What to watch and who to spot on the red carpet at Dublin International Film Festival…
For cinephiles, Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) offers ten days of star-studded Irish and international premieres, exclusive screenings and events, fascinating documentaries, thought-provoking shorts and industry masterclasses all celebrating the art of filmmaking.
Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director, says: “It’s a very special line-up of films this year, from the wonderful season of African films to the incredibly diverse and exciting range of new work from Irish filmmakers. We are honoured to open with the world premiere of TWIG, starring rising star Sade Malone and close the festival with John McGahern’s masterpiece That They Might Face The Rising Sun, starring Barry Ward.”
If you haven’t yet read John McGahern’s novel capturing a year in the life of a rural, lakeside community in Ireland in the 1970s, there’s still time before the screening on March 2.
Expect to see quite a few stars gracing the Festival’s red carpet and in venues around the capital. VIP guests include Maxine Peake, Steve McQueen, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Brenda Fricker. On Saturday, February 24, actors Jared Harris and Juliet Stevenson will attend the screening of their thriller Reawakening, and afterwards its writer/director Virginia Gilbert will discuss the film.
The big fashion film at the Festival is High & Low: John Galliano, by Kevin Macdonald on Sunday, February 25 at the Lighthouse Cinema. As creative director of Givenchy and Dior in the 1990s, John Galliano loomed large over the fashion industry until his fall from grace in 2011 when a video of him using anti-Semitic slurs emerged. This documentary records the career of the controversial designer, his rise, fall and redemption.
Another glossy documentary is Cannes Uncut which revels in the parties and personalities of the French international film festival – how it has developed and what it might become. It takes place on Tuesday, February 27.
This year DIFF launches the inaugural Tanqueray 0.0 Film Club – with a series of interviews with some of the industry’s most celebrated talents. Director Steve McQueen and actor Hugo Weaving will take part as will actor and producer Trudie Styler (aka Mrs Sting), whose film Posso Entrare? An Ode to Naples will be screened at the Festival.
Trudie will be in conversation with Rachel Carey at The Complex (the main hub of the Festival) on Friday, February 22 at 6.30pm. You may not know, Trudie was integral to discovering Guy Ritchie and executive produced his first two films – Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000). She also founded the production company Maven Screen Media which has produced the hit films Filth (2013) and American Honey (2016).
French actor Isabelle Huppert, who was interviewed by THE GLOSS Books editor Edel Coffey in our February issue, will also be honoured at the Festival. One of France’s most accomplished actors, Huppert will receive with the VOLTA career achievement award from DIFF, and her new film Sidonie in Japan, directed by Elise Girard, will premiere on Wednesday, February 28, with the director in attendance.
The plot revolves around Sidonie (Huppert) who is on a book tour in Japan and falls in love with her publisher Kenzo Mizoguchi. Sidonie can see the ghost of her dead husband and the film explores of the process of grieving and healing.
For French film lovers, other films to see include Nathan Ambrosioni’s family drama Toni, attended by the director; as well as advance screenings of The Beast, Suddenly, and Orlando, My Political Biography.
DIFF will also showcase Canadian cinema and in particular will celebrate director Guy Maddin, known for his distinctive storytelling style and experimental approach to film-making. My Winnipeg, Archangel, Brand Upon The Brain and The Green Fog are some of his films being screened in a retrospective. Other Canadian gems include debut filmmaker, Ariane Louis-Seize’s comedy horror Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as well as Pascal Plante’s thriller Red Rooms.
Often some of the most thought-provoking films in the Festival are by Irish directors and the programme of documentaries tackles subjects from bird watchers to cheerleaders. Audiences can watch Tanya Doyle’s tale of cheerleading Eat / Sleep / Cheer / Repeat; Conor Walsh: Selected Piano Works is about the acclaimed musician; Tadhg O’Sullivan’s portrait of Oscar winner Brenda Fricker and her love for her dog in The Swallow; Ciarán Ó Maonaigh’s ode to the traditional music in Brendan Gleeson’s Farewell to Hughes’s. There’s also Susan’s Thomason’s conceptual documentary and adaptation of her memoir exploring grief The Swimming Diaries, Kathleen Harris’ Birdsong following ornithologist Seán Ronayne and Ross Killeen’s unconventional Don’t Forget to Remember which explores the experience of living with Alzheimer’s.
As for what to wear, cinephiles may be interested in a new capsule collection celebrating the Golden Age of Italian cinema which has just launched on Zalando. Created by Aspesi the 16-piece collection features prints of iconic scenes from Italian films on T-shirts, bomber jackets, shirts and totes.
Need to know: DIFF opens on February 22 and runs until March 7. Single tickets cost from €14 (after 5pm) with student and senior prices available, as are bundles and special passes (eg a six film bundle costs €55). For more information on the events mentioned and the full programme visit; www.diff.ie.
