This selection of live-action shorts features the common theme of love, and the struggle to find or hold on to your other half, while trying not to lose yourself in the process.

This programme touches on the topic of domestic abuse. 12+

Our second programme of live-action shorts explores the blurry lines between fact and fiction, and what happens when we open our eyes to face reality. Featuring student work and work from established directors.

This programme touches on the topic of domestic violence. 16+

Sunset Boulevard is cinema at its most absorbing, telling a harrowing and gripping story with deep meaning and life insight with the sort of skill reserved for the finest of motion pictures. It’s a story of the perils of illusion, the denial of the linearity of life, and the dangers of a stubborn refusal to accept the natural process. On the flip side, there’s almost something admirable in the character’s refusal to sink into obscurity, in her inability to give up on a dream. What Sunset Boulevard does so well is to show the negative side of dreaming, replacing hard work and determination with fantasy; the dangers of plotting a course and sticking to it come hell or high water, refusing to make corrections on the way towards the goal. It’s a dark and dangerous film, extraordinarily performed and expertly crafted at every level. Presented to coincide with the Irish Premiere of Boulevard!
A Hollywood Story

From an Afghan aubergine curry barbequed in an Athenry glasshouse, to a Guinean goat curry made on a wet and windy farm in West Clare, four chefs from a refugee background cook food from home with Irish producers. Working with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Jess Murphy, owner and Head Chef of Kai restaurant, Galway, these four short documentaries follow our cooks as they meet Irish producers and chefs all over the country to showcase their home cuisine from Afghanistan, Palestine, Guinea and Yemen. Jess Murphy is a UNHCR high-profile supporter and has been supporting the organization since 2017. More than 100 million people have been forced to flee war, conflicts and persecution around the world. UNHCR is a global organization working to save lives, protect rights and build a better future for refugees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. 20% of the proceeds from this screening will be donated to UNHCR. Money raised at this event will help give refugees what we want for ourselves and our loved ones: shelter, access to clean water, healthcare, education and jobs. Every person has the right to seek safety, whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee.

Riccardo, an Italian medical student in his last year of study, is going on Erasmus. The destination: Gaza, a war zone. He needs permission from three different authorities: the Israeli army, the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas. By crossing the border between Israel and the Strip, Riccardo also crosses the boundary between adolescence and adulthood.

The first selection of shorts in our world series presents eight films. This programme hosts a mix of live-action, documentaries and animated Irish Premieres, featuring work from an array of countries including, India, Ukraine and the United States. 12+

Saoirse? (1961) 90 min On the centenary of events portrayed, we present George Morrison’s powerful sequel to Mise Éire (1959). Saoirse? begins where Mise Éire ends to chronicle the period from January 1919 when the First Dáil convened through to the outbreak of the Irish Civil War in 1922. A much darker film than its triumphalist predecessor, the brutality of the War of Independence is depicted, the signing of The Treaty and the ensuing national disunity which culminated in a bitter civil war. Drawing on available photographic, newspaper and contemporaneous newsreel and actuality film, and incorporating Seán Ó Riada magnificent score and Seán MacRéamoin’s poetic Irish script, director George Morrison (now in his 100th year) salvaged fragile nitrate film material (which might otherwise have perished) to create a dynamic moving image portrait of preIndependence Ireland. The film was produced by Gael Linn with a voiceover in Irish. Wonderful Western Islanders (1924) 3.5 min This short documentary depicts the lives of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway in 1924, and is perhaps the earliest surviving film of the islands. Connemara’s Appeal (1925) 3.5 min This newsreel shows the hardship endured by the people of Connemara following the economic recession that came in the wake of the War of Independence, the Irish Civil War.

Suddenly, a woman needs to write about her youth. In a curt way, and far from moral, Ardenza is a testimony of sexual liberation and political commitment during the 90s in Italy. A young woman moves, bangs, suffers, and comes. Her story is made of meetings, and short and heady moments. This film is full of sensual energy coming from a moment of her life that still resists and quivers. With a wild and free voice, she tells of her glowing path through desire, and bodies. In the background, Italians are about to give power to Forza Italia, with battles between the left and extreme right-wings becoming more and more violent.

This film documents the life of one of the oldest and largest European markets – Pryvoz Market – in the beautiful Ukrainian city of Odessa. Passion on both sides of the counter, loaders’ dreams, the hidden fantasies of fish sellers… Security guards and the flea market manager share their thoughts about the universe and the meaning of life, about the past, the present, the future, and gypsy predictions. There are all kinds of townsfolk at the market. They are exposed and revealed. Everybody comes here, and everyone finds something. Those who search for miracles or metamorphosis – in destiny, human soul, or time – will not leave Pryvoz with empty hands.

Vera is a middle-aged sign language interpreter, who leads a well-structured life – a wife to a renowned judge, a supportive mother, and a caring grandmother. Her serenity is disrupted by her husband's unexpected suicide followed by an unwelcome, menacing parade of relatives who claim to have ownership over their family house. When the tendrils of an underworld scheme begin to surface, Vera’s world will face danger and seem ready to collapse.

Steeped in an ominous atmosphere, Vera Dreams of the Sea is an intimate yet universal portrait of a woman who must face the raw reality of going against the deep-seated gender issues that prevail in our times.

It’s been two years since Róise lost her husband Frank. Isolated by grief, she has cut herself off from family and the village community. The arrival of a mysterious dog, who seems intent on connecting with her, heralds a huge change, but is it for the better? The dog loves hurling and steaks, has a favourite armchair in Rósie’s house, and an aversion to her neighbour, Donncha. After some time, Róise comes to the conclusion that this dog is the reincarnation of her beloved late-husband, Frank.

While her son worries that his mother has lost her mind, the local community seem to embrace the idea of Frank’s return, especially as he coaches a shy local boy to become a star player, ensuring success for the school team. Róise is happy once more, but is there a real future for her with a dog-husband?

2022 Marks the 10th anniversary of the Syrian Refugee Crisis. With over 13 million people displaced, it remains the largest human forced migration crisis of our times, but sadly not the last. Shot over an unparalleled 10 years, Syrian-Lebanese director Noura Kevorkian’s intimate camera follows the plight of Maria and her family of Syrian migrant workers who find themselves unable to return to their hometown of Raqqa Syria.

Unique among the numerous refugee stories to date, Batata captures an entire decade while documenting not only the age-old conflict between two nations, but also the unbending spirit of a woman who puts family above all else.

Set against the backdrop of 1990's Derry, the hit series follows teenagers, Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), their friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O'Donnell), and “the wee English fella”, James (Dylan Llewellyn) as they navigate their teenage years and embark on exciting adventures amid a time of political unrest and national conflict. Whilst it’s sad for fans, the acclaimed sitcom wrapped up its third and final season in true Derry Girls fashion by both tugging on our heartstrings and bringing laughs.
The Derry Girls finale returns one year after the penultimate episode, in 1998, as the gang are in their final year at school. It is Erin and Orla’s joint 18th birthday party and the Good Friday Agreement referendum is stealing their thunder. In all of its poignancy and comedy, the Derry Girls special is the ultimate love letter to 90's pop culture, and to growing up and Northern Ireland.

Join us for a screening of the Derry Girls finale followed by a Q+A with the show’s creator, Lisa McGee.

Loving Highsmith is a unique look at the life of celebrated American author Patricia Highsmith, based on her diaries and notebooks and the intimate reflections of her lovers, friends and family. Focusing on Highsmith’s quest for love and her troubled identity, the film sheds new light on her life and writing.

Most of Highsmith’s novels were adapted for the big screen: most well-known are Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Carol, a partly autobiographic novel, was the first lesbian story with a happy ending. Highsmith herself led a double-life and had to hide her vibrant love affairs from family and the public. Only in her unpublished writings does she reflect on this ever-present subject for her.

The fall of 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of Fiddler on the Roof, the film Pauline Kael (The New Yorker) called "the most powerful movie musical ever made”. Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen captures the humour and drama of director Norman Jewison's quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and re-envision the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic. The film explores how the experience of making Fiddler deepens Jewison as an artist and revives his soul.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim puts us in the director's chair and in Jewison's heart and mind, drawing on behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen stills as well as original interviews with Jewison, Topol (Tevye), composer John Williams, production designer Robert F. Boyle, film critic Kenneth Turan, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and actors Rosalind Harris, Michele Marsh, and Neva Small (Tevye’s daughters).

The film charts Sinéad OʼConnorʼs phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and examines how she used her voice at the height of her stardom. Focusing on Sinéad’s prophetic words and deeds across a five-year period (1987-1992), Nothing Compares presents an authored, cinematic portrait of a musical icon through a contemporary feminist lens.

The archive-led documentary, directed by Belfast-born Kathryn Ferguson, features era-defining music videos and concert performances alongside previously unseen footage from this period. The film is underpinned by a new interview with Sinéad herself, in which she reflects on events in her own words, and from a present-day perspective.

Intimate first-hand contributor interviews add to the tapestry of the narrative. Additional insights from contemporary artists, musicians and social commentators introduce broader themes of Irish history, politics and global activism, all the while reflecting on the artistry, impact and legacy of this fearless trailblazer.

Produced by Tara Films and Ard Mhacha Productions, in association with Field of Vision, Screen Ireland, BFI Doc Society Fund, ie:entertainment and Northern Ireland Screen.

The film charts Sinéad OʼConnorʼs phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and examines how she used her voice at the height of her stardom. Focusing on Sinéad’s prophetic words and deeds across a five-year period (1987-1992), Nothing Compares presents an authored, cinematic portrait of a musical icon through a contemporary feminist lens.

The archive-led documentary, directed by Belfast-born Kathryn Ferguson, features era-defining music videos and concert performances alongside previously unseen footage from this period. The film is underpinned by a new interview with Sinéad herself, in which she reflects on events in her own words, and from a present-day perspective.

Intimate first-hand contributor interviews add to the tapestry of the narrative. Additional insights from contemporary artists, musicians and social commentators introduce broader themes of Irish history, politics and global activism, all the while reflecting on the artistry, impact and legacy of this fearless trailblazer.

Produced by Tara Films and Ard Mhacha Productions, in association with Field of Vision, Screen Ireland, BFI Doc Society Fund, ie:entertainment and Northern Ireland Screen.

After her sister goes missing, Sarita, a working-class girl from Guatemala City, travels to the seaside town of Puerto Barrios to infiltrate a group of young gang members. As she risks her life to join the gang, Sarita becomes involved with her sister’s dangerous ex-boyfriend and gets closer to learning what happened to her sister.

Amber Gray, a descendant of the last witch of England, heads to university for her first year of study. She unknowingly carries with her the power of her ancestors. As her magical abilities slowly emerge she catches the attention of the school’s elite group, the York Witches’ Society. During the initiation, Amber and her new friends unwittingly awaken an ancient evil that is hellbent on destroying the Gray bloodline. The mysterious villain begins its witch-hunt and the young women soon realize they may not make it through another night.