Film Event: Darklight Reboot - Smithfield April 24-27

Darklight : Reboot shines a light on future-forward film as Dublin’s festival of independent creativity, running from 24-27 April 2014.

This year’s festival sees Darklight reboot, return and relocate to Smithfield. This pioneering festival of independent creativity will transform Smithfield in to a nerve-centre of forward-thinking film, digital storytelling, street games, film screenings, hack jams, visual art, live music, collaborative workshops, discussions and unrivalled parties held across the district’s venues including the Light House Cinema, BlockT, Generator, Third Space and Smithfield Square.

The 2014 Darklight Symposium features keynote speaker Anna Higgs of Film 4 leading the discussion with special guests such as Lenny Abrahamson, director of Frank. Theatre Company Make and Do will introduce the biggest interactive game of chasing Dublin city has ever witnessed called Journey Through The End of Night. Some fresh new additions to the festival line-up include the Cinemobile taking over Smithfield Square to create an outdoor cinematic experience, screening game-changing movies such as Scorsese’s mob epic Goodfellas. And the Thinktank Sunday Brunch on the final day of the festival which allows for festival revellers and guest speakers to mingle, network and exchange their thoughts on the 2014 festival.

Some of this year’s festival highlights announced to-date include the screening of 2014 Oscar nominated, BAFTA Award winning documentary The Act of Killing directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, who will also be fielding questions for the post-screening Q&A. This will be the Irish premier of the director’s cut. Amongst the many Irish premiers to be screened at Darklight are A Spell to Ward off The Darkness by Ben Rivers and Ben Russell which includes a post screening Q&A, plus Last Hijack and Q&A with director Tommy Pallotta. Pallotta is famed for introducing startling animation techniques to the worlds of Richard Linklater’s Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly.

Dubbed as Sundance Festival’s “Crassest most outrageous movie” David Wnendt’s Wetlands comes to Darklight. The shocking, explorative film has yet to get distribution in the UK & Ireland due to its evocative content. Irish audiences can avail of this one-off chance to catch Wetlands in full cinematic splendour at The Lighthouse Cinema.

As Dublin’s pioneering festival of independent creativity, Darklight has been showcasing new ways of making film, art and DIY culture for 15 years – from digital cinema to 3D printing. This year promises to be even more dynamic as the festival explores evolving interactions with new technologies through four different strands. The DIGITAL STORYTELLING strand will take a look at what new technologies, thinking models and platforms are out there for exploring narratives. The WHAT’S UP DOC? strand showcases the rapidly transforming genre of documentary. Decisive moments in the development of cinema as an artform are celebrated within the GAMECHANGING strand. Finally the award winning SHORT FILM strand shines a spotlight on emerging talent, merging disciplines and incipient artistic vision.

Ticket Information:

Box Office: BlockT,16 Haymarket, Smithfield, Dublin 7 | Opening hours: 24 27 April, 10am 7pm

Tickets Online: entertainment.ie/darklightfestival

TASTER OF DARKLIGHT’S 2014 PROGRAMME – FULL PROGRAMME TO BE ANNOUCED 27 MARCH

THURS 24 April:

Opening Gala and Irish Premier Screening of ‘Last Hijack’

FRI 25 April:

Anna Higgs, Film4.0 Keynote Symposium
Digital Storytelling Roundtable Discussion
Storytelling Hack Jam with Mozilla & Popathon Workshop
Anatomy of a Film with Hugh Garry and Lenny Abrahamson Discussion

SAT 26 APRIL:

…Even that void: Screening followed by Q&A with
Film4.0 Showcase: Screening
The Act of Killing, Irish Premiere of Directors Cut:Screening followed by Q&A with Joshua Oppenheimer
The Late Night Work Club Animation: Screening
DATA Presents A New Media Nostalgia: Discussion
Future Shorts Presented by Happenings & Le Cool Dublin: Screening
Goodfellas: Cinemobile Screening
‘Good Fridays’: Party – Hosted by BlockT, curated by Darklight & Beatyard
VFX & Audio: Workshop with Egg Post Production
Damn Fine Print: Workshops
Last Hijack Animation: Workshop with Tommy Pallotta & Gavin Kelly
New Irish Experimental Docs: Screening followed by Q&A
‘What’s Up Doc’?: Roundtable Discussion
Forsyth & Pollard: A Retrospective and Q&A
A Spell To Ward Off The Darkness: Screening followed by Q&A
Breathless (À bout de souffle), Jean Luc Godard: Screening
The Searchers: Screening
Wetlands (Feuchtgebiete): Screening
A Scanner Darkly: Screening
8.30pm | Cinemobile | Ticket: €8
Darklight Party 2014
Journey To The End of Night: Interactive game of chasing through Dublin