January brings the glamour of awards season, and this month sees a number of the main contenders hit the big screen. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which opens January 12th and is directed by Martin McDonagh, features a blistering central performance from Frances McDormand as a mother searching for justice following the death of her daughter.
Steven Spielberg’s The Post, released on January 19th, is set at the height of the Watergate scandal and centres on Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), owner of TheWashington Post, and Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), its editor, as they wrestle with the dilemma of whether to publish damning reports, or safeguard the long-term future of the paper.
Aaron Sorkin’s directorial début Molly’s Game stars Jessica Chastain as the proprietor of a high-stakes Hollywood poker game that becomes the subject of an FBI investigation; the film screens at the IFI from January 1st.
As part of the IFI’s ongoing commitment to accessibility, each of these acclaimed films will have Audio Description available on all screenings, as well as designated Open Captioned screenings. More information on the Institute’s accessible events is available at www.ifi.ie/accessible.
IFI is delighted to welcome acclaimed Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev on Sunday 28th to participate in a Q&A following a preview of his new film Loveless. Winner of the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, the film follows a couple in the midst of a separation who must find their young son when he disappears during one of their arguments. There will be a retrospective of Zvyagintsev’s work, including The Return and Leviathan, during January.
Partnering once again with First Fortnight, the IFI will present a selection of screenings that examine themes around mental health. The main First Fortnight events of The Departure on Saturday 6th and 32 Pills on Saturday 13th, will take place alongside a sold-out preview and Q&A of Walk with Me on Thursday 4th, and a screening of Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning Ordinary People on Monday 15th.
In collaboration with the Embassy of France in Ireland and the Institut Français’s global Night of Ideas initiative, IFI will present a screening of Emmanuel Hamon’s documentary The Russian Revolution Through Its Films on Monday 25th. This Irish première will be followed by a panel discussion featuring director Hamon, screenwriter Thomas Cheysson, Dr Ailise Bulfin of UCD, and Donald Clarke of The Irish Times that will explore the use of images and technology as agents of social and political change. Night of Ideas is a project that celebrates the constant stream of ideas between countries, cultures, and generations.
A very special Rock’n’Roll Cinema event takes place on Wednesday 10th featuring Lili Fini Zanuck’s Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars. Renowned as one of the greatest performers of all time, 18-time Grammy Award winner Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From his traumatic childhood to his long and difficult struggle with drugs and alcohol, to the tragic loss of his son, Clapton always found an inner strength and healing in music. Featuring contributions from BB King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison, the film is a moving, revealing and surprising film, and will be followed by a conversation between Clapton and Zanuck, broadcast live from BFI Southbank.
On Saturday 27th, IFI and Tradfest 2018 present Noel Hill: Aisling Ghéar as part of its monthly Irish Focus strand. A searing portrait of concertina player Noel Hill, one of Ireland’s most renowned traditional musicians, the documentary follows him as he recovers from a serious assault that left him a battered shadow of his former self; director Paddy Hayes and Noel Hill will attend the screening.
Finally, IFI will make its now annual visit to the household of the Misses Morkan on the Feast of the Epiphany, Saturday 6th, for John Huston’s adaptation of James Joyce’s The Dead starring Anjelica Huston and Donal McCann. The film will be introduced by Dr Tony Tracy, Director, Huston School of Film & Digital Media, NUI Galway.
With a busy calendar of events plus exclusive releases of Kornél Mundruczó’s Jupiter’s Moon and Stéphane Brizé’s A Woman’s Life, and regular Feast Your Eyes, Mystery Matinée, IFI Family, Archive at Lunchtime and Wild Strawberries events, 2018 at the IFI is off to an exciting start!
Tickets for all our special events are on sale now from the IFI Box Office on (01) 6793477 and from www.ifi.ie.