Dublin Sci-Fi Film Festival

#Festival: Dublin Sci-Fi Film Festival launches first programme, May 5th to 7th

Ireland’s newest genre film festival is coming to Dublin from the 5th-7th May. Dublin Sci-Fi Film Festival’s inaugural programme features Irish premieres of The Winter Soldier (from Blue Valentine screenwriter, Joey Curtis), The Untamed (Winner of the Venice Film Festival Silver Lion) and Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex; indie gems such as She’s Allergic to Cats and Embers; a range of international shorts; and Sci-Fi classics such as Barbarella, Forbidden Planet and a very special 30th anniversary screening of The Running Man.

Taking place in Light House Cinema and The Generator Hostel, DSFFF will light up Smithfield for a packed weekend, with an international line-up of Sci-Fi and Fantasy films for fans seeking a new Festival experience.

The festival will kick off on Friday evening at 6pm in Generator Hostel with the Irish premiere of Claire Carré’s award winning Embers, followed by Blue Valentine screenwriter, Joey Curtis’, directorial debut The Winter Soldier.

Saturday features back to back screenings from 12 noon, starting with the Irish premiere of Fantasticozzi, a documentary charting the career of Italian B-Movie maestro Luigi Cozzi. This will be followed two shorts programmes, each showing the very best of international talent in the genres of Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

The Irish premiere of The Untamed showcases the mesmerising storytelling of award-winning director Amat Escalante, in his first feature since winning Best Director at Cannes in 2013 for Heli.

Evening treats on Saturday include the Irish premiere of Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex, a documentary exploring the rise and decline of physical puppetry in the film industry, featuring talking head interviews with the likes of Guillermo Del Toro, Kevin Smith and the behind-the-scenes master puppeteers and designers.

The weird and wonderful She’s Allergic to Cats also premieres in Ireland at the festival, as dog groomer Michael Pinkney plays himself, as he attempts to make an all-cat-casted version of Carrie, while the psychedelic sexploits of space adventuress Barbarella caps the night off at Light House Cinema.

Sunday features deep space adventures, with a matinee screening and Irish premiere of newcomer Rob York’s Magellan, as well as a 50s throwback with a big screen presentation of Fred Wilcox’ classic Forbidden Planet at The Light House.

Sci-Fi Shorts 2 and Dark Futures 2 complete the shorts screenings for this year, while a special 30th Anniversary screening of the Arnie classic The Running Man closes out the festival.

Ticket prices range from €5 to €10, with a weekend pass to screenings at the Generator Hostel venue coming in at €30.

The full schedule is available online at www.dublinscifi.com/schedule