This selection of live-action shorts explores themes of avoidance and escapism, but ultimately the feeling of satisfaction when you stop running and face the truth.

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

This selection of seven shorts ranges from modern drama to horror, and comedy to films celebrating the cinematic convergence of individual art forms. This programme features student film and work from more established filmmakers.

This programme touches on the topic of suicide. 12+

The Dingle Peninsula is a rural area in County Kerry, situated on the edge of the harsh Atlantic Ocean, with a strong Irish language culture. An island within an island. Despite this, the town boasts a foreign population of nearly 30% – the locals refer to these individuals as "blow-ins". What brought these people here? And what caused them to stay?

With a wide variety of characters, we gain insight into the unique magic of the area and what it means to live there. We witness the highs and lows of integrating with a rural Irish community, and ask the question of what it takes to truly be considered a "local".

Soviet Ukraine, 1927. By order of Stalin, the “Slovo” cooperative house was built in Kharkiv. The most outstanding Ukrainian writers live there in comfortable apartments. All of them became participants in an experiment aimed at deriving a new type of Soviet writer and having total control over the creative process in order to create a single artistic method of socialist realism.

By chance, young, ambitious writer Vladimir Akimov moved into the Slovo house. Who is he? No one knows. Then, strange events begin to unfold in the Slovo house, and its walls still keep silent. The story is based on real events.

These two films, made during his time in Ireland, are screening as part of our focus on documentarian Jon Bang Carlsen.

MY IRISH DIARY:

Hjalmar is 6 years old and has gone to Ireland with his parents and baby brother, where they are going to live for one year. In a little village close to the Atlantic Ocean Hjalmar and his family will make a new life. Hjalmar is going to attend the local school and make new friends. The film follows Hjalmar's struggle to conquer a new language and with that a new world.

IT'S NOW OR NEVER:

The main character is Jimmy, middle aged and lonely. Of earthly creatures seen from his window is an equally lonely cow which has been bought by Jimmy from his bachelor friend, Austin. Jimmy would like a woman to share his life and looks up a matchmaker who dutifully asks him about his wishes and preferences. Jimmy bides his time, fantasizes, chats with the boys, asks God for advice and builds stone dikes, all the while humming that 'it's now or never'.
Then, this rugged man gets a telephone call from the matchmaker.

Join Jon for a discussion on his career and the documentary form with Irish director Tadhg O’Sullivan. A ticket to either screening grants admission to this discussion.

Most of us think of death as something clear-cut, and that medical science has it neatly figured out. This feature documentary explodes such assumptions through its exploration of a phenomenon that blurs life and death to an unprecedented degree.

In what Tibetan Buddhists call “tukdam”, advanced meditators die in a consciously controlled manner. Though dead according to our biomedical standards, they often stay sitting upright in meditation; remarkably, their bodies remain fresh and lifelike, without signs of decay for days, sometimes weeks after clinical death. Following ground-breaking scientific research into tukdam, and taking us into intimate death stories of Tibetan meditators, the film juxtaposes scientific and Tibetan perspectives as it tries to unravel the mystery of tukdam.

Cathair na Mílte Grian (City of a Thousand Suns) is a cinematic pilgrimage. Part poem, part elegy this film forges connections between two distant cities, Dublin and Hiroshima. Drawing on a rich legacy of world cinema to dive into our collective memory and shine a light on the trauma we all share as descendants of the atomic age.

Is tum-oilithreacht fhileata scannánaíochta í Cathair na Mílte Grian. Caoineadh is ea í a chruthaíonn ceangal idir pobail dhá chathair i bhfad ó chéile: Baile Átha Cliath agus Hiroshima. Tugann sé isteach inár gcomhchuimhne muid trí oidhreacht shaibhir an cineama dhomhanda chun an tráma atá go smior ionann go léir mar shliocht an ré núicléigh a nochtadh.

Our third selection of world shorts comprises a competition programme of World & Irish Premieres. Featuring a selection of eight short films containing a thrilling mix of documentary, live-action and animated films.

This programme touches of the topic of sexual assault. 16+

Focus On: Jon Bang Carlsen

Since the 1970s, the travelling and extremely productive film poet Jon Bang Carlsen has created an extensive body of work with a creative and personal look at the world, with the staged documentary as his preferred form. When his beloved wife passes away, he reaches for filmmaking as a way to give his grief a form. 'The Banality of Grief' is a cinematic love letter to a loved one and to the places where they shared their lives for 35 years. South Africa, the USA, their shared home by the water. The boundaries between past and present end in an impressionistic and deeply personal film, where existential and artistic thoughts are countered by new impressions, which testify that life is the greatest of them all.

Jon Bang Carlsen is a rare and precious figure in Danish cinema. An adventurer with an ever-recording camera, who directs his gaze outwards even when his thoughts are turned inwards.

When you think of legendary international racing events like the Tour de France and the Boston Marathon, does pigeon racing also come to mind? Flying under the radar are a group of pigeon masters (or fanciers, as they liked to be called) from the US, Thailand, China and South Africa, competing in one of the most lucrative bird races on the planet. Each event is stranger and more exciting than the last—but when scandal and corruption taint the crown jewel event, the entire community is rocked and the future of the sport is up in the air. Million Dollar Pigeons is a hysterical see-it-to-believe-it story with a cast of odd and charming characters that experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Fame, fortune and livelihood rest on the wings of these feathered athletes in this hilarious oddity.

Amateur filmmaker and part-time projectionist John Kline Jnr. is mute and suffers from missing time. He hires local actors to play his parents in a series of recreated home movies in order to investigate their unsolved disappearance 25 years earlier.

Hole in the Head is an experimental narrative feature, melding new with old technologies and a film-within-a-film structure. The film proposes a hauntological discourse on autofiction, trauma and private ritual.

A true animated film about invented islands. About a physical, imaginary, linguistic, political territory. About a real or dreamed country, or something in between. Archipelago is a feature film made of drawings and speeches, that tells and dreams a place and its inhabitants, to tell and dream a little of our world and times.

Mark Cousins (The Story of Film, Women Make Film) accompanies producer Jeremy Thomas on his annual pilgrimage to the Festival de Cannes, discussing Thomas’ love of cinema, music, cars and controversy along the way. Their conversation is interspersed with clips from many of these films and contributions from two actors who have worked with the producer. Thomas talks about his own family’s heritage in British cinema, as a second-generation filmmaker, his entry into the business at such a young age (by his mid-30s he was a Best Picture Oscar winner) and his continued passion for the medium. Cousins’ commentary also highlights Thomas’ profound impact on world cinema, as a producer unafraid to court controversy and who delights in transgression.

KEVIN COYNE (15) lives in a dysfunctional household where grieving the death of his mother is forbidden by his father LARRY, an ex-soldier. Kevin is also used to living in his brother ROBBIE’s (18) shadow, so he is surprised when HANNA (16), a newcomer to this West Cork parish, seems to prefer his company

It’s late summer and Robbie is waiting to discover if he’s been accepted into the Cadets, the army’s officer training unit, thereby fulfilling the hopes and dreams of Larry. Meanwhile, black sheep Kevin keeps on getting into trouble and is grounded by his demanding father. He manages to sneak away with Hanna and they find a wounded SPARROW with a broken wing. Kevin takes it back home promising to nurse it back to health. His life takes a fateful turn when he inadvertently causes an accidental death. Shocked and unable to confront what he's done, Kevin does something seemingly unforgivable... he lies about what happened. Kevin then must watch in horror as the consequences of his lie unfold before his eyes; with the only living soul he is able to confess to being the sparrow he now keeps in a box in his room. Will he be forced to confront the truth as events inevitably escalate out of his control?

Anna (40) lives with her daughter Iris (16) in an appealing apartment building near the forest. It’s a safe and secure place and, as security officer, Anna holds an important position. When caretaker Gerti‘s dog disappears, fear and mistrust is sparked in the community. Soon the community is convinced that Gerti‘s dog died a violent death. Fear of the unknown murderer spreads among the residents, and neighbours begin to suspect each other. Anna tries to call the inhabitants to reason, but a group of voluntary vigilantes opens investigations against her. To ensure that she and Iris can stay in the building, she goes beyond her moral limits.

This music documentary gets at the heart of community. In the tiny Irish town of Doolin, an ensemble cast of musicians play in the pubs every night. Travelers from all over the world come together to hear the music. The warm pubs invite good company and intimate bonds amidst a world that, even before 2020, struggles with isolation.

Music has the power to bring people together. In an age where everything is speeding up and everything is instant, we miss the person right beside us. These musicians explore what it means to exist in the old music, the long-standing tradition, and find community through the strumming of a guitar, beating of a bodhrán, and sharing of a song.

Paris is in Harlem is a multi-character mosaic set in 2017, on the day that New York City’s infamous Cabaret or "No Dancing" Law was repealed after 98 years of institutional racism targeting musicians and business owners of colour. It follows several characters through separate but intertwined storylines that converge one winter night during a shooting at a jazz bar in Harlem.

This is a film about life and death, structured like the most freewheeling of American art forms: Jazz – ultimately telling the story of a neighbourhood, a city and an America that will find a way to dance again.

Aoife Ní Bhraoin returns home to help her father, Breandán ‘The Bear’ Ó Braoin, recover from a heart attack. Day to day they get along just fine. As we dig a little deeper we find that there is so much that has been left unsaid about the loss of Aoife’s mother.

Over the summer, Aoife gets pulled back into the competitive world of rowing in Naomhóg boats, traditional to the area. She lets herself become close to the three women in her crew but, as the big race approaches, Aoife feels an unbearable strain – years of suppressed grief and sadness – that could seriously wreck their chances of success.

Tarrac is an intimate character study and exciting sports drama set against the stunning landscapes and seas of the Kerry Gaelteacht.

Best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö support each other unconditionally. They want to live adventurous lives, loaded with experiences and passion. Emma, on the contrary, has given her whole life to figure skating. Nothing gets between her and success. But when the girls meet, life opens up whole new paths, and they all rocket off in new directions.
While Mimmi and Emma experience the earth-moving effects of first love, Rönkkö is on a quest to find pleasure. Three Fridays is all it takes to turn their worlds upside down.

The Troubles, a Dublin Story is a hidden-history story, based on true accounts of those involved, it explores rarely discussed events during the Troubles from the perspective of two working class brothers growing up in North Dublin in the 70s and 80s.

Far removed from the horrors of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, but shocked by the atrocities they witness on television, the brothers are naively drawn into the complex world of republicanism, gangsterism, the inevitable hypocrisy of the cause, and the personal and moral consequences that entailed.

Hatching is a horror film about a 12-year-old gymnast, Tinja, who does everything to fulfil her mother’s high expectations. One day, Tinja finds a strange bird egg and starts hatching it until out bursts a birdlike creature. Tinja names the horrifying monster Alli, and hides it in her closet.
Like baby birds, Alli only eats Tinja’s vomit, and after each feeding it gradually transforms into Tinja’s doppelganger. Tinja’s buried aggression and jealousy pushes Alli into increasingly violent attacks until no one is safe.