Ennio Morricone public interview at the Light House Cinema

Light House Cinema and Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, in association with Pod Entertainment, are delighted to announce that legendary composer, Ennio Morricone will take part in a public interview and Q&A on Sunday July 28th at the Light House Cinema, Smithfield.  This once in a lifetime event takes place the morning after the first of his two almost sold-out concerts at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. The Italian maestro will discuss his extraordinary career as a film composer and receive a Volta Award from Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to film. The event will be followed by a screening of The Mission.

Morricone’s first ever public interview in the Republic of Ireland is an unmissable opportunity to hear the composer discuss his astounding achievements with Sir Christopher Frayling, a British writer and critic who has written at length about the master’s work and is also the author of the definitive biography of Film Director Sergio Leone. Those lucky enough to get tickets will also have an opportunity to ask the cinema legend questions during a Q&A session following the interview. This intimate event is the only opportunity for Irish fans to hear one of cinema’s greatest artists discuss his life, career and legacy.

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival established the Volta Award in 2007 as Ireland’s Premier Film Award, named after Dublin’s first cinema which was established by James Joyce.  Annually the Volta is awarded to figures who have made a major contribution to film globally.  In the past its recipients include Daniel Day-Lewis, Kristen Scott Thomas, Al Pacino, Paolo Sorrentino, Martin Sheen, Joss Whedon, Danny DeVito, Costa Gavras and Francois Ozon.

The festival is delighted to bestow this award upon Ennio Morricone, the first outside of the festival, in recognition of his peerless contribution to world cinema.

Andrew Lowe of the Light House cinema said “We are really delighted and honoured to have the opportunity to introduce an artist of the stature of Ennio Morricone in person to the Light House audience.  Our customers have enthusiastically embraced the season of Morricone films that we are currently playing, recognising his genius in the exquisite scores of each of those films.  We are very grateful to Sir Christopher Frayling for hosting the interview and to our partners at Jameson Dublin International Film Festival and Pod Entertainment who helped make this event possible.”

Grainne Humphreys, JDIFF Festival Director said “Ennio Morricone has delighted generations of filmgoers around the world, his film scores bringing a dynamism and passion to work of legendary filmmakers such as Leone, Pasolini and Malick. The festival has made an exception to present its treasured Volta Award to a film composer who has changed the way we experience cinema- Maestro Morricone.”

The five-time Oscar nominee has scored several hundred films, the best known being Sergio Leone’s westerns including “For A Few Dollars More” and “The Good The Bad and the Ugly” alongside other classics: “The Untouchables”, “The Mission”, “Cinema Paradiso” and more recently Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” and before that “Kill Bill”. In 2007 the Oscars presented him with an honorary award for his “magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music.”

Morricone has worked in almost every musical style and medium imaginable. Although the westerns were only a phase of Morricone’s expansive career, many consider his work in this field his best and most innovative. Morricone amplified the cinematic atmosphere with his ingenious use of diverse arrangements and instrumentation. The compositions for the Sergio Leone’s westerns were created through multiple mediums such as Jew’s harps, dissonant harmonicas, dancing piccolos, bombastic church organs, eerie whistling, thundering trumpets alongside ballads for gunslingers and ghostly vocal choruses.

To celebrate his concerts in Dublin, Light House Cinema has been showing a selection of films featuring his most iconic scores. Still to come as part of the Ennio Morricone season are Once Upon A Time In The West (from July 24th), The Mission (from July 31st) and Cinema Paradiso (from August 7th). Tickets for these films are available from www.lighthousecinema.ie

Date: Sunday, July 28th

Time: Doors open 1030am. Seats must be taken by 1045am. Event starts at 11am sharp.

Tickets for the event are available from

http://www.onlinecinematickets.com/index.php?s=LHSMITHF&p=details&eventCode=10643 or from the box office at the Light House Cinema, Smithfield. Limit two per customer.