 / Ireland Writer: Shane J. Collins Cast: Jack Hudson, Derek Ugochukwu, Abdul Alshareef Filmmakers in attendance

A low-budget, high-energy first feature with oodles of charm, Shane Collins’ valentine to Dublin is a hoot. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Writer and director Shane J Collins’ film is a coming-of-age collection of stories set in the north, south, and centre of Dublin city. We get to meet Dan and Baz, two friends who are looking for kicks on their last day of school. Cork medical students, Jack and Seán arrive in the capital to find their way amongst Ireland’s affluent youth, while songwriter Fi struggles to break through on the cut-throat Dublin music scene.

The Dive

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 3 / 16:00 / 1hr 30m Director: Yona Rozenkier / 2018 / Israel Writer: Yona Rozenkier Cast: Claudia Dulitchi, Shmuel Edelman, Miki Marmur

An astonishing debut, by turns touching and brutal, Rozenkier is a real talent to watch. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Israeli filmmaker Yona Rozenkier stars along with members of his family in his semiautobiographical debut feature. Set during the 2006 conflict at Lebanon, the story centres on three brothers living in a kibbutz on the Israeli/Lebanese border, who reunite amid a family tragedy. The youngest is preparing to head to battle in this wryly funny drama about the impact of war on families, in which the political is always the personal.

Blind Spot

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 1 / 16:00 / 1hr 38m Director: Tuva Novotny / 2018 / Norway Writer: Tuva Novotny Cast: Teodor Barsnes-Simonsen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Per Frisch With the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ireland

Shot in a single-take style and unfolding in a ‘real time’ manner, the drama centres on a couple and their two teenage children, and the aftermath of an unexpected tragedy. The title refers to the difficult-to-access elements of mental illness in this moving account of emotion and connection.

Maria by Callas

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 18:00 / 1hr 53m Director: Tom Volf / 2017 / France Cast: Fanny Ardant, Joyce DiDonato, Maria Callas With the support of the French Embassy in Ireland

The most influential and revered soprano of the 20th century – the very personification of the word ‘diva’ – is brought vividly to life in this revealing documentary. Much of Callas’ life, rise to fame and consequences of that fame are revealed through her own words and experiences.

Alongside some beautiful footage, Volf’s film succeeds best when giving Callas back her speaking voice – wry and wistful and tinged with regret. It’s a wonderful tribute to this eternal diva. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

The film is an intimate, detailed account of her story, including never-before-seen footage and accounts from many of those who worked with her and knew her.

Saturday 23rd — 36 / 37

Part harrowing tragedy, part stylish experiment - Novotny’s compelling first feature has ambition and style to burn. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Top Swedish actress Tuva Novotny makes her directorial debut in this stirring tale of trauma and mental-health issues unfolding within a family.

Dear Son

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 3 / 18:10 / 1hr 44m Director: Mohamed Ben Attia / 2018 / Tunisia, Belgium, France, Qatar Writer: Mohamed Ben Attia Cast: Mohamed Dhrif, Mouna Mejri, Zakaria Ben Ayyed

Three superb central performances anchor Dear Son, a familiar subject which still has the power to shock. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Tunisian director Mohamed Ben Attia’s drama, selected to screen in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, Dear Son is a critically acclaimed account of the father/son relationship. Co-produced by the Dardenne brothers, it tells the story of a Tunisian couple who have high hopes for their only son, only to discover he is training with ISIS in Syria. Attia’s well-observed, intimate family drama develops into a tale of familial crisis and disaffected youth.

Donbass

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 3 / 20:20 / 1hr 50m Director: Sergey Loznitsa / 2018 / Germany, Ukraine, France, Netherlands, Romania Writer: Sergei Loznitsa Cast: Valeriu Andriuta, Natalya Buzko, Evgeny Chistyakov

A companion piece to A Gentle Creature, Loznitsa’s latest film is howl of rage and anger. A hauntingly brutal film. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Sergei Loznitsa’s pitch-black political film is set in Eastern Ukraine and won him a best director award in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. The topics of propaganda and post-truth identity loom large in the movie, which opens with actors in a war zone being prepared for a false TV item. It takes the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian and Russian forces to create a film about a senseless war and the impact it has had.

Werewolf

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 1 / 20:30 / 1 hr 28m Director: Adrian Panek / 2018 / Poland, Netherlands, Germany Writer: Adrian Panek Cast: Kamil Polnisiak, Nicolas Przygoda, Sonia Mietielica

Panek’s gritty, tense film is an account of their efforts to escape both past and present. Saturday 23rd — 38 / 39

Audacious and ambitious, a controversial subject is brilliantly realised in a film which reaches way beyond its generic origins. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Adrian Panek’s thriller is a story of trauma in a time of chaos. It’s 1945 at the notorious Gross Rosen concentration camp and for a group of children released into remote woodlands, fear and suffering is not yet over. Taken into the care of a former inmate, they try to rebuild their lives – but guard dogs released from the camp are feral and hungry.

Ballon

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 20:30 / 2hr Director: Michael Herbig / 2018 / Germany Writers: Kit Hopkins (screenplay), Thilo Röscheisen (screenplay), Michael Herbig Cast: Friedrich Mücke, Karoline Schuch, Alicia von Rittberg Presented in co-operation with the GoetheInstitut Irland Filmmaker in attendance An outrageous real-life escape story which is brought to the screen in brilliantly tense and nerve-shredding style. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

One of the most spectacular-ever attempts to cross over from the former communist East Germany is recalled in Michael Herbig’s immersive drama. During the most tense times of the Cold War, two families hatched an audacious plan – to sneak over to the West in the dead of night in a home-made hot-air balloon. They spent months fashioning their patchwork escape balloon in secret before embarking on their escape attempt at enormous personal and political risk.

Screen Ireland Shorts #1 /// An Gadhar Dubh

A selection of Screen Ireland shorts curated by Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival

Bending Glass

Director: Pádraig Fagan / Ireland / 9 mins Producer: Louise Ní Chonchúir

Director: Suzie Keegan / Ireland / 7 mins Producer: Peter Murnaghan

A young man and his senile father are terrorised by a mysterious black dog in Connemara in 1910.

Glass bender Paddy Dignam, a man who used the streets as his gallery, illuminating Ireland in neon one piece at a time.

Frida Think

Director: Maya Derrington / Ireland / 4 mins Producer: Paul Rowley A woman walks into a party dressed as Frida Kahlo, only to find that her version of unique has mass appeal.

Day Out

Director: Virginia Gilbert / Ireland / 13 mins Producer: Emmaline Dowling A father takes his daughters on an impromptu day out to the seaside with unsettling consequences.

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 1 / 18:00 / 1hr 40m Directors: Various 2018 Irish Filmmakers in attendance

Low Tide

Director: Ian Hunt Duffy / Ireland / 14 mins Producer: Simon Doyle

Psychic

Director: Brendan Gleeson / Ireland / 19 mins Producer: Juliette Bonass, Brendan Gleeson A charismatic psychic and his two manipulative sons are gaining a cult following. Only a determined TV show host, and their own dark history, stands in the way.

Director: Shaun O’Connor / Ireland / 7 mins Producer: Sharon Cronin When he manages to destroy the town’s beloved Virgin Mary statue, Charlie O’Connor does the only thing he can do; frame his older brother.

Reality Baby

Director: Nodlag Houlihan / Ireland / 12 mins Producer: Matt Leigh Reality Babies are lifelike, new-born baby dolls given to teenagers to care for – they cry and feed and wake through the night, just like a real baby. This short documentary follows a group of friends as they take on the responsibility of looking after these infants.

Saturday 23rd — 40 / 41

A boy is excited about heading out to sea on a father-son fishing trip but his father may have more sinister intentions.

Mary

Screen Ireland Shorts #1 ///

A selection of Screen Ireland shorts curated by Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival

The Trap

The Vasectomy Doctor

Director: Helen Flanagan / Ireland / 13 mins Producer: Sarah Gunn

Director: Paul Webster / Ireland / 11 mins Producer: Ronan Cassidy

A grieving farmer becomes convinced that his sheep are falling prey to a dangerous predator. In an attempt to find and capture the creature he risks sacrificing his already strained marriage.

Dr Andrew Rynne was the first doctor to perform vascectomies in Ireland. Dr Rynne continued to challenge the laws governing sexuality – laws imposed by the Church and State. In 1990 a man entered his surgery and shot him.

Proudly supporting our friends in the Dublin Film Critics Circle at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival 2019 Limelight Communications are at the forefront of film and entertainment PR and promotion in Ireland, with unrivalled expertise in devising creative, innovative publicity campaigns.

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Highlights /// — Happy as Lazzaro Light House 1 / 13:50 / Page 44 To the Ends of the World Light House 3 / 18:00 / Page 45 Woman at War Light House 1 / 18:15 / Page 48

42 / 43

Sunday 24 / 02

Happy as Lazzaro

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Light House 1 / 13:50 / 2hr 5m Director: Alice Rohrwacher / 2018 / Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany Writer: Alice Rohrwacher Cast: Adriano Tardiolo, Agnese Graziani, Luca Chikovani With the support of the Italian Institute of Culture

One of the hits of last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Rohrwacher’s stunning film is a mesmerising fable of chance and fate. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Two very different men form a connection in Alice Rohrwacher’s charming comedy/drama set in Italy. The winner of best screenplay at Cannes, the film blends social drama and time travel in this movie set in the past and present. It centres on the title character, a young and optimistic farmer, who builds an unlikely bond with a rebellious aristocrat. It grows into a modern, dreamlike fable about the power of friendship and empathy.

Duelles (Mothers’ Instinct)

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Light House 1 / 16:15 / 1hr 37m Director: Olivier Masset-Depasse / 2018 / France, Belgium Cast: Jules Lefebvres, Luan Adam, Veerle Baetens With the support of the Embassy of Belgium in Ireland

Filmmaker Olivier Masset-Depasse’s 1960s-set movie revolves around the lives of two close female friends who live in the same Brussels neighbourhood with their families. Their husbands and their children have also become good friends – but when a sudden tragedy impacts greatly on both families, their relationships and friendships are tested to the absolute limit.

A Hitchcockian thriller with twists and turns, fantastic production design and a killer twist. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

There are echoes of Mad Men to this stylish period thriller which maintains its poker face throughout.

To the Ends of the World

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Light House 3 / 18:00 / 1hr 43m Director: Guillaume Nicloux / 2018 / France Writers: Jérôme Beaujour, Guillaume Nicloux Cast: Gaspard Ulliel, Guillaume Gouix, Lang Khê Tran

On recovering, he re-enlists and vows to take revenge all the way to the leader who ordered the killings. But his belief system risks being challenged by a meeting with a young local woman.

Yuli

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Cineworld 17 / 18:00 / 1hr 55m Director: Icíar Bollaín / 2018 / Spain, Cuba, UK, Germany Writers: Paul Laverty, Carlos Acosta Cast: Carlos Acosta, Santiago Alfonso, Keyvin Martínez With the support of the Embassy of Cuba in Ireland Filmmaker in attendance Bright and warm, this affectionate portrait of the rise of one of dance’s greatest stars is a hugely enjoyable tale of rags to riches. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Cuban ballet superstar Carlos Acosta is the subject of this charming, crowd-pleasing biopic about his rise to fame, achievements and the sacrifices of success. Written by Paul Laverty (I, Daniel Blake, The Wind That Shakes the Barley), it tells the story of the groundbreaking rise of Acosta, who grew up dancing on the streets of his native Cuba. It charts how his remarkable talent ended on the boards of London’s Royal Ballet and many of the world’s most acclaimed ballet companies.

Sunday 24th — 44 / 45

A striking and brutal war film that excavates a relatively cinematically untouched era. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Guillaume Nicloux’s gritty, evocative conflict film, selected for Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, centres on Robert, a French solider who is the sole survivor of a massacre that sees hundreds of his colleagues killed, including family members, in 1940s Vietnam.

Surprise Film

Sunday 24th — 46 / 47

Special Presentation —

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Odeon Point Village 1–3 / 18:00 Director: ?? Writer: ?? Cast: ??

2019 ????? 2018 Unsane 2017 Get Out 2016 Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot 2015 Good Kill 2014 Muppets Most Wanted 2013 Welcome to the Punch 2012 This Must Be the Place, El Casa de Mi Padre

2011 Cedar Rapids 2010 Greenberg 2009 Hamlet 2 2008 The Escapist 2007 300 2006 The Jacket 2005 The Squid & The Whale 2004 Starsky & Hutch 2003 Buffalo Soldiers

No one, not even the projectionist, knows what the film is – until the very last minute. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Everybody Knows

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 18:10 / 2hr 12m Director: Asghar Farhadi / 2018 / Spain, France, Italy Writer: Asghar Farhadi Cast: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ricardo Darín

Farhadi’s deceptive family melodrama features one of the best casts of recent years with Darín in particular bringing great shade to a father playing catch up. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem head the cast in this psychological thriller written and directed by double-Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi (A Separation). Cruz plays Laura, a woman travelling to her home town in Spain for her sister’s wedding with her children. But her eldest child is abducted, sparking a crisis among the family in which various secrets are revealed in Farhadi’s arresting drama, in which human nature and relationships are closely observed.

Woman at War

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Light House 1 / 18:15 / 1hr 41m Director: Benedikt Erlingsson / 2018 / Iceland, France, Ukraine Writers: Ólafur Egilsson, Benedikt Erlingsson Cast: Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, Jóhann Sigurðarson, Juan Camillo Roman Estrada Filmmaker in attendance

One of THE highlights of the festival! Don’t miss this smart, wry comedy which will leave you cheering. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

An ostensibly quiet fiftysomething woman leads a secret life as an eco-warrior in Benedikt Erlingsson’s witty and eccentric comedy drama. Halla appears to lead a routine life, but nobody in her community suspects her of being “The Woman of the Mountain” – a notorious character who wages war on the local aluminium industry. As the stakes get higher, Halla faces another challenge – to care for the daughter she has been cleared to adopt.

Transit

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Light House 1 / 20:40 / 1hr 41m Director: Christian Petzold / 2018 / Germany, France Writers: Christian Petzold (adaptation), Anna Seghers (novel) Cast: Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer, Godehard Giese Presented in co-operation with the GoetheInstitut Irland

Georg, who is living in Paris as the Germans approach, flees south in fear and desperation. He impersonates a deceased author in a bid to emigrate, but is torn when he meets the dead man’s wife as she desperately searches for him.

The Hummingbird Project

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 20:40 / 1hr 51m Director: Kim Nguyen / 2018 / Canada, Belgium Writer: Kim Nguyen Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Salma Hayek

With its wry nods to Herzog, Nguyen’s fable about fools is bolstered by a career-best performance by Skarsgård. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

New York cousins Vincent and Anton are involved in the high-stakes, risky and superspeedy business of High Frequency Trading. But their ambitions don’t stop there – the two also have a plan to build a fibre-optic cable in a straight line between New Jersey and Kansas. It’s the kind of scheme which could net them millions – but others would delight in their failure in writer/director Kim Nguyen’s biting comedy drama.

Sunday 24th — 48 / 49

One of Petzold’s very best films, which will challenge and delight his many admirers. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Writer/director Christian Petzold’s adaptation of a decades-old WW2 novel takes a daring and effective approach, setting the story in contemporary Marseille and thus reminding us that history can repeat itself.

Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Shorts #2 /// The Interview

War Paint

Director: Al Brennan / Ireland / 10 mins Producer: Atlas Films

Director: Nat Luurtsema / UK / 16 mins Producer: Diarmuid Hughes

A man wakes up on the day of an important job interview with a stupendous hangover. As he rushes to get the train his day unravels in spectacular fashion.

An enigmatic narcissist befriends a despondent loner from Book Club and drags her on a gruesome misadventure.

The Brother

Director: Summer Agnew / New Zealand / 14 mins Producers: Dan Higgins, Matt Noonan, Stephan Fruth, Summer Agnew An outcast returns to uncover a longburied truth but he finds the high-country wilderness even more dangerous than he remembers.

Bunny

Director: Shaun Hughes / UK / 18 mins Producers: Alysia Maciejowska, David Brown A young man with rabbit ears is challenged by disruptive outsiders to face up to his delusion, and risks losing the final bond to his dead mother.

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Light House 3 / 20:15 / 1hr 35m Directors: Various 2018 International Filmmakers in attendance

Director: Jamie Delaney / UK / 13 mins Producer: Nancy Ryan

The Sermon

Director: Dean Puckett / UK / 12 mins Producer: Rebecca Wolff A young woman’s secret rocks an isolated church community in this disturbing folk horror tale.

Director: Lorenz Wunderle / Switzerland / 10 mins Producers: Ramon Schoch, Lukas Pulver A coyote loses his wife and children in an attack by wolves. Anguished from human emotions, he’s trying to process the experience. Besides grief and delusion, evil takes up more and more space.

Sunday 24th — 50 / 51

In an attempt to find purpose in a dangerously over-saturated and alienating society, Mary Jane turns people’s addiction to social media against them... to deadly effect.

Coyote

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Highlights /// — Maiden Light House 1 / 18:15 / Page 54 Floating Structures IFI 1 / 18:30 / Page 55 The Aftermath Cineworld 9 / 20:50 / Page 57

52 / 53

Monday 25 / 02

Loro

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 18:00 / 2h 30m Director: Paolo Sorrentino / 2018 / Italy, France Writer: Paolo Sorrentino Cast: Toni Servillo, Elena Sofia Ricci, Riccardo Scamarcio With the support of the Italian Institute of Culture

Two giants of Italian Cinema – Paolo Sorrentino and Toni Servillo – reunite for this outrageous satire with eye-popping visuals to match the excess on display. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Acclaimed filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino trains his eye on Silvio Berlusconi and his political camp in his latest feature. A blend of drama, comedy and satire, a returning Toni Servillo (Il Divo) plays the larger-than-life, bombastic leader in this portrait of the media mogul and former Italian prime minister. Prostitution, sex, drugs and those infamous parties all feature in Sorrentino’s biopic about one of the most colourful characters in Italy’s recent history.

Maiden

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Light House 1 / 18:15 / 1hr 33m Director: Alex Holmes / 2018 / UK

This critically acclaimed sailing documentary centres on the first ever allfemale crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. At its core is a fascinating subject, Tracy Edwards, a young cook on charter boats who gets to skipper the team as they attempt to break new ground and make history.

One of the highlights of the festival – an incredible story that is brilliantly told – left me cheering with tears in my eyes. A must see. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

At great personal sacrifice, Edwards and her team set out to defy convention and sexism and smash a glass ceiling.

Floating Structures

Info: Mon 25 Feb / IFI 1 / 18:30 / 1hr 4m Directors: Feargal Ward and Adrian Duncan / 2018 / Ireland Filmmaker in attendance — Floating Structures was funded under the Arts Council Reel Art scheme which is designed to provide film artists with a unique opportunity to make highly creative, imaginative and experimental documentaries on an artistic theme.

Feargal Ward and Adrian Duncan’s film follows a researcher travelling across Europe, exploring an array of buildings and structures that seem other-worldly. Drawing on the ideas and visions of the great Irish engineer Peter Rice, they explore the hinterlands that gave rise to these structures. Wandering from a quiet Bavarian town, to the streets of Paris, to the city of Seville, our past is sifted through and interlinked with precision and wonder. Monday 25th — 54 / 55

Treat Me Like Fire

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Light House 1 / 20:15 / 1hr 45m Director: Marie Monge / 2018 / France Writers: Romain Compingt (collaboration), Julien Guetta (screenplay), Marie Monge (screenplay) Cast: Tahar Rahim, Stacy Martin, Bruno Wolkowitch With the support of the French Embassy in Ireland

A heavy and hot-blooded tale of love, money and one very bad boyfriend. – The Hollywood Reporter

Tehar Rahim (A Prophet) is a gambler on the wrong side of the tracks in filmmaker Marie Monge’s striking debut feature. Ella (Stacy Martin) senses he is bad news from the moment they meet, but he makes her feel alive. They embark on a passionate romance which leads her down a very dangerous path. Unfolding in the urban side streets, casinos and metro tunnels of Paris by night, it’s an atmospheric, dynamic thriller.

Pororoca

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Light House 3 / 20:20 / 2hr 32m Director: Constantin Popescu / 2017 / Romania, France Writer: Constantin Popescu Cast: Bogdan Dumitrache, Iulia Lumânare, Constantin Dogioiu

On the face of it, Tudor and Cristina have an idyllic life, living in a comfortable suburb of Bucharest with their two young children. But during a trip to the local playground, their little girl disappears, leading to panic, despair and recrimination. This slow-burning thriller taps into every parent’s greatest fear. Monday 25th — 56 / 57

Pororoca is a simmering, gradually harrowing film heavy on incidental information at the frayed edges of its drama. – Variety

Romanian filmmaker Constantin Popescu’s critically acclaimed feature centres on a family man left emotionally shattered by the unsolved disappearance of his daughter.

The Aftermath

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 20:50 / 1hr 36m Director: James Kent / 2019 / UK, USA, Germany Writers: Joe Shrapnel (screenplay), Anna Waterhouse (screenplay), Rhidian Brook (novel) Cast: Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgård, Jason Clarke Filmmaker in attendance

Both sexy and touching, The Aftermath is a sophisticated wartime melodrama with three standout performances at its heart. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Post-war Germany, 1946. Rachael Morgan (Keira Knightley) arrives in the ruins of Hamburg in the bitter winter, to be reunited with her husband Lewis (Jason Clarke), a British colonel charged with rebuilding the shattered city. But Rachael is stunned to discover that Lewis has made an unexpected decision: they will be sharing their new home with its previous owners, a German widower (Alexander Skarsgård) and his troubled daughter. In this charged atmosphere, enmity and grief give way to passion and betrayal.

Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Shorts #3 /// 99 Problems

The Overcoat

Director: Ross Killeen / Ireland / 13 mins Producer: Louise Byrne

Director: Patrick Myles / UK / 18 mins Producers: Kate Turner, Mark Puddle

The inside scoop on the murky world of the ice-cream business. Through the eyes of Pinky, the self-declared ‘king of the ice-cream men’, we are taken into this unregulated industry where rival drivers will stop at nothing to protect their livelihoods.

A lonely social outcast gets a glimpse of what life is like for someone popular and cannot let it go, even in death.

Becoming Cherrie

Director: Nicky Larkin / Northern Ireland / 11 mins Producer: Nicky Larkin Becoming Cherrie is a short documentary about the difficulties of living with HIV in the age of the DUP.

Strong at the Broken Places

Director: Anna Rogers / Ireland / 11 mins Producer: Zlata Filipovic Raped at 14 by a Catholic priest, human rights activist Colm O’Gorman challenges Pope Francis to tell the truth about the coverup of abuse during his divisive visit to Ireland in August 2018.

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Light House 3 / 18:00 / 1hr 39m Directors: Various 2018 International Filmmakers in attendance

Boy Saint

Director: Tom Speers / Ireland / 7 mins Producer: Cian Speers

Wren Boys

Director: Harry Lighton / UK / 11 mins Producer: Sorcha Bacon On the day after Christmas, a Catholic priest from Cork drives his nephew to prison.

Director: Pier Lorenzo Pisano / Italy / 14 mins Producer: Elisabetta Bruscolini The village was small, and now it’s even smaller; only four houses still standing and a street. There is no one around. Nobody to say ‘hi’ to, no one to whine about the heat to. The earthquake didn’t even spare the sound of breathing. The story of two souls trying to mend a wound in a torn town.

Troubles

Director: Jonathan Harden / Northern Ireland / 11 mins Producers: Jonathan Harden, Shauna Shivers McAtamney A troubled traditional Irish musician reenters the fold after a long absence. An emotionally stunted friend wants to offer an apology. When words fail them both, music is all they have to bring them together.

Monday 25th — 58 / 59

When two adolescent boys become aware of their budding sexuality they uncover the pain and longing of the human heart.

As It Is On Earth

Highlights /// — What Time is Death? IFI 1 / 18:30 / Page 63 Keep Going Cineworld 9 / 18:30 / Page 63 The Sisters Brothers Cineworld 17 / 20:30 / Page 67

60 / 61

Tuesday 26 / 02

Up the Mountain

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Light House 1 / 15:30 / 2hr 6m Director: Zhang Yang / 2018 / China Filmmaker in attendance

This lyrical documentary from Zhang Yang is a meditation on beauty. – Wendy Ide, Screen

Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yang’s film is an intimate portrait of a year in the life of artist Shen Jianhua. Set in the artist’s studio high in the mountains of Yunnan Province, this is where he has moved from Shanghai to teach the local Bai women art and painting. Filmed over an extended period in and around a remote village, it explores the value of long-treasured traditions in a rapidly changing China

3 Faces

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Light House 3 / 18:15 / 1hr 40m Director: Jafar Panahi / 2018 / Iran Writers: Jafar Panahi, Nader Saeivar Cast: Behnaz Jafari, Jafar Panahi, Marziyeh Rezaei

By turns playful and defiant, Jafar Panahi’s sparkling work adds to his already rich and varied oeuvre. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Iranian director Jafar Panahi continues to defy a filmmaking ban imposed by his home country with his fourth film made since the ban was imposed. The winner of best screenplay at Cannes, the drama focuses on a well-known actress, compelled to support a girl’s plea for help in her dream to study drama – a dream quashed by her parents’ values. She heads to the rural north, discovering tradition is as potent as her celebrity.

Keep Going

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 18:30 / 1hr 24m Info: Sun 3 Mar / Cineworld 9 / 16:30 / 1hr 24m Director: Joachim Lafosse / 2018 / Belgium, France Writers: Joachim Lafosse, Laurent Mauvignier (novel) Cast: Virginie Efira, Kacey Mottet Klein, Diego Martín With the support of the Embassy of Belgium in Ireland

Sybille is through with watching her teenage boy, Samuel, get lost to a life of hatred and violence. Determined to avert this, they both embark on horseback to the rugged terrain of Kyrgyzstan, its spectacular vistas providing a dramatic change from home. Lafosse places us front and centre in this distant place as raw emotions and past slights are revealed.

What Time is Death?

Info: Tues 26 Feb / IFI 1 / 18:30 / 1hr 22m Director: Paul Duane / 2019 / Ireland Filmmaker in attendance

In 2017 Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, formerly The KLF, returned after 23 years of silence – but they were no longer a pop group.

— What Time is Death? was funded under the Arts Council Reel Art scheme which is designed to provide film artists with a unique opportunity to make highly creative, imaginative and experimental documentaries on an artistic theme.

They were now undertakers, planning to build a monument, the People’s Pyramid, out of 34,952 bricks made from the remains of dead people. The band’s last famous action was in 1994, when they burned one million pounds of their earnings in a disused warehouse on a Scottish island after being one of the UK’s most successful early ’90s pop acts.

Tuesday 26th — 62 / 63

Joachim Lafosse’s wonderful deft handling with actors is well to the fore of this beautifully understated story of a mother and son, with the spectatuclar backdrop of Kyrgyzstan. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Writer/director Joachim Lafosse’s drama about a challenging family relationship features two great performances at its core.

My Foolish Heart

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Light House 1 / 18:30 / 1hr 23m Director: Rolf van Eijk / 2018 / Netherlands Writers: Rolf van Eijk, Roelof Jan Minneboo Cast: Steve Wall, Raymond Thiry, Gijs Naber With the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ireland Filmmakers in attendance

Acclaimed actor and musican Steve Wall gives the performance of a lifetime as he manages to inhabit the weariness and genius of a tragic Baker. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

When a detective is called to Chet Baker’s hotel room to investigate the circumstances of his fatal fall, he becomes immersed in and moved by his unconventional life and music. The detective, Lucas, is so touched that he strives to learn more about the legendary jazz musician. In doing so, he crosses paths with significant figures in Baker’s life. Irish musician and actor Steve Wall plays the jazz legend.

The Little Comrade

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Light House 3 / 20:15 / 1hr 39m Director: Moonika Siimets / 2018 / Estonia Writer: Moonika Siimets Cast: Tambet Tuisk, Helena Maria Reisner, Yuliya Aug Support from the Embassy of Estonia in Ireland Filmmaker in attendance

A beautiful story about childhood which builds slowly to a shattering climax. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Set during the period of Stalinist tyranny, Moonika Siimets’ drama, set in Estonia, tells of a six-year-old girl, Leelo, whose mother, a school principal, has been expelled to a prison camp. Confused and troubled by her mother’s absence, Leelo focuses on the last thing she said to her – to be a good girl – in the hope it will bring her back. It explores the power of childhood in a time of turmoil.

Out of Blue

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Light House 2 / 20:15 / 1hr 50m Director: Carol Morley / 2018 / USA, UK Writers: Martin Amis (based on the novel by), Carol Morley Cast: Patricia Clarkson, James Caan, Alyshia Ochse Filmmaker in attendance

Part procedural drama, part twisty and unconventional supernatural thriller, the detective finds her beliefs and views shaken, and memories from her past unearthed, as she discovers more about the victim and their theories. Morley’s shapeshifting, neonoir thriller is adapted from the Martin Amis novel, Night Train.

Your Mother Should Know

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 20:40 / 1hr 32m Director: Jeroen Houben / 2018 / Netherlands, Belgium Writers: Hugh Travers (screenplay), Jeroen Houben (screenplay) Cast: Ariane Schluter, Benja Bruijning, Georgina Verbaan With the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ireland Filmmaker in attendance Screenwriter Hugh Travers has created a wise and witty romantic comedy about the foibles of love and the frailities of family. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

The mother/son relationship is explored to comedic effect in Jeroen Houben’s sparky comedy penned by Irish screenwriter Hugh Travers. It tells of a feisty young photographer forced to move back in with his mother in a small-town community, who encourages her to find love in order to make her less dependent on him. However, mum has other ideas – appointing him as her ‘dating coach’ to spend more time together.

Tuesday 26th — 64 / 65

Carol’s new film is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Patricia Clarkson plays a murder detective tasked with probing the shooting of an eminent astrophysicist in the latest feature from filmmaker Carol Morley.

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French Focus

Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival is delighted to introduce a wonderful selection of French titles in 2019, presented in partnership with the French Embassy in Ireland.

To the Ends of the World / Les confins du monde Guillaume Nicloux (France)

Whatever Happened to My Revolution / Tout ce qu’il me reste de la revolution EA ST (France) Judith Davis W A

Treat Me Like Fire Marie Monge (France)

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Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Netherlands, France, Norway, Lebanon)

Keep Going Joachim Lafosse (Belgium, France)

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Maria by Callas Tom Volf (France)

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Based on the novel by Patrick DeWitt, it sets out to reimagine the western as a witty and moving exploration of what it means to be a man. Set in 1851, it tells the story of Charlie and EliROSisters, two tough criminals surviving AD and thriving in a savage, lawless and hostile world.

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Info: Tues 26 Feb / Cineworld 17 / 20:30 / 2hr 1m SPENCER DOCK MAYOR STREET Director: Jacques Audiard / 2018 / France, Spain, THE POINT Romania, USA, Belgium Writers: Jacques Audiard (screenplay by), Thomas Bidegain (screenplay by) Cast: John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal RIVER LIFFEY

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Tuesday 26th — 66 / 67

The Sisters Brothers Jacques Audiard (France, Spain, Romania, USA, Belgium)

Duelles (Mothers’ Instinct) Olivier Masset-Depasse (France, Belgium)

Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Shorts #4 /// Mother

Inanimate

Director: Natasha Waugh / Ireland / 9 mins Producer: Sharon Cronin

Director: Lucia Bulgheroni / UK / 9 mins Producer: Lennard Ortmann

Hardworking mam Grace has the perfect happy family; a loving husband and two wonderful children. But when her husband arrives home one day with a brand new kitchen appliance, she slowly starts to realise that there might not be room for both of them in this house.

Katrine has a normal life, a normal job, a normal boyfriend and a normal apartment in a normal city. Or at least that’s what she thinks until one day everything starts falling apart – literally!

The Egg and The Thieving Pie

No Place

Director: Lola Blanche Higgins / UK / 19 mins Producer: Reshma Makan

Director: Laura Kavanagh / UK / 7 mins Producer: Laura Kavanagh

Community Police Officer Shona finds herself battling the call of the ocean when investigating the theft of a precious egg.

Angela and her two young kids have been evicted from their home. Angela struggles to maintain a sense of normality as an increasingly desperate situation unfolds.

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Light House 1 / 20:45 / 1hr 41m Directors: Various 2018 International Filmmakers in attendance

Child

Stigma

Director: Helen Warner / Northern Ireland / 10 mins Producer: Marie McDonald

When Ella visits a museum together with her daughter and the child of a colleague, she suddenly becomes aware of a hidden side of herself.

A string of confessions unveil a tale of religious guilt, sin and redemption in this short experimental drama set against the dramatic and rugged Northern Irish coastline.

El Hor

Director: Dianne Lucille Campbell / Northern Ireland, UK / 14 mins Producer: Brian J. Falconer Through the interspecies gaze we observe one of the most ancient and highly honoured dog breeds, the Saluki. Guiding us in love, preparing us in death and transforming us in life.

Five Letters to the Stranger Who Will Dissect my Brain

Director: Oonagh Kearney / Ireland / 25 mins Producer: Roisín Geraghty

Five Letters to the Stranger Who Will Dissect my Brain describes the soul-searching journey of first-year medical student Viv, whose first encounter with a cadaver in the anatomy room sends her on a soul-searching quest into the nature of what it means to be alive.

Tuesday 26th — 68 / 69

Director: Joren Molter / Netherlands / 9 mins Producer: Floor Onrust

Papi Chulo

Metal Heart

Black 47 Black 47

Greta Greta PROUD SUPPORTERS THE IRISHFILM FILM INDUSTRY INDUSTRY PROUD SUPPORTERS OFOF THE IRISH

Highlights /// — An Elephant Sitting Still Light House 3 / 13:45 / Page 72 Fighting with my Family Light House 1 / 18:15 / Page 75 Dark Lies the Island Cineworld 17 / 18:15 / Page 79

70 / 71

Wednesday 27 / 02

An Elephant Sitting Still

Special Presentation —

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Light House 3 / 13:45 / 3hr 50m Info: Sun 3 Mar / Omniplex Rathmines 7 / 11:00 / 3hr 50m Director: Bo Hu / 2018 / China Writer: Bo Hu Cast: Yu Zhang, Yuchang Peng, Uvin Wang

In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, locals speak of an elephant who just sits there, never moving or responding. The story becomes a fixation for the characters in this film, who long to escape from the lives in which they find themselves.

The story centres on a group of disaffected young people living in a city where the prospects of career or personal fulfilment seem remote. The political is always the personal in this epic tale of the need for security and redemption.

Chinese filmmaker Bo Hu’s ambitious and critically acclaimed debut feature takes place over the course of one day and focuses on various people left behind in China’s reach towards ongoing economic advancement.

Tragically, Bo Hu’s stirring first film is also his last – he ended his own life at the age of 29.

From dawn to dusk, Bo Hu’s magisterial masterpiece charts the struggles of a disparate group left behind by the Chinese boom. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Intruder in the Dust

An adaptation of William Faulkner’s novel, shot on location in Mississippi by Clarence Brown, Intruder in the Dust features a commanding performance by Juano Hernandez as Lucas Beauchamp, a black man accused of murder in the Deep South.

— The film will be introduced by Dr Gwenda Young, co-Head of the Discipline of Film and Screen Media at University College Cork.

Intruder earned critical acclaim, including appreciations by black commentators: Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man) observed it was the only Hollywood race film that wouldn’t provoke “unintended laughter” in a Harlem theatre.

Clean Up

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Light House 1 / 16:00 / 1hr 44m Director: Manki Kwon / 2018 / South Korea Writer: Manki Kwon Cast: Dae-gun Kim, Ji-hye Yoon

South Korean filmmaker Manki Kwon makes a critically lauded debut with his drama thriller about wrongdoing and redemption. It tells the story of a cleaner, grieving the death of her young son, who is forced to confront her past when a young ex-con becomes her co-worker. Their paths have crossed before – the young man was kidnapped as a child, and his new colleague was the perpetrator.

An incredibly impressive debut from South Korea about chance and redemption. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

The director and his cast build up the tension to jittery effect.

Wednesday 27th — 72 / 73

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Light House 1 / 16:00 / 1hr 27m Director: Clarence Brown / 1949 / USA Writers: William Faulkner (novel), Ben Maddow Cast: David Brian, Claude Jarman Jr., Juano Hernandez Filmmaker in attendance

Summer Survivors

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Light House 3 / 18:00 / 1hr 31m Director: Marija Kavtaradze / 2018 / Lithuania Writer: Marija Kavtaradze Cast: Gelmine Glemzaite, Paulius Markevicius, Indre Patkauskaite Filmmaker in attendance

By turns shocking and sad, a difficult subject is leavened by a trio of superb performances. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

A psychologist is tasked with taking two young patients to a psychiatric hospital in writer/director Marija Kavtaradze’s unconventional, gently comedic road movie. One is struggling with bipolar disorder, another coming to terms with a suicide attempt – but their carer, too, has her own difficulties. Lessons are learned and secrets shared along the way in this comedy that nevertheless reveals moving truths. What emerges is a touching and wise account of mental illness.

Angelo

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Light House 3 / 20:30 / 1hr 51m Director: Markus Schleinzer / 2018 / Austria, Luxembourg Writers: Alexander Brom, Markus Schleinzer Cast: Makita Samba, Alba Rohrwacher, Larisa Faber

Markus Schleinzer’s pithy second drama transports us to the early 18th century, where a young African slave boy is chosen by a wealthy European countess to be educated and integrated into wealthy Viennese society. Based on a true story, the film tracks the story of this living human experiment. What unfolds is the tale of a boy treated as a novelty to be pampered, yet who never feels as though he truly belongs.

Elegant and austere, and yet never has silence been used to such devasting effect. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Fighting With My Family Virgin Media Gala — 74 / 75

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Light House 1 / 18:15 / 1hr 43m Director: Stephen Merchant / 2019 / UK, USA Writer: Stephen Merchant Cast: Florence Pugh, Dwayne Johnson, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn Filmmakers in attendance

The true, colourful and crazy story of the rise of WWE wrestler Paige comes to the big screen in this much-anticipated comedy drama from British actor, writer and producer, Stephen Merchant. Merchant writes and directs the film, which focuses on Ricky, a reformed gangster, his wife Julia and their children, who eke out a living wrestling in local venues and lowkey clubs.

When children Paige and Zak are offered the chance to apply for WWE, the chance of fame, fortune and a brighter future beckon – putting their family bonds to the test. When she leaves her family to enter the cut-throat world of WWE alone, Paige digs deep to prove to the world that what makes her different is the very same thing that can make her a star. The film features a memorable turn from champion wrestler turned movie star, Dwayne Johnson.

Funny and heartfelt in equal measures – Stephen Merchant makes a hugely confident debut in this exuberant comedy. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

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‘Magical. Moving. World class in every way.’ The Times

BOOK! NOW

Wed 10 – Sat 27 Apr

www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

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Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Shorts #5 /// Still Life

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Light House 1 / 20:40 / 1hr 45m Directors: Various 2018 International Filmmakers in attendance

Lifeboat

Director: Skye Fitzgerald / USA / 35 mins Producer: Skye Fitzgerald

A dissection room becomes a rehearsal space for drummers and their beat drives out the dead.

With few resources but certain that civil society must intervene, a team of global volunteers risks the waves of the Mediterranean to pluck refugees from sinking rafts.

Bagheera

Director: Christopher Watson / India / 19 mins Producers: Christopher Watson, Sakar Raut This dark yet uplifting film noir thriller follows Bagheera, a determined young leader of an Indian girl scout troop. Abducted by a terrifying psychopath, she uses the honed skills of her many achievement badges and adept intuition to defy her captor, escape his clutches and serve up a scorching retribution.

Lunch Time

Director: Alireza Ghasemi / Iran / 16 mins Producer: Alireza Ghasemi A 16-year-old girl has come to the hospital to identify the body of her mother. The people in charge at the hospital – due to her young age – won’t let her into the morgue.

Detainment

Director: Vincent Lambe / Ireland / 24 mins Producer: Darren Mahon, Vincent Lambe, Robert Dwyer-Joyce Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler. A true story based on interview transcripts and records from the James Bulger case which shocked the world in 1993.

Wednesday 27th — 76 / 77

Director: Noelle Gallagher / Ireland / 10 mins Producer: Noelle Gallagher

Dark Lies the Island Mid-Week Gala —

Written by Irish author Kevin Barry and based around characters he created for his own short story collection, Ian Fitzgibbon’s (Death of a Superhero) pitch-black comedy centres on a small Irish town over a weeklong period. If you’re going to get involved with men in a small Irish town, they might as well be the Mannions – and Sara is involved up to her neck. The Mannions are a feuding family in the town of Dromord who are all set at each

78 / 79

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Cineworld 17 / 18:15 / 1 hr 27m Director: Ian Fitzgibbon / 2019 / Ireland Writer: Kevin Barry Cast: Charlie Murphy, Moe Dunford, Tommy Tiernan, Charlie Kelly Filmmakers in attendance

other. Sara is married to Daddy Mannion but holding a candle for her first love, his son Doggy. When she also gets involved with his brother, trouble looms. An impressive Irish cast including Peter Coonan, Charlie Murphy, Pat Shortt and Moe Dunford flesh out this unique, dark, comedy which offers on-the-nose observations about Irish life.

A hallucinogenic black comedy of the darkest kind...Killnaskully meets Twin Peaks...and once seen you will never be the same again. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Celebrating Irish talent at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival

— Greta

— Papi Chulo

— Gaza

— Shooting the Mafia

— Dark Lies the Island

— Screen Ireland Short Films

— Dirty God

— She’s Missing

— Land Without God

— Prisoners of the Moon

www.screenireland.ie

Highlights /// — Ray & Liz Light House 1 / 18:15 / Page 82 Land Without God Light House 1 / 20:50 / Page 85 Vox Lux Cineworld 9 / 20:45 / Page 85

80 / 81

Thursday 28 / 02

Bulbul Can Sing

Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Light House 3 / 16:30 / 1hr 35m Director: Rima Das / 2018 / India Writer: Rima Das Cast: Pakija Begam, Arnali Das, Manabendra Das

Rima Das follows up the wonderful Village Rockstars with the powerful story of a young woman fighting to be independent whilst under the scrutiny of Assamese tradition. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Shot in the stunning setting of her home village in India, Rima Das’ film is a moving drama about coming of age, sexuality and personal identity. It centres on Bulbul and her two closest friends, Samu and Bonny, who find themselves challenged by convention, tradition and expectation in their communities as they reach their teens. When outraged locals shame them for their acts, their friendships and very sense of self is put to the test.

Ash is Purest White

Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 18:00 / 2hr 17m Director: Zhangke Jia / 2018 / China, France, Japan Writer: Zhangke Jia Cast: Zhao Tao, Fan Liao, Yi’nan Diao

An epic love story plays out against the dizzying changes of contemporary China with a superb performance by Zhangke muse Zhao Tao. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Writer/director Zhangke Jia’s critically acclaimed romance/drama unfolds through a three-part story in different time frames. At the centre is a tale set in the Chinese underworld about a dancer who fires a gun to protect her criminal boyfriend. On leaving prison years later, she sets out to find him. The prolific filmmaker’s latest expands into a wider, epic account of how unknown forces can shape lives and futures.

Ray & Liz

Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Light House 1 / 18:15 / 1hr 48m Director: Richard Billingham / 2018 / UK Writer: Richard Billingham Cast: Richard Ashton, Michelle Bonnard, James Eeles Filmmaker in attendance

The colourful parents of his troubled childhood re-emerge in this kitchen-sink drama. Set in 1990s Britain, it centres on the relationship between his father Ray, an alcoholic, and his formidable mother Liz. What emerges is a starkly honest account of growing up in a difficult environment.

Jesus

Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Light House 3 / 18:30 / 1hr 16m Director: Hiroshi Okuyama / 2018 / Japan Writer: Hiroshi Okuyama Cast: Kenichi Akiyama, Mari Hatsumi, Yûko Kibiki

Whimsical and wafer thin, Hiroshi Okuyama has fashioned a sweet fable about a lonely boy and his imaginary friend. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Okuyama snapped up one of the biggest financial prizes in world cinema at San Sebastian for this first feature. The quirky, offbeat and deadpan Jesus is a whole new take on the character of Christ, presented here in a miniature form as the new friend of Yura, a shy and quiet little boy. Yura is struggling to fit in at his new school, a Christian place of learning where his classmates are avid mass-goers.

Thursday 28th — 82 / 83

Richard Billingham’s astonishing debut is a highlight of the festival. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Photographer Richard Billingham, who previously published an acclaimed book of photography about his chaotic family life, now returns to his childhood with his feature debut.

Scarborough

Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Light House 3 / 20:40 / 1hr 24m Director: Barnaby Southcombe / 2018 / UK Writers: Fiona Evans (play), Barnaby Southcombe (screenplay) Cast: Jessica Barden, Jordan Bolger, Edward Hogg, Jodhi May Filmmaker in attendance

Southcombe’s elegant drama evades easy definitions and there is a moral complexity to the characters which will both unsettle and intrigue audiences. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Two couples seek an escape from the real world in this tale of illicit romance adapted from the award-winning play. The hotel rooms they hire become their safe haven but also a self-imposed prison – for two of them are barely sixteen, and their lovers are their teachers. In the once glamorous hotel, away from their home towns, the couples are forced to address the illicit nature of their love over one memorable weekend.

Vox Lux

Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Cineworld 9 / 20:45 / 1hr 50m Director: Brady Corbet / 2018 / USA Writer: Brady Corbet Cast: Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe

A famous and successful rock diva visits her demons in Brady Corbet’s character-driven drama. When a teenage Celeste sings at a memorial service after somehow surviving a violent act, it marks the beginning of her transformation into a global superstar and the loss of privacy and innocence that that entails. Decades later, Celeste is a formidable musical icon who is forced to strategise a comeback after a scandal which almost ended her career.

Land Without God

Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Light House 1 / 20:50 / 1hr 14m Directors: Gerard Mannix Flynn, Maedhbh McMahon, Lotta Petronella / 2019 / Ireland Writer: Gerard Mannix Flynn Filmmaker in attendance

A powerful and moving people’s testament shot through with anger and love. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Gerard Mannix Flynn’s deeply personal documentary feature is a culmination of his writings and experiences spanning over four decades. The film centres on Flynn and members of his own family as they recall the effects of decades of institutional abuse, and the impact it has had – and continues to have – on their lives, mental health and relationships. The film asks the question: How does one exit the trauma buried deep in the bones of generations?

Thursday 28th — 84 / 85

Anchored by an astonishing performance by Portman, Brady Corbet’s second film is an innovative and ambitious portrait of fame. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

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Highlights /// — Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story Light House 3 / 18:15 / Page 89 Of Fathers and Sons Cineworld 9 / 18:20 / Page 90 The White Crow Cineworld 9 / 20:30 / Page 91

86 / 87

Friday 01 / 03

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Light House 1 / 13:00 / 2hr 27m Director: Tom Tykwer / 2006 / Germany, France, Spain, USA Writers: Andrew Birkin (screenplay), Bernd Eichinger (screenplay), Tom Tykwer (screenplay), Patrick Süskind (novel) Cast: Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman From the moment I read this book and then saw the visually stunning film, I knew I wanted to write a story told from the P.O.V. of the sociopath/psychopath. I need to know what makes them tick. Tock. – Liz Nugent

Tom Tykwer’s 2006 tale of murder and obsession in 18th century France caused much debate upon release. At the heart of the story is Ben Whishaw’s memorable turn as Jean-Baptiste, a perfumier who uses the scents most evocative to him to create his unique fragrances. But he is harbouring much deeper and darker passions – and when 12 young girls are found murdered, terror and confusion stalks the community in which he works. — As part of our Inspirations Strand, with a special introduction from Liz Nugent

Belmonte

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Light House 3 / 16:30 / 1hr 14m Director: Federico Veiroj / 2018 / Uruguay, Spain, Mexico Writers: Federico Veiroj (screenplay), Federico Veiroj Cast: Gonzalo Delgado, Olivia Molinaro Eijo, Jeannette Sauksteliskis

A beautifully constructed portrait of an artist, that has a lovely modulated performance by Delgado at its core. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Acclaimed filmmaker Federico Veiroj’s latest drama tells of a passionate, melancholy artist’s attempts to balance his creative and family lives. Belmonte is busy making final preparations for a major new exhibition – but recently, his focus has been on his daughter, Celeste, and her mother, who is about to have a baby with her new partner. Veiroj’s revealing, intimate film focuses on a man endeavouring to be a strong role model while navigating a personal crossroads.

The Public

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Cineworld 17 / 18:10 / 2hr 2min Director: Emilio Estevez / 2018 / USA Writer: Emilio Estevez Cast: Christian Slater, Alec Baldwin, Emilio Estevez

Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Light House 3 / 18:15 / 1hr 30m Directors: Janus Metz, Sine Plambech / 2018 / Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand Writers: Janus Metz (co-writer), Sine Plambech (co-writer) With the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Embassy of Denmark in Dublin Filmmaker in attendance

Beautifully made, Heartbound unfolds over 10 years and captures the romantic vagaries of its subjects in heartbreaking detail. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

In a tiny fishing village in northern Denmark, over 900 Thai women have married and settled. This documentary from filmmaker Janus Metz and his wife, anthropologist Sine Plambech, sets out to discover why these women crossed the world to marry, a phenomenon that started years earlier when a former sex worker married a local man. It’s an intimate and detailed portrait of society and marriage migration, focusing on four couples over ten years.

Friday 1st — 88 / 89

Estevez’s humanist approach is very much in evidence as he leads in all senses this story of the power of community. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Acclaimed US actor Emilio Estevez writes, directs and stars in this gritty, emotional and character-driven thriller, with a starry cast, set in downtown Cincinnati in that most respected of public spaces – the library. A committed librarian, frustrated at a lack of social justice, allows some of his most vulnerable visitors turn his work space into an impromptu homeless shelter during one of the coldest periods in the city’s history. This old-school drama serves as a timely and relevant account of the power of community.

Tell It to the Bees

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Light House 1 / 18:15 / 1hr 46m Director: Annabel Jankel / 2018 / UK Writers: Henrietta Ashworth (adaptation), Jessica Ashworth (adaptation), Fiona Shaw (novel) Cast: Anna Paquin, Holliday Grainger, Gregor Selkirk

Annabel Jankel’s tasteful, touching adaptation of the Fiona Shaw novel offers a reminder of the forces that could destroy lives in less enlightened times. – Screen

Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger play Jean and Lydia, two women who find love and tenderness in post-wartime, smalltown Britain. Adapted from the acclaimed novel, the drama sees Jean return to her hometown to take over her late father’s GP practice. When she befriends a boy and introduces him to her garden beehives, she and his mother become drawn to each other – a secret they must keep hidden to protect themselves.

Of Fathers and Sons

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Cineworld 9 / 18:20 / 1hr 39m Director: Talal Derki / 2017 / Germany, USA, Syria, Lebanon, Netherlands, Qatar Cast: Abu Osama, Ayman Osama, Osama Osama

An intrepid, cold sweat-inducing study of Jihadi radicalization in the home from celebrated Syrian docmaker Talal Derki. – Variety

Talal Derki’s (Return to Homs) intimate, widely-praised documentary, winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, centres on a radical Islamist family and their harsh existence as war rages around them in Syria. Derki has returned to the country for this portrait of one of the founders of the local branch of Al-Qaeda, and his eight young sons, as they prepare to join a Jihadist training camp.

Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Light House 1 / 20:30 / 1hr 46m Director: Tomer Heymann / 2018 / Germany, Israel Writer: Tomer Heymann Cast: Jonathan Agassi Filmmaker in attendance

This film, directed and written by Tomer, and produced by Barak, tells the story of the famous Israeli porn star and his search for serenity and peace of mind, both within his own family life and in his career as an adult entertainer in an industry fraught with challenge. Friday 1st — 90 / 91

Explicit and shocking, yet tender and funny, Jonathan Agassi’s story will leave you gasping for breath. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Brothers Tomer and Barak Heymann are fast gaining a reputation as being among the most exciting documentary makers in world cinema.

The White Crow

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Cineworld 9 / 20:30 / 2hr 2m Director: Ralph Fiennes / 2018 / UK, France Writer: David Hare Cast: Oleg Ivenko, Ralph Fiennes, Louis Hofmann

Engrossing and quite moving, Fiennes’ film is both a celebration of Nureyev’s life and a valentine to Paris. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Ralph Fiennes brings to life the dramatic circumstances behind the defection to the west of a young Rudolf Nureyev in his latest feature. Nureyev’s extraordinary talent as a ballet dancer, as well as his life-changing decision, lie at the heart of the story. From his povertystricken childhood to his rise to the top of his craft, it’s the true story of a unique artist who transformed the world of ballet forever.

Fugue

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Light House 3 / 20:40 / 1hr 42m Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska / 2018 / Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden Writer: Gabriela Muskala Cast: Gabriela Muskala, Lukasz Simlat, Malgorzata Buczkowska With the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland Filmmaker in attendance Agnieszka Smoczynska’s follow-up to The Lure (DIFF 2016) is a fascinating thriller about identity, with a superb lead performance by Muskala who also wrote the screenplay. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

After rebuilding her life following a profound loss of memory, Alicja is reunited with her family two years later to return to her role as wife and mother. But nothing is as it was in Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska’s jittery, suspenseful thriller that keeps you guessing about the fate of its protagonists. The filmmaker comes at the story with a strong and contemporary feminist point of view, breathing new life into the movie mystery.

She’s Missing

Info: Fri 1 Mar / Cineworld 17 / 20:40 / 1hr 43m Director: Alexandra McGuinness / 2019 / US Writer: Alexandra McGuinness Cast: Lucy Fry, Eiza González, Christian Camargo, Josh Hartnett Filmmaker in attendance

Echoes of David Lynch infuse this atmospheric new Irish thriller, but this complex portrait of female friendship and small-town yearning has a style and energy all its own. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Writer/director Alexandra McGuinness’ drama thriller tells the story of a young woman, Heidi, whose best friend goes missing at a rodeo after meeting a mysterious man. Determined to find out what happened to her, she sets out across the desert, unveiling astonishing secrets and encountering the unexpected violence of life on the road. Crossing paths with several characters along the way, Heidi is determined to find her friend – but there’s an ominous presence on her tail.

Highlights /// — Another Day of Life Sat 2 Mar / Light House 1 / Page 94 Greta Light House 1 / 20:10 / Page 97 Shooting the Mafia Sat 2 Mar / Cineworld 17 / Page 98

92 / 93

Saturday 02 / 03

The Man Who Feels No Pain

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Light House 1 / 11:00 / 2hr 14m Director: Vasan Bala / 2018 / India Writers: Santanu Ghatak (Lyricist), Hussain Haidry (Lyricist), Garima Obrah (Lyricist) Cast: Abhimanyu Dasani, Gulshan Devaiah, Radhika Madan

A real crowd pleaser, a comic mashup of vintage Hollywood and Bollywood action movies. – Variety

Vasan Bala’s critically acclaimed action/ adventure comedy comes to Dublin after becoming a big audience hit at TIFF’s Midnight Madness section. Surya, a young man born with an insensitivity to pain, plans to put his condition to good use, learning martial arts so that he can hunt down criminals in his native India. It’s a wacky premise – throw in some nifty martialarts sequences and a great soundtrack and you’ve got a true crowdpleaser.

Another Day of Life

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Light House 1 / 13:40 / 1hr 25m Directors: Raúl de la Fuente, Damian Nenow / 2018 / Poland, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Hungary Writers: Raúl de la Fuente (screenplay), Amaia Remirez (screenplay) Cast: Miroslaw Haniszewski, Vergil J. Smith, Tomasz Zietek With the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland A brilliantly constructed and haunting film, which uses its hybrid of styles to maximum effect. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Adapted from the book penned by acclaimed Polish war correspondent Ryszard Kapuściński, Another Day of Life centres on an idealistic journalist tasked with covering civil conflict in Angola in the 1970s. The film documents the journalist’s lifechanging experiences through a combination of animation and documentary forms, building its story into an unconventional and striking account of war and its impacts. Critically acclaimed, it’s a shrewd account of the politics of conflict.

Gaza

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Cineworld 9 / 14:00 / 1hr 30m Director: Garry Keane / 2019 / Ireland, Palestine Filmmaker in attendance

Set among the communities who live in Gaza, the documentary aims to go beyond the reach of television news and politics in its account of these people and their daily lives. It’s the story of eloquent, funny and above all ordinary people as they endeavour to live meaningful lives in the shadows of perpetual conflict.

José

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Light House 1 / 16:00 / 1hr 25m Director: Li Cheng / 2018 / Guatemala, USA Writers: Li Cheng, George F. Roberson Cast: Enrique Salanic, Manolo Herrera, Ana Cecilia Mota

A modest, beautifully pitched film about desire in a culture defined by crime, violence, religion and family ties. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

A dream of a better life forms the heart of José, a drama set among the impoverished back streets of Guatemala City. There, José lives with his adoring mother, both of them eking out whatever income they can. But when he falls in love with another young man, he becomes torn between his loyalties to his mother and his own needs. Director Li Cheng’s film was made with nonprofessional actors, giving a sense of realism and authenticity.

Saturday 2nd — 94 / 95

A beautiful, wistful and heartbreaking film which uncovers the real life of a very hidden world. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell’s documentary is a portrait of the resilience of people in the most challenging of circumstances.

Prisoners of the Moon

Info: Sat 2nd Mar / Light House 3 / 16:30 / 1hr 15m Director: Johnny Gogan / 2019 / Ireland Writer: Nick Snow Cast: Jim Norton, Cathy Belton, Marty Rea Filmmaker in attendance

With the artful use of archive material and recreations, Johnny Gogan’s new film charts a fascinating period in American history. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Filmmaker Johnny Gogan’s drama/creative documentary brings to life the story of Arthur Rudolph, a scientist who played a key role in NASA’s historic 1969 moon landing. He was one of a number of Nazi rocket scientists who assisted America as they tried to win the space race. The film examines Rudolph’s work and alleged involvement in war crimes, and screens as the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing approaches.

The Wind

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Cineworld 9 / 18:00 / 1hr 26m Director: Emma Tammi / 2018 / USA Writer: Teresa Sutherland Cast: Miles Anderson, Caitlin Gerard, Julia Goldani Telles

From its very opening shot, The Wind grabs hold of your thoat and doesn’t let go for a single thrilling minute. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Filmmaker Emma Tammi comes at the western from a strong feminist viewpoint in this genre-busting horror thriller which also has elements of the supernatural. The atmospheric story unfolds on the American frontier, where a woman, whose husband is away, guards her property. Strange things are happening to her, with unexplained knockings at her door and blood appearing apparently from nowhere – is there a malevolent force at play or is her mind playing tricks?

Scotch: The Golden Dram

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Omniplex Rathmines 7 / 18:00 / 1hr 27m Director: Andrew Peat / 2018 / Taiwan, UK Filmmaker in attendance

At the heart of the documentary are the characters who inhabit it, including Richard Paterson, a master blender whose nose was insured for $2.5 million, and Jim McEwan, the legendary distiller and industry veteran.

Greta

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Light House 1 / 20:10 / 1hr 38m Director: Neil Jordan / 2018 / Ireland, USA Writers: Ray Wright (screenplay by), Neil Jordan (screenplay by), Ray Wright (story by) Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Isabelle Huppert Filmmaker in attendance

The much-anticipated new film from Neil Jordan is a tour de force and Isabelle Huppert’s performance is a dark, delicious treat. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

A sweet, naïve young woman trying to make it on her own in New York City, Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) doesn’t think twice about returning the handbag she finds on the subway to its rightful owner. That owner is Greta (Isabelle Huppert), an eccentric French piano teacher with a love for classical music and an aching loneliness. Having recently lost her mother, Frances quickly grows closer to widowed Greta. The two become fast friends – but Greta’s maternal charms begin to dissolve and grow increasingly disturbing as Frances discovers that nothing in Greta’s life is what it seems in this suspense thriller from Academy Award®-winning director Neil Jordan.

Saturday 2nd — 96 / 97

A primer on the subject of whiskey but also an affectionate portrait of a master blender. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Created by an international filmmaking team, Scotch delves deeper into the personalities behind the revered drink that stands at the heart of Scottish culture and life. Filmed throughout the Scottish countryside, it examines the history and making of Uisge Beatha – the water of life.

The Comet

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Light House 3 / 18:30 / 1hr 12m Director: Bard Rossevold / 2017 / Norway Writer: Torben Bech Cast: Axel Bøyum, Theresa Frostad Eggesbø, Jørgen Langhelle With the Support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Ireland Filmmaker in attendance

The graduation film from the Norwegian Film School’s 2017 Masters students, a sweet, cosmic love story. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Norwegian filmmaker Bard Rossevold’s feature film tells of a young man searching for his father, who disappeared years earlier at the same time a comet passed close to earth. As he aims to solve the ongoing puzzle of the disappearance, which has mystified him since he was a little boy, Gustav forms a connection with a local hairdresser who joins in his endeavours. This offbeat, beguiling film is a blend of romance and sci-fi mystery.

Shooting the Mafia

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Cineworld 17 / 20:20 / 1hr 34m Director: Kim Longinotto / 2019 / Ireland With the Support of the Italian Institute of Culture Filmmakers in attendance

Kim Longinotto’s powerful documentary strips back the glamorous image of the Sicilian Mafia, showing the harsh reality of life, death and business at the hands of those who wield it. It does so through the eyes and lens of photographer Letizia Battaglia, who captured their brutality on her own terms.

Prepare to fall in love with the force of nature that is Letizia Battaglia in Kim Loginotto’s superb new Irish documentary. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Fear and threats did not prevent her from documenting what has been described as her “archive of blood” in all of its raw power.

Beats

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Light House 3 / 20:30 / 1hr 42m Director: Brian Welsh / 2019 / UK Writers: Kieran Hurley (based on a play by), Kieran Hurley (co-writer) Cast: Laura Fraser, Amy Manson, Gemma McElhinney Filmmakers in attendance

Set in a small Scottish town where rave is on the rise, we meet Johnno and Spanner, two young men aiming for the time of their lives before they go their separate ways. Set to a pulsating soundtrack, it’s a tale of the collective power of music and youth. Saturday 2nd — 98 / 99

Shot in luminous black and white, Beats is a bittersweet coming-of-age story told with great charm and humour. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

An unlikely friendship that unfolds in the heady days of the 1990s rave scene forms the heart of Brian Welsh’s film, adapted from Kieran Hurley’s acclaimed stage play.

Ruben Brandt, Collector

Info: Sat 2 Mar / Light House 1 / 18:00 / 1hr 36m Director: Milorad Krstic / 2018 / Hungary Writer: Milorad Krstic (screenplay) Cast: Iván Kamarás, Gabriella Hámori, Zalán Makranczi With the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Filmmaker in attendance

A sure-fire festival highlight – a whip-smart thriller, briliantly animated – do not miss this cult film in the making. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Filmmaker Milorad Krstic’s slick, atmospheric and original animated film revolves around the title character, a famous psychotherapist who engages in an art heist with a difference. He’s stealing the paintings to help quell the nightmares he’s had from a childhood trauma. The stakes are high – his targets include The Louvre, The Tate and The Museum of Modern Art, swiftly placing him high on the list of the world’s most-wanted criminals.

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Highlights /// — Fragment of an Empire Light House 1 / 13:30 / Page 103 Dirty God Light House 1 / 17:30 / Page 105 Wild Rose Cineworld 17 / 20:15 / Page 107

100 / 101

Sunday 03 / 03

Alpha, The Right to Kill

Info: Sun 3 Mar / Light House 1 / 11:00 / 1hr 34m Director: Brillante Mendoza / 2018 / Philippines Writer: Troy Espiritu Cast: Allen Dizon, Elijah Filamor, Baron Geisler

Brilliant storytelling is fused with the dark underbelly of Manila streetlife – in a return to form by the ever-profilic Mendoza. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

This gritty drama with a strong moral message brings to life Philippines’ war on drugs – a war that would escalate among the dealers and in the streets of Manila. A top police force is tasked with taking in Abel, one of the most notorious and frightening drug lords in the city. It develops into a violent and lengthy battle in the slums, one that will have serious implications and repercussions for all involved.

Tyrel

Info: Sun 3 Mar / Cineworld 9 / 14:00 / 1hr 26m Director: Sebastián Silva / 2018 / USA Writer: Sebastián Silva Cast: Christopher Abbott, Trust Arancio, Nicolas Arze

Described as this year’s Get Out, Silva’s drama shares many similarities but forges its own path with unexpected results and insights. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Contemporary American race relations are examined through an ostensibly innocent setup in writer/director Sebastian Silva’s drama. Tyler joins his friend on a weekend trip to the scenic Catskills, along with several people he doesn’t know. On getting there, he realises to his unease that he’s the only black person and there will be plenty of alcohol throughout the weekend. What emerges is a revealing and insightful social satire that feels timely and pertinent.

Fragment of an Empire

Info: Sun 3 Mar / Light House 1 / 13:30 / 1hr 36m Director: Fridrikh Ermler / 1929 / Soviet Union Writers: Fridrikh Ermler, Ekaterina Vinogradskaya Cast: Emil Gal, Sergey Gerasimov, Yakov Gudkin

With live musical accompanient from Stephen Horne

Fridrikh Ermler’s 1929 silent film focuses on a young soldier who loses his memory during WWI, only to regain it years after the Communists have ascended to power. In his mind’s eye, the shell-shocked soldier believes the modernised Leningrad is still St Petersburg, he remains married to his missing wife and that war still reigns in this Russian film, which cleverly blends political satire with drama and boasts fine central performances.

Film historian and archivist Peter Bagrov described Ermler as: “one of the greatest masters in the history of Soviet and world cinema” and the filmmaker himself had been drafted into the army as a teenager to fight in WWI. Film historian Paul Rotha would later describe Fragment of an Empire as: “the epitome of Soviet sociological propaganda cinema, realised with an extraordinary skill of technical achievement.”

A truly fascinating film, wonderful performances and rich in symbolism with fantastic battle sequences, its a real discovery for me and, I hope, Dublin audiences. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Sunday 3rd — 102 / 103

Special Presentation —

The Merger

Info: Sun 3 Mar / Omniplex Rathmines 7 / 14:00 / 1hr 43m Director: Mark Grentell / 2018 / Australia Writer: Damian Callinan Cast: Damian Callinan, Kate Mulvany, John Howard With the support of the Australian Embassy in Ireland Filmmaker in attendance One of the festival’s highlights, this funny and very sweet, heartwarming comedy is a real charmer. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

There’s not a lot to do in Bodgy Creek, a struggling small town where the drought is making its presence felt and jobs and a decent way of life are hard to come by. It’s affected the dwindling fortunes of the town’s football club, which is struggling to field a team, until one former football star comes up with an inspired idea – to recruit the hamlet’s newest arrivals – in this charming Australian comedy. — The Merger is also part of the 2019 Festival tour association with access>CINEMA and with the support of the Arts Council (See page 119)

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The Crossing

Info: Sun 3 Mar / Light House 1 / 15:30 / 1h 39m Director: Bai Xue / 2018 / China Cast: Gan Jiao, Elena Kong, Kai Chi Lu

Sixteen-year-old Peipei has the means and the wherewithal to get involved in the smuggling game between the Chinese and Hong Kong borders – she crosses it twice a day on her way to and from school. But her move into deeper illegality brings challenges and dangers she never could have anticipated. Sunday 3rd — 104 / 105

An energetic coming of age film, which is also a stylish exercise in style and political allegory. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

A teenage girl who aspires to a better lifestyle turns to smuggling to raise cash in Bai Xue’s striking debut feature.

Dirty God

Info: Sun 3 Mar / Light House 1 / 17:30 / 1hr 44m Director: Sacha Polak / 2019 / Netherlands, UK, Belgium, Ireland Writers: Susie Farrell, Sacha Polak Cast: Eliza Brady-Girard, Dana Marineci, Rebecca Stone With the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ireland Filmmaker in attendance Sacha Polak’s startling new feature is utterly brilliant and Vicky Knight is mesmerising as the woman reclaiming her life. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Acclaimed filmmaker Sacha Polak makes her English-language debut in this drama set in South London. It centres on a young mother aiming to rebuild her life following a vicious acid attack which left her seriously injured and with life-changing facial burns. As the impacts of her trauma on family life and relationships make themselves felt, she must dig deep to get her life back. In the lead role, Polak has cast newcomer Vicky Knight, herself a burns survivor.

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Wild Rose Closing Gala —

Killarney actor Jessie Buckley blends her considerable musical and dramatic talents to impressive effect in this boisterous comedy/ drama about raw talent, sass and chasing your dream. Rose-Lynn Harlan (Buckley) has a big, bold voice – and an attitude to match – which has fostered, within her, dreams of emulating the country singers she idolises. But her life decisions and circumstances don’t lend themselves to a career and fame in Nashville. Living in Glasgow, just released from a

106 / 107

Info: Sun 3 Mar / Cineworld 17 / 20:15 / 1hr 41m Director: Tom Harper / 2018 / UK Writer: Nicole Taylor Cast: Julie Walters, Jessie Buckley, Sophie Okonedo Filmmaker in attendance

lengthy stint in jail on a drug charge and with two young kids, Rose has more immediate concerns to tackle, as her worried mother (Julie Walters) keeps reminding her. Forced by economic realities, an ankle bracelet and a curfew, she takes on a cleaning job, only to find an unexpected champion in her new employer (Sophie Okonedo). She endeavours to find a platform for Rose’s fledgling talent, hoping to fund the journey to Nashville to help Rose’s dreams come true, but there are complications aplenty in this moving and stirring drama.

After her breakout performance in Beast (DIFF 2018), Jessie Buckley is astonishing in the title role in a performance which will break your heart... a perfect film to close the festival. – Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director

Awards ///

Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Discovery Award Supporting New Talent

—

The Irish film industry has never been busier, productions both large and small are reaching wider audiences and there is an abundance of talent working in the sector today. The Discovery Award and Short Film Award aim to identify, champion, support and encourage new and emerging talent from both in front of, and behind the camera.

Discovery Award Jury

Jason Foran

Producer, Manager – Teach Solais

Clare Stronge Producer – The Farthest

Teri Hayden The Agency

Dave Burke

General Manager – Universal Pictures International Ireland

Shorts Film Award Jury

Chris Hewett Empire

Barbara Murphy

Head of Distribution Sony Pictures Entertainment

Alan Maher

Producer – Being AP, After the Dance

2019 Discovery Award Nominees

Alexandra McGuinness

Alice Vignoles-Russell

Darach McGarrigle

Production Designer/Art Director: The Trap (2018) Other Credits: The Nation Holds its Breath (2016)

Writer: Low Tide (2018) Other Credits: Gridlock (2016), Talk It Out (2012)

Oonagh Kearney

Roisin Geraghty

Madonna McNamee

Awards — 108 / 109

Writer/Director: She’s Missing (2019) Other Credits: Lotus Eaters (2011), (She Owns) Every Thing (2010)

Writer/Director Five Letters To The Stranger Who Will Dissect My Brain (2018) Other Credits: The Wake (2016), Wonder House (2012)

Producer Five Letters To The Stranger Who Will Dissect My Brain (2018) Other Credits: Take Me Swimming (2017), We Are Moving (2016)

Make Up Artist: Low Tide (2018) Other Credits: Never Grow Old (2018), Dead Cool (2017)

Ian Hunt Duffy

Jonathan Hughes

Shane Collins

Director: Low Tide (2018) Other Credits: Gridlock (2016)

Writer: Mother (2018), Mary (2018) Other Credits: Acorn (2017)

Writer/Director: Dub Daze (2019) Other Credits: True (2018), My City My Home (2017)

Awards ///

In 2019, Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival and ICCL will together re-launch the ICCL Human Rights Film Award as an integral part of our programme.

ICCL Human Rights Film Award — In 2008, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) established the Human Rights Film Award to recognise the role of film in raising awareness of human rights.

The Award will celebrate films which allow audiences to connect with human stories and learn about the many forms of activism, as well as honouring filmmakers who passionately advocate for a better world. A jury of leading film-makers and activists will select the winner from seven nominees which explore critical human rights issues: Another Day of Life, Gaza, Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story, Land Without God, Of Fathers and Sons, Rafiki, The Public.

Extraordinary events and experiences Proud supporters of the Dublin International Film Festival • • • • •

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To nd out more and create your unique ODEON event experience contact Paul Wren, Commercial Sales & Marketing Manager

T: +353 (0) 87 984 4926 E: pwren@odeonuk.com W: ODEONevents.ie

Awards ///

Ireland’s professional film critics will announce their awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Irish Film, Best Documentary and Best Performances from the 2019 festival line-up.

Dublin Film Critics’ Circle Awards — Info: Sun 3 Mar / Light House Cinema Bar / 14:00

Each year, you, the audience gets to vote on the films that bring a smile to your face; a tear to your eye; inspire you or clean knock your socks off! Our team of supremo volunteers will be at hand to help you cast your votes after each eligible film.

Previous Winners of the Audience Award 2018: The Breadwinner 2017: The Farthest 2016: Viva 2015: The Salt of the Earth 2014: Los Wild Ones 2013: Broken Song 2012: The Raid 2011: Benda Bilili! 2010: His & Hers 2009: Anvil! The Story of Anvil 2008: Waveriders

Previous Winners of the Audience Award for Short Film 2018: Time Traveller 2017: The Nation Holds its Breath 2016: Little Bear 2015: Boogaloo & Graham

Awards — 110 / 111

Virgin Media Audience Award —

This year’s jury is comprised of Brogen Hayes (movies.ie), Cara O’Doherty (Evening Echo), Chris Wasser (Herald), Daniel Anderson, David Turpin (No More Workhorse), Donald Clarke (Irish Times), Gavin Burke (RTÉ Arena), John Maguire (Sunday Business Post), Nicola Timmins (Average Film Reviews), Paul Whitington (Irish Independent), and Tara Brady (Irish Times).

Awards ///

Documentary Competition —

The following films will compete in our inaugural Documentary Competition:

Documentary Competition Jury

Pat Murphy

Director – Maeve (1981), Anne Devlin (1984), Nora (2000)

Ken Wardrop

Director – Undressing My Mother (2004), His & Hers (2009), Mom and Me (2015)

Hamish McAlpine

Producer – Funny Games (2008), Bundy (2002)

Awards — 112 / 113

The Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Documentary Competion will recognise excellence in the field of documentary making. In its inaugural year we are lucky to have three esteemed judges on our panel; Pat Murphy, Ken Wardrop, and Hamish McAlpine.

– Gaza – Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story – Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life – Land Without God – Of Fathers and Sons – Prisoners of the Moon – Shooting the Mafia – Up the Mountain

In Focus ///

Creative Catalyst – Sean Bailey in Conversation with Eoin Colfer — Info: Tues 19 Feb / City Hall / 18:00 / 1hr 30m Tickets:€15

In a world where cinema is often defined by box-office figures, the Festival’s Creative Catalyst series recognises the passionate advocates who are changing what we see on screen. As President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, Sean Bailey oversees all aspects of live- action development, film production and physical production for Walt Disney Pictures. Disney’s recent releases include The Jungle Book, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Beauty and the Beast and Mary Poppins Returns. Upcoming titles include Dumbo, Aladdin and The Lion King.

A 25-year industry veteran, Bailey has created, packaged, produced and developed film, television and new media concepts for Walt Disney Pictures, Miramax and 20th Century Fox among others. His feature film producing credits include Disney’s Tron: Legacy; Miramax’s Gone, Baby, Gone; Matchstick Men; The Core; The Emperor’s Club; and Best Laid Plans. His screenplay Solace, co-written by Ted Griffin, was released in 2016. The discussion will be hosted by Eoin Colfer, the massively successful author of the Artemis Fowl series, which is getting a big screen adaptation by Disney for release in August 2019.

In Focus ///

A panel discussion and presentation examining the creation of the musical score from three films on the Festival’s 2019 programme.

The Screen Composers Guild of Ireland presents: You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet — Info: Fri 22nd Feb / Goethe Institut / See diff.ie for more details

A very special event bringing together Irish composers for screen as they give a behind the scenes look at the creative craft of scoring for film, from the initial creative collaboration with the director, through to the development of tone and instrumentation and the delivery of a finished piece. An opportunity to learn how music for screen is crafted, the role music plays in the creative and narrative process and how a composer fits in to the overall production.

We will celebrate our festival screenwriters and the art of screenwriting with lunchtime panels in the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire and the Central Library.

I’m Gonna Write Him A Script He Can’t Refuse: Screenwriters in Conversation — Info: Tues 26 Feb / Central Library / 13:00 / 1hr Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Pavilion Theatre / 13:00 / 1hr

This is an opportunity to learn about the craft and graft of screenwriting – where the inspiration springs from, how the ideas develop and process through drafts and redrafts to the final version. We are pleased to give our Festival screenwriters a voice and a platform to share more about their work with students and the general public. Not to be missed for aspiring screenwriters or film lovers interested in learning more about the behind the scenes process of scriptwriting.

In Focus — 114 / 115

You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet will be followed by a reception to officially launch the Screen Composers Guild of Ireland.

In Focus ///

Regarded as one of the best journalists of the 20th century, Ryszard Kapuściński elevated reportage to a literary art. From a career in which he covered 27 revolutions and coups, Another Day of Life, Kapuściński’s account of the collapse of Portuguese colonialism in the Angolan Civil War, is considered one of his best novels.

Another Day of Life / Ryszard Kapuściński — Info: Sat 2 Mar / Festival Hub, Chocolate Factory / 16:30 / 1hr Tickets: €12/18 (with screening)

With the hybrid animated documentary based on Another Day of Life playing in this year’s festival, we have put together a panel to consider Ryszard Kapuściński’s work and legacy. Zbyszek Zalinski is a Polish-Irish radio presenter, currently working as the producer on The Eoghan McDermott Show on RTÉ 2FM. He will chair the discussion between Ruadhán Mac Cormaic of The Irish Times and Ms. Karolina Wojciechowska, the Chair of the Kapuściński Foundation in Warsaw.

Pook has an international reputation as a highly original composer for film, TV, and concert hall, winning numerous awards and nominations including a Golden Globe, an Olivier and two British Composer Awards. She has worked with the world’s leading directors, musicians, and arts institutions – including Stanley Kubrick (Eyes Wide Shut) and Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York).

Jocelyn Pook in Conversation — Info: Sat 2nd Mar / Festival Hub, Chocolate Factory / See diff.ie for more details Tickets: €15 In partnership with Warner Bros. Creative Talent, we are delighted to present a Masterclass with one of the UK’s most versatile composers, Jocelyn Pook, on Saturday 2nd March.

The conversation will be hosted by fellow composer Stephen Rennicks (What Richard Did, Room, Rosie). Warner Bros. Creative Talent supports the next generation of creative industries talent in the UK and Ireland, giving young people of all backgrounds invaluable industry experience and insight across Warner Bros.’ UK film, TV, video games and theatre operations.

Special Events ///

This special screening will celebrate the work and storytelling of three very unique, community based projects.

Info: Fri 22 Feb / Light House Cinema / 16:30 / 1hr 5m Info: Fri 1 Mar / Light House Cinema / 11:00 / 1hr 5m Filmmaker in attendance

The First Was a Boy Shaun Dunne’s directorial debut explores the special bonds between grandparents and their grandchildren, and looks at themes of grief and ageing. Produced by Children’s Cultural Centre The Ark, and shot by Luca Truffarelli, it’s based on a series of interviews with older and younger members of the Ringsend community.

No Place Like Home In this short documentary, young Dublin 8 film students are on a quest to find out why there’s a homeless crisis in their country, and what can be done. The film includes moving testimonies from people who are homeless and captures a sense of the anger of a nation. It asks the question: how can four thousand children be in emergency accommodation when Ireland is the 14th richest country in the world?

Confinement Time and place are explored in this film which imagines the architectural, psychological and sociopolitical changes in the area between Dublin’s Henrietta Street and the DIT Campus (formerly St Brendan’s/ Grangegorman Asylum). The film features an original music score and voices invented by the artist, echoing things that she imagines could have been said.

In Focus / Special Events — 116 / 117

Dublin on Screen —

Special Events ///

The Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival is delighted to present with Belfast Film Festival a screening of Christopher Roth’s Europe Endless in the Iontas Arts Centre, Castleblayney, on the proposed day of Brexit, Friday 29th March at 18:00.

Europe Endless with Belfast Film Festival — Info: Fri 29 Mar / Iontas Arts Centre / 18:00 Tickets:€10 / Available from Iontas Arts Centre www.iontascastleblayney.ie The director and Pat McCabe will take part in a Q+A following the screening

Following Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in June 2016, Colin MacCabe visited celebrated writer Patrick McCabe in his hometown of Clones, Co. Monaghan, to discuss his novels, the impact of the referendum on the Irish border, and the Republic of Ireland’s relationship with Europe. Featuring musical performances, the famous DeLorean time machine, and a McCabe clan rally, this fascinating exploration of Irish identity and Ireland’s often troubled history captures Patrick McCabe’s unique and darkly comic perspective on this defining moment in history.

As a publicly funded festival and as part of our ongoing evaluation process, we would like to invite audiences and filmmakers to join our staff and board members for an informal conversation about the 2019 festival.

Festival Forum — Info: Fri 1 Mar / Light House Cinema Bar / 17:30 / 1hr

Give us your feedback on the festival structure, dates, programme strands and current venues. Year on year we strive to improve every aspect of the festival and we would welcome your comments and views on the specific films in this year’s selection. Please join us from 5.30pm – 6.30pm on Friday March 1st in the Lighthouse Bar.

Special Events ///

In association with access>CINEMA and with the support of the Arts Council, we are delighted to announce 6 additional screenings of The Merger, directed by Mark Grentell, in venues outside of Dublin during the festival.

The Merger On Tour —

– Mon 25th Feb / 20:00 / Pavillion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire – Tues 26th Feb / 20:00 / Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda – Wed 27th Feb / 19:30 / Solstice Arts Centre, Navan – Thurs 28th Feb / 20:00 / The Model, Sligo – Fri 1st March / 19:30 / Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford – Sat 2nd March / 20:00 / Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge

Join us for the Picture House Film Quiz, one of the social highlights of the Festival! Our quizmaster for the evening will be Derek O’Connor, editor at RTE.ie, filmmaker and pop culture enthusiast, who is sure to have teams racking their brains.

Picture House Film Quiz — Info: Thurs 28 Feb / Oscars Christchurch / 20:00

The quiz will raise money for Picture House, our Festival Outreach programme, which brings the magic of cinema to people who would otherwise be unable to take part. An integral part of the festival since 2012, previous locations include a range of care homes, day care centres and health care settings primarily focused on older audiences, and the programme expanded in 2018 to include homeless and rehabilitation services. €60 per table, please email admin@diff.ie to register your table. You could be in with the chance to win a Season Ticket for the 2020 edition of the Festival and much more...

Special Events — 118 / 119

Please go to the venue websites to book tickets.

Industry ///

The Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival is pleased to offer a variety of special events for film industry professionals based in our Festival Hub, the Chocolate Factory.

– Our round table speed dating networking session gives filmmakers the valuable opportunity to shake hands and ask questions of festival directors and film distributors.

The full list of industry events will be listed on our website, but a selection includes:

– A Case Study of Shooting the Mafia will be presented by its filmmakers, including director Kim Longinotto, who will explain the process of making their documentary.

– Composing workshop with David Shire, the prolific composer of scores for films such as The Taking of Pelham 123 and The Conversation. – Writers Masterclass with Laurence Coriat, a screenwriter on Wonderland, Me Without You, Genova, and McMafia.

A Case Study of Shooting the Mafia and the composing workshop with David Shire are presented with the kind support of Screen Skills Ireland.

— Please refer to diff.ie/industry for the full programme of industry events, with the dates and ticket information.

Industry Events — 120 / 121

Industry Events —

Fantastic Flix 13 Feb – 10 Mar How quickly they grow up – Fantastic Flix is now four years of age. Thanks to the support of our audiences, partners, funders and my colleagues, our children and young people’s strand is blossoming. This year’s programme will celebrate diversity. We want to champion children’s voices, expression and rebellion, by putting the child’s voice at the heart of the strand. Speaking of rebels, 2019 year marks the 40th Anniversary of The Muppet Movie, so it’s only appropriate that we will celebrate this most beloved classic in a one-day, cross-city love-in, spreading the joy and mischief of The Muppets. I am incredibly excited that we have special permission from the Chaplin family to screen Charlie’s first feature film The Kid with live musical accompaniment. It will only be the second time this musical adaptation has been performed by artist Maud Nelissen since Lumiere Film Festival last October. Maud developed her adaptation with the blessings of the family and advice from people who had worked directly with Chaplin on the score. It’s a unique presentation for all ages from the man whose inner child never ceases to amaze.

I am thrilled that we have a rich line-up of exciting filmmaking talent participating in discussions and workshops including writer/ director Joe Cornish (Attack the Block, AntMan) who will attend with his new film The Kid Who Would Be King, YouTube sensation and comedy actor turned director Bo Burnham for Eighth Grade, and Irish director Dearbhla Walsh (Fargo, The Handmaid’s Tale) who will discuss her experience of working on Esio Trot. We continue to expand our film skills offerings with our partners in The Ark and the IFI through the Composing for Film with Morgan Cooke, Lego Animation Workshops and the return of our Careers in Screen Day. The Ark and IFCO are supporting the return of our wonderful Children’s Jury while I am proud of two new programmes: Screen8, supported by The Digital Hub, our filmmaking programme for young people with DIFF 2018 Discovery Award and Short Film Award winning director and Artist in Residence, Mia Mullarkey. Our Young Programmers initiative is developed with the support of Into Film and Film London. They will programme, promote and host our Fantastic Flix shorts. — Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

The Muppet Movie Odeon Charlestown Screen 9 Sun 24 Feb / 14:00 / 1hr 35m

Rafiki Movies@Dundrum VIP Tues 26 Feb / 12:45 / 1hr 23m

Fantastic Flix Shorts Light House 3 Sat 23 Feb / 11:00 / 1hr 20m

The Muppet Movie Cineworld 17 Sun 24 Feb / 16:00 / 1hr 35m

Eighth Grade* Cineworld 17 Web 27 Feb / 18:15 / 1hr 33m

Fantastic Flix Shorts Odeon Charlestown 9 Sat 23 Feb / 12:00 / 1hr 20m

Rosie & Moussa* Light House 3 Mon 25 Feb / 10:00 / 1hr 30m

Mia and the White Lion Movies@Dundrum 1 Sat 23 Feb / 12:00 / 1hr 38m

Alone in Space Odeon Blanchardstown 6 Mon 25 Feb / 10:00 / 1hr 25m

The Kid* Light House 1 Sat 23 Feb / 14:00 / 1hr 8m

Los Bando* Light House 3 Mon 25 Feb / 12:15 / 1hr 34m

The Muppet Movie Movies@Dundrum 1 Sun 24 Feb / 10:00 / 1hr 35m

Departures Light House 1 Mon 25 Feb / 12:45 / 1hr 37m

The Muppet Movie Light House 1 Sun 24 Feb / 11:30 / 1hr 35m

This Crazy Heart* Movies@Dundrum VIP Tues 26 Feb / 10:00 / 1hr 44m

The Muppet Movie Odeon Point Village Screen 2 Sun 24 Feb / 14:00 / 1hr 35m

Land of Glass Light House 3 Tues 26 Feb / 10:30 / 1hr 28m

* Film will be accompanied by an introduction, Q+A or discussion.

122 / 123

The Kid Who Would Be King* Light House 1 Web 13 Feb / 11:30 / 2hr 12m

The Kid Who Would Be King

Info: Wed 13 Feb / Light House 1 / 11:30 / 2hr 12m / Ages 8+ Director: Joe Cornish Writer: Joe Cornish Cast: Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Taylor, Patrick Stewart Filmmaker in attendance

For first-time discoverers of King Arthur and his knights, this modern-day retelling from culthero Joe Cornish is bound to delight. Complete with a fantastic new interpretation of Merlin. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

The legend of King Arthur is brought to life to vibrant effect in Joe Cornish’s endearing movie. Set in contemporary times, it tells of Alex, a boy who thinks he’s ordinary and spends his days battling school bullies. His life is transformed when he stumbles upon the sword in the stone of Excalibur. Joining forces with the wizard Merlin, he’s tasked with taking on an evil enchantress – and discovers a destiny he could never have dreamed of.

Fantastic Flix Shorts

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Light House 3 / 11:00 / Ages 5+ Info: Sat 23 Feb / Odeon Charlestown / 12:00 / Ages 5+ Programmed by: Young Programmers: Caitlin Barry, Ifunanya Chukwuewuzie, Sally Howard Ihle, Croí Lenihan, Gaurav Ramsurn

Our ever-popular Fantastic Flix Shorts Programme for our youngest audiences is back... with a twist. Carefully selected from

the Festival submission shortlist, our Young Programmers will be curating, promoting and hosting a range of international shorts and showing us how they know what they like best of all. Above you will see the Young Programmers first selection, the gorgeous short film based on Gogol’s short story The Overcoat directed by Sean Mullens and Meelis Arulepp and written by Hugh O’Conor. Keep an eye on ww.diff.ie to see their final selection.

Mia and The White Lion

Info: Sat 23 Feb / Movies@Dundrum 1 / 12:00 / 1hr 38m / Ages 12+ Director: Gilles Lellouche Writers: Prune de Maistre, William Davies Cast: Daniah de Villiers, Mélanie Laurent, Langley Kirkwood, Ryan Mac Lennan

Undeterred, she takes to the road with the creature, determined to evade those who mean it harm. The two embark on an epic journey for a place where Charlie can be safe. Fantastic Flix — 124 / 125

Animal friends will have a cuteness overload. A brave heroine and a legendary white lion form a truly unique bond, in the heart of the wild of South Africa. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

French director Gilles de Maistre’s beguiling drama, set in South Africa, centres around a single-minded girl who befriends and bonds with a lion cub named Charlie, only to find him the target of big-game trophy hunters as he approaches full size.

The Muppet Movie

Info: Sun 24 Feb / Movies@Dundrum 1 / 10:00 Info: Sun 24 Feb / Light House 1 / 11:30 Info: Sun 24 Feb / Odeon Point Village 2 / 14:00 Info: Sun 24 Feb / Odeon Charlestown 9 / 14:00 Info: Sun 24 Feb / Cineworld 17 / 16:00 1hr 35min / Ages 5+ Director: James Frawley / 1979 / UK, USA Writers: Jack Burns, Jerry Juhl Cast: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson The original rebels… catch this beloved classic told by one of the most dynamic, zany, wonderful group of personalities both on screen and behind it. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, The Muppet Movie returns to the big screen to remind us of its glorious, timeless wit and sense of fun. The big-screen debut featuring many of Jim Henson’s best-loved characters centres on Kermit, who is persuaded by an agent to make a break for Hollywood. He gathers the other Muppets to pursue their dream of fame – but first there is a frog-leg loving restaurateur to escape from…

Alone in Space

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Odeon Blanchardstown 6 / 10:00 / 1hr 24m / Ages 8+ Director: Ted Kjellsson / 2018 / Sweden Writers: Ted Kjellsson, Henrik Ståhl Cast: Ella Rae Rappaport, Dante Fleischanderl, Henrik Ståhl

A great, zipping space adventure with a vital message. Aliens can make great friends and allies. Our differences are that which can bring us together. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

Two children become lost in space in this immersive adventure that doesn’t shy away from big questions and themes. Two siblings are the only ones left in an evacuation spaceship – but they must fight to survive following a crash and an encounter with aliens. Featuring impressive visual effects and design, the movie is a thrilling and thoughtprovoking movie for kids with charming nods to the films their families grew up with.

Rosie & Moussa

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Light House 3 / 10:00 / 1hr 30m / Ages 8+ Director: Dorothée Van Den Berghe / 2018 / Belgium Writer: Michael De Cock Cast: Ruth Beeckmans, Griet Boels, Imad Borji With the support of the Embassy of Belgium in Ireland Filmmaker in attendance Friendship and family ties cross backgrounds, break-ups and bars in this sweet, sparkling story set in Rosie’s unique world. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

A deep friendship evolves in this charming Belgian film based on the popular children’s books. After her dad is sent “out of town”, Rosie and her mother move to a new home in Brussels, where she finds a friend in Moussa, who lives in her apartment block. They bond on the building’s rooftop to find solace and escape from personal difficulties in this heartwarming film about friendship, family and finding your tribe.

Los Bando

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Light House 3 / 12:15 / 1hr 34m / Ages 12+ Director: Christian Lo / 2018 / Norway Writer: Arild Tryggestad Cast: Vera Vitali, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, Ine F. Jansen With the Support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Ireland Filmmaker in attendance

A road trip across the stunning Norwegian countryside follows the hopes of the two best friends, determined to compete in the National Championship of Rock – which they are convinced will give them the big break they have been dreaming of. First, however, they have to embark on a race against time, the law and their reluctant parents to make it to the gig on time. Fantastic Flix — 126 / 127

A little reminder that we all have something going on in our individual worlds… and that it can always be expressed through the power of rock! – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

A young rock band dares to dream in this charming and eccentric comedy.

Departures

Info: Mon 25 Feb / Light House 1 / 12:45 / 1hr 37m / Ages 12+ Director: Peter Hutchings / 2018 / USA Writer: Fergal Rock Cast: Nina Dobrev, Maisie Williams, Asa Butterfield, Peyton List

Williams and Butterfield shine as a dynamic duo in this heartfelt story about youth as it should be: lived to its fullest. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

Skye is a feisty, determined teenager with a terminal illness who forms a friendship with Calvin, a 19-year-old hypochondriac. Skye has created a quirky bucket list of things she wants to do with her remaining time and needs a sidekick. In helping her, Calvin must confront his own fears – including a fear of falling in love. How you live is what’s important in this charming movie penned by Irish filmmaker Fergal Rock.

This Crazy Heart

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Movies@Dundrum VIP / 10:00 / 1hr 44m / Ages 15+ Director: Marc Rothemund / 2017 / Germany Writers: Maggie Peren (screenplay), Andi Rogenhagen (screenplay) Cast: Elyas M’Barek, Philip Schwarz, Nadine Wrietz Presented in co-operation with the GoetheInstitut Irland Filmmaker in attendance An incredible true story that will warm your heart, make you laugh out loud and have you believe in the redemptive power of friendship. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

Based on the bestseller penned by Lars Amend and Daniel Meyer, who suffers from heart disease, This Crazy Heart was a huge box-office hit in its native Germany. It tells of a spoilt thirtysomething tasked with taking care of a teenager who has been diagnosed with a heart condition. Inspired by his young charge, he becomes determined to ensure all his dreams come true – even if that means bending a few rules.

Land of Glass

Info: Tues 26 Feb / Light House 3 / 10:30 / 1hr 38m / Ages 8+ Director: Jeppe Vig Find, Marie Dalsgaard Rønn Writers: Jeppe Vig Find, Marie Dalsgaard Rønn Cast: Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Flora Ofelia Hofman Lindahl, Arien Takiar With the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Embassy of Denmark in Dublin Mother nature can often teach us a thing or two about perspective. A beautifully shot Danish fantasy drama that delicately unearths themes of loss and friendship through magic. – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

Teenager Jas discovers that a girl and an elderly woman are hiding in a barn near his home. They seem otherworldly, look different to anyone he has ever met and say that they came from the forest. When he discovers they are not human, but elves hiding from malevolent forces, he embarks on a risky journey to save them in this endearing blend of fantasy and drama, geared towards family audiences.

Eighth Grade

Fantastic Flix — 128 / 129

Fantastic Flix Gala —

Info: Wed 27 Feb / Cineworld 17 / 18:15 / 1 hr 33m / Ages 15+ Director: Bo Burnham / 2018 / USA Writer: Bo Burnham Cast: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson Filmmaker in attendance

Bo Burnham’s critically acclaimed comedy drama is a thoughtful and provocative account of how we live now.

As well as its protagonists, this unconventional comedy puts audiences through the emotional wringer.

Thirteen-year-old Kayla is navigating a difficult and hormonally charged time in her life as she prepares for the giant leap into teenage years and high school. Social media and modern technology are front and centre in this contemporary account of suburban adolescence, which breathes new life and real truths into the coming-of-age story.

Eighth Grade was nominated by the Directors Guild of America in the first-time feature film category for its director, Bo Burnham, who also wrote the screenplay. Universally loved by critics, it’s been getting rave reviews for its young star, Elsie Fisher, in what is destined to be a break-out performance.

Bo Burnham’s directorial debut is a shining beacon of the great positivity and resilience of this young generation. So don’t tell them who they are. And remember… Gucci! – Sarah Ahern, Fantastic Flix Programmer

Fantastic Flix Events & Workshops ///

2019 Children’s Jury: Sophie O’Neill Miley, Jagger Blount, Freya Simpson, Kaelan Musi, Madison Tucker, Evie Kenny, Fionnán Ó Baoighill, Amalia Godley, Laoise Connolly Heery, Conn Butler, Luka Delaney, Gabi Duane

Fantastic Flix Children’s Jury —

A jury of 10-12 year olds will have the opportunity to watch, evaluate, and review Fantastic Flix titles from around the world. They’ll confer and then award one film Best Fantastic Flix Film of 2019. Along the way, their opinions will be featured on Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival channels and they will get exclusive access to Festival events. This is a great opportunity for movie mad children to see some great films, share their opinions, and discover the craft of critiquing film.

Screen 8 is a free after-school programme run by The Digital Hub and Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival which is designed to give young people an opportunity to unleash their creativity and develop filmmaking skills and talents.

Screen 8 —

In its pilot year, the programme is run by the Virgin Media DIFF 2018 Discovery Award and Short Film Award winning director and Artist in Residence, Mia Mullarkey.

Screen8 is sponsored by The Digital Hub. —

Fantastic Flix Events & Workshops ///

Careers in Screen —

Careers in Screen Day is presented by Irish Film Institute and Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival with the kind support of Screen Skills Ireland and BAI.

Music in Film Workshop with Morgan Cooke —

Info: Sat 16 Feb / The Ark / 11:00 & 14:00 / 75min / Ages 5–7 Tickets: €11.50/€8.50 (20% off for members)

—

Join musician and performer Morgan Cooke as he guides you through this fun class for young musicians. Together, you will explore and create a soundtrack to short film Micilín Muc. At the end of the workshop, there will be a live performance of the soundtrack for friends & family. Morgan is an actor, musician and teacher. Head of Singing at the Lir Academy, ensemble member of Moonfish Theatre (Star of the Sea, Pinocchio A Nightmare), and composer and performer with Outlandish Theatre (Youtopia, ExhibitUs, Come Into The Gardens).

Presented in partnership with The Ark with short film Micilín Muc from the IFI Irish Film Archive. —

Fantastic Flix Events & Workshops — 130 / 131

Info: Thurs 28 Feb / IFI / 10:00 / Ages 15+ Tickets: €5.50

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the Festival and the IFI will once again offer an inspiring and innovative day of events for young people interested in a career in the film & TV industry. Aimed at Senior Cycle students aged 15-17, the event will feature special guests drawn from diverse film and TV disciplines. Last year’s guests included actor Moe Dunford, costume designer Joan Bergin, cinematographer Richard Hendricks, director-editor Emer Reynolds, casting agent Louise Kiely, and Brown Bag Films animator Darragh O’Connell. A number of third-level institutions will also be on hand to offer guidance on the day.

Fantastic Flix Events & Workshops ///

Make your own LEGO® movie in this practical workshop with Brick Flicks. Part of Fantastic Flix at The Ark. All you need to bring is your favourite LEGO® character to cast as the star of your film.

Lego® Animation Workshops —

With plenty of hands-on learning and simple demonstrations, you will work in small groups to create a set, storyboard and plan for your movie, which you will then film, edit, and record using iPads.

Presented in partnership with The Ark. —

Info: Tue 19 – Fri 22 Feb / The Ark / 10:30 & 12:30 / 2.5 hours / Ages 8-12 Tickets: €16/€14 (20% off for Members)

Join IFTA and Emmy award winning Director Dearbhla Walsh for a workshop for children with a keen interest in film and life behind the screen. This fun but intensive workshop will give budding filmmakers an exciting insight into the world behind the lens and the many layers of craft which the director guides.

Directing for the Screen with Dearbhla Walsh — Info: Sun 10 Mar / The Ark / 11:00 / 2 hours / Ages 8-12 Tickets: €16/€14 (20% off for Members)

Dearbhla has worked extensively in television, including children’s programming – she directed an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot. Grown-ups will have seen her work in shows such as Fargo, Penny Dreadful and Eastenders.

Presented in partnership with The Ark. —

Fantastic Flix Events & Workshops ///

To celebrate the attendance of writer/ director Joe Cornish for his new film The Kid Who Would Be King, the Festival is hosting a special workshop aimed at young people who are interested in learning more about filmmaking.

Directing & Screenwriting Workshop with Joe Cornish —

The Fantastic Flix Young Film Programmers opportunity offers 15-19 year-olds the chance to understand all aspects of film programming, marketing, exhibition and distribution, giving the Young Programmers the opportunity to curate, host and influence the Fantastic Flix strand.

Young Programmers — Young Programmers: Caitlin Barry, Ifunanya Chukwuewuzie, Sally Howard Ihle, Croí Lenihan, Gaurav Ramsurn

The Young Programmers will also have an opportunity to learn from industry professionals, help to write programme notes and host events during the 2019 Festival. Young Programmers was developed with the support of INTO Film and Film London and funded by the Arts Council.

Fantastic Flix Events & Workshops — 132 / 133

Info: Wed 13 Feb / Light House 3 / 16:30 / 1hr / Ages 15–25 Tickets: Free but ticketed

Aimed specifically at those with an interest in a career in film, Joe will discuss his amazing writing and directing career starting from The Adam and Joe Show to his cult hit Attack the Block starring John Boyega, to his writing credits on big Hollywood films such as The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and Ant-Man.

We’re always here to lend a hand Proud ticketing partners of the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival

www.ticketsolve.com

Scribble Page ///

Use these pages to write about your favourite films or draw a picture of your favourite character!

Festival Map ///

Dublin City Centre

TEMPLE BAR

DAME st

DUBLIN CASTLE

Venue List — 1. Light House Cinema Smithfield 2. Cineworld Parnell Street 3. Irish Film Institute Eustace Street 4. Movies@Dundrum Dundrum Town Centre 5. Omniplex Rathmines Lower Rathmines Road

16 3

Y st

F TO

FIELD SMITH

RY st

WOOD QUAY

ELL

CHRIST CHURCH

ABBE

HEN

L CAPE

NN O’CO

R PA

G RA

Dublin EAST WALL

INE R st

OT st TALB

CITY CENTRE

IFSC

9 4 DUNDRUM

TRINITY COLLEGE

PEA

6. Odeon Point Village 7. Odeon Charlestown 8. Odeon Blanchardstown 9. Festival Hub – Chocolate Factory King’s Inns Street

RSE

15 Dún Laoghaire

10. Festival Club – The Black Sheep Capel Street 11. Powerscourt Centre South William Street 12. City Hall Dame Street 13. National Concert Hall Earlsfort Terrace

14. Digital Hub Thomas Street 15. Pavilion Theatre Dún Laoghaire 16. The Ark Eustace Street 17. Pearse Street Library Pearse Street 18. Central Library Ilac Centre, Henry Street

#VMDIFF19 — 136 / 137

RATHMINES

Board & Festival Team /// Board Of Directors — Anne-Marie Curran Hugh Linehan Ronan Murphy Mark O’Halloran Suzanne Noble Paula Woods Ruth Hunter Aidan Greene – Chairperson Festival Team — Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys Managing Director Sarah Sharkey Interim Managing Director Cathy Orr Events Manager & Fantastic Flix Programmer Sarah Ahern Print Transport Manager & Shorts Programmer Si Edwards Shorts Programmer Liam Ryan Production Manager Orla Basquille Production Assistant Orla Butler Audience Development & Projects Manager Adam Wright Accounts Officer Kay Fitzsimons Box Office Manager Naoimh Ní Mhaolagáin Assistant Box Office Manager Sharon White Assistant to Programming Penny McGovern Marketing Manager Kate Cunningham Marketing Executive Carla Rogers Hospitality Manager Paul Donnelly Hospitality Co-ordinator Nils Finken Volunteers Co-ordinator John McHale Assistant Volunteers Co-ordinator Síomha McQuinn Tour Co-ordinator Andrew Hanley Festival Graphic Designer Sarah Moloney Festival Photographer Simon Lazewski Festival Interviewer Éadaoin McCarrick Festival Videographers Dennis Chehade Matthew Ryan Julius Kloepping Hector H Romero Festival Agency Core Media Festival Agency Conway Communications

Volunteers ///

The Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Volunteers Programme is an exciting way to become an integral part of Ireland’s premier cinematic event this coming February. It’s a great chance to meet like-minded people and make contacts in the world of arts, festivals and filmmaking. Every year, the diverse range of characters we recruit both amazes and excites me. From all ages and nationalities, the volunteers generously contribute to staffing the various departments and venues for the run of the festival. Wherever needed, they are there with an enthusiasm, warmth and dedication that make me proud to know them. From everyone here on the festival team, thank you to all the wonderful people who volunteer their time, and help make the festival what it is. Your smiles and personalities are what the audience remember and take with them, long after the festival has ended. John McHale Volunteers Co-ordinator

Index ///

3 Faces — Alone in Space Alpha, The Right to Kill An Elephant Sitting Still Angelo Another Day of Life Ash is Purest White —

126 102 72 74 94 82

Intruder in the Dust —

Jesus Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life José —

Keep Going —

Ballon Beats Belmonte Blind Spot Bulbul Can Sing —

39 99 88 37 82

Clean Up —

Dark Lies the Island Dear Son Departures Dirty God Donbass Dub Daze Dublin on Screen Duelles (Mothers’ Instinct) —

79 38 127 105 38 36 117 44

Eighth Grade Everybody Knows —

129 48

Family First Fantastic Flix Shorts Fighting with My Family Floating Structures Fragment of an Empire Fugue —

29 124 75 55 103 92

Gaza Greta —

95 97

Happy as Lazzaro Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story Her Smell Hotel Mumbai —

44 89 26 30

91 95

Land of Glass Land Without God Leto Loro Los Bando —

128 85 30 54 127

Maiden Maria by Callas Mia and the White Lion Mid90s My Foolish Heart —

54 37 125 26 64

Of Fathers and Sons Out of Blue —

90 65

Papi Chulo Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Permission Picnic at Hanging Rock Pororoca Prisoners of the Moon —

21 88 35 28 57 96

Rafiki Ray & Liz Rosie & Moussa Ruben Brandt, Collector —

24 83 126 99

Scarborough Scotch: The Golden Dram Shadow She’s Missing Shooting the Mafia Short Films #1 Short Films #2 Short Films #3

84 97 35 92 98 40 50 58

Short Films #4 Short Films #5 Summer Survivors Surprise Film —

68 77 74 47

Tell It to The Bees 90 The Aftermath 57 The Comet 98 The Crossing 105 The Dive 36 The Kid 34 The Kid Who Would Be King 124 The Hummingbird Project 49 The Little Comrade 64 The Man Who Feels No Pain 94 The Merger 104 & 119 The Muppet Movie 125 The Public 89 The Sisters Brothers 67 The Third Wife 28 The White Crow 91 The Wind 96 This Crazy Heart 128 To the Ends of the World 45 Transit 49 Treat Me Like Fire 55 Tyrel 102 — Up the Mountain —

Vox Lux —

Werewolf What Time Is Death? Whatever Happened to My Revolution When Hitchcock Met O’Casey Wild Rose Woman at War —

39 63

Your Mother Should Know Yuli —

29 24 107 48

65 45

WISHING VIRGIN MEDIA DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL EVERY SUCCESS IN 2019

C H O O S E W I S E LY .