The newly christened Audi Dublin International Film Festival launched its programme this afternoon, displaying the kind of diverse and exciting programming that fans of the festival have come to know and love.
As always, the Surprise Film at the festival is one of the most hotly contested tickets, but Irish movie fans have a wealth of great cinema to look forward to during the festival, which runs from February 18-28th in Dublin.
Among the films being shown at the festival are John Carney’s latest, ‘Sing Street‘, which picked up rave reviews at Sundance earlier this week, Cannes darlings ‘Son of Saul’ and ‘Green Room’, as well as the stunning German film ‘Victoria’, shot all in one take, and the atmospheric French mystery ‘Évolution’. The festival’s retrospective element means the classic animation ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘The Hours’ and ‘Michael Collins’ – in its 20th anniversary year – are all screening alongside some of the most new and exciting world cinema.
As if all this were not enough, the Audi Dublin International Film Festival will also play host to some of cinemas brightest talents, including Angela Landsbury, Richard Gere, Rebecca Miller, Claudia Cardinale, Neil Jordan, Ben Wheatley, Jack Reynor, John Carney, Killian Scott and screenwriter Sir David Hare.
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Book ended by highly anticipated Irish films, the Festival will open on Thursday 18th February with the European premiere of Sing Street, attended by director John Carney and cast members Jack Reynor, Ferdia Walsh Peelo and Lucy Boynton, and closes with director Paddy Breathnach’s stunning Viva.
Humanitarian and screen icon Richard Gere will attend the Arnotts Gala screening of Time Out of Mind, joining a host of stellar guests including legendary acting talents Claudia Cardinale and Dame Angela Lansbury, alongside acclaimed directors Rebecca Miller with her comedy Maggie’s Plan, Ben Wheatley with his JG Ballard adaptation High Rise, Joachim Trier with Louder than Bombs and Neil Jordan for the 20th anniversary celebration of Michael Collins.
Speaking at the Programme Launch, Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys said:
“This year’s Festival is a Valentine to Cinema, celebrating world and Irish film, and championing the work of both established and emerging talent. With a guest list that includes Richard Gere, Angela Lansbury, Claudia Cardinale, David Hare, Ben Wheatley, Serge Bromberg, Joachim Trier, Margarethe Von Trotta, Rebecca Miller and many, many more. It’s a programme to savour and I hope that our audiences find much to enjoy and love.”
The Festival is delighted to announce a brand new Fantastic Flicks season of family films, featuring classics such as Beauty and the Beast, exciting studio animations Kung Fu Panda 3 and Zootropolis; the hilarious live action Antboy films from Denmark; Norwegian drama Brothers and Simon Fitzmaurice’s life-affirming My Name is Emily.
ADIFF will showcase a stunning array of international award winning cinema, including Golden Globe winner Mustang, Cannes Grand Prix winner Son of Saul, London Film Festival Best Film winner Desierto, Berlin International Film Festival Best Feature winner Nasty Baby and Miguel Gomes’ multi award winning Arabian Nights trilogy. In addition audiences are in for a treat with a raft of Irish premieres of hugely anticipated films like the Coen brothers’ Hail Caesar!, Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa, Toronto International Film Festival opener Demolition, Jaco Van Dormael’s hilarious Brand New Testament and the soon to be cult crime/horror Green Room.
The strength of indigenous film is evident throughout the programme: Irish premieres of Rebecca Daly’s Mammal, Declan Recks’ The Truth Commissioner and debut features Staid and Traders starring Killian Scott. Thought provoking Irish documentaries will investigate people and place – Johnny Gogan’s Hubert Butler: Witness to the Future; Atlantic from the makers of The Pipe; an exploration of Irish poetry Fís na Fuiseoige; the story of Irish missionary ‘deserters’ The Judas Iscariot Lunch and Reel Art documentaries Further Beyond and We Are Moving – Memories of Miss Moriarty.
The Festival continues to champion Irish filmmakers with the Discovery Award, which seeks to encourage new and emerging talent by selecting 15 filmmakers from actors to directors, producers and writers to profile and support.
The marriage of film and music runs throughout the Festival, from Miles Ahead, the documentary celebrating the legendary Miles Davis to Agnieszka Smoczynska’s genre defying ‘musical horror’ The Lure. There are also a number of special events which put music for film centre stage: Oscar winning composer Jan A. P. Kaczmarek presents a seminar on Composing for Film while film preservationist Serge Bromberg returns to the Festival with a new live music score to accompany a screening of the works of Buster Keaton.
One of the Festival strengths is discovering exciting new films from around the world and bringing the filmmakers to Dublin to discuss their work. This year there are gems from Romania with guests director Tudor Giurgiu in Dublin with his legal thriller Why Me and Lucile Hadžihalilovic with her beautiful Évolution; Margarethe Von Trotta’s meditation on sisterhood The Misplaced World, Cannes un Certain Regard winner Disorder and Michal Rogalski to discuss his coming-of-age drama Summer Solstice.
Special events throughout the Festival include industry masterclasses, seminars on wide ranging topics from scriptwriting to adapting texts, capturing history on film to festival programming.
The Festival literally goes global this year with an innovative and very special outreach programme, Dublin Here, Dublin There, that will see the Festival short film programme screened in towns and villages in the US that share the name Dublin!
Audi Dublin International Film Festival will celebrate Stills photography with a fascinating exhibition by Festival photographer Pat Redmond in the beautiful setting of the Irish Georgian Society. Pat Redmond, 25 Years is a captivating gallery of the many world-class filmmakers who have attended the Festival. There will also be a #SetLife exhibition in The Light House Cinema, illuminating images of the inner workings and special moments that happen behind the camera.
Richard Molloy, Head of Marketing at Audi Ireland, said:
“It’s fantastic to launch the Audi Dublin International Film Festival programme. The depth, variety and diverse nature of the 2016 programme demonstrate why this festival is one of the most important cultural events in Ireland. The programme encourages visitors to experience the best in filmmaking.
We’re really excited to bring ADIFF, and the Audi brand, to a wider audience and engage with some of the world’s most talented actors and filmmakers. Both Audi and the Dublin International Film Festival share a drive for creativity and innovation, as well as an enduring passion for the art and craft of filmmaking.”
The Audi Dublin International Film Festival runs from February 18-28th