The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival programme was officially launched earlier today. The diverse and exciting programme delivered by Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys invites audiences to traverse the globe in 11 days from the comfort of their cinema seat to over 38 countries including Korea, Denmark, US, Brazil, Russia and many more.
The Festival will welcome a stunning array of filmmaking talent to Dublin this March for the 13th edition of the Festival, which takes place from 19th – 29th March. It will celebrate the best in storytelling with compelling narratives, screening over 130 films, with over 60 Irish and international guests including acting legends such as Julie Andrews, Ryan O’Neal, Danny Huston, Kim Cattrall and Vincent Perez and Irish talents such as Orla Brady, Jack Reynor and Robbie Sheehan. One of the major highlights of the programme is the attendance of three talented actor-turned-directors, who will be attending the Festival: Kenneth Branagh will screen his fairytale masterpiece Cinderella; Alan Rickman will showcase his picturesque period film A Little Chaos and Russell Crowe will be back in Dublin for his directorial debut The Water Diviner.
Gráinne Humphreys, Festival Director, Jameson Dublin International
Film Festival says:
[quote]This year’s festival will again celebrate the best of contemporary world cinema, bringing the work of both the established and emerging filmmakers to Dublin over 11 glittering days and nights. It’s going to be a very special year – we have a dazzling array of films and a guest list which has taken years to assemble. This festival belongs to our audiences who come in such great numbers, we have expanded the programme to accommodate new venues and screenings, each year we relish the challenge to excite, educate and entertain the best cinema audiences in the world[/quote]
Anna Malmhake, CEO & Chairman Irish Distillers Pernod Richard says:
[quote]Film as an art form has been close to the heart of the Jameson brand for a very long time with the 2015 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival marking Jameson’s 13th and final year as title sponsor of Dublin’s iconic film festival. We are extremely proud to have been a formative partner of the festival and associated with building a superb cultural celebration of film here in Ireland. As part of this year’s festival, we are delighted to be hosting a special Jameson Cult Film Club screening of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It has proved to be a hugely popular event since its launch, delivering an unforgettable screening experience for all those who attend.[/quote]
A collection of award winning directors will be also in attendence at the Festival, Carol Morley (The Falling), Pat Murphy (Tana Bana), Gerard Barrett (Glassland), Pedro Costa (Horse Money), Nils Malmros (Sorrow and Joy) as well as industry events with Mark Cousins (Seeking the Truth: Mark Cousins In Conversation) and Angeli MacFarlane (Conquering The Script) and casting mavens Leo Davis (Layer Cake,The Constant Gardener) and Margery Simkin (Top Gun, Erin Brockovich).
Kenneth Branagh and Julie Andrews will both be honoured with a Volta, an award created by the Festival to celebrate individuals who have made a significant contribution to the world of film. The awards arenamed after the Volta Picture Theatre, Ireland’s first dedicated cinema, established by James Joyce.
Opening the Festival this year is Mary McGuckian’s beatiful depiction of Irish designer Eileen Gray The Price Of Desire, with Orla Brady and Vincent Perez in attendence for the screening. Julie Andrews will be in Dublin to close the Festival in cinematic fashion with one of her greatest films The Sound Of Music.
One of the major highlights of this year’s Festival is the attendance of Hollywood acting legend Ryan O’Neal. Best known for his illustrious roles as the preppie Oliver in Love Story and star of the critically acclaimed Paper Moon and noir hit The Driver. The Festival will celebrate his astonishing talent with one of his most delightful collaborations with Barbara Striesand in the screwball comedy What’s Up Doc? The tribute will be concluded with a special in conversation with O’Neal hosted by Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys.
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece Barry Lyndon and to celebrate this special anniversary, titular star Ryan O’Neal will be joined by producer Jan Harlan at an un-missable screening of this epic period adventure in the Savoy Cinema on Saturday March 21st.
The Festival will bring unexpected stories to audiences throughout the 11 days. The programme features a broad and diverse range of award winning films from across the world including: new films from auteurs François Ozon (The New Girlfriend), Olivier Assayas (Cloud of Sils Maria), Roy Andersson (A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence), and Wim Wenders (The Salt of The Earth). Highlights include Italian comedy I Can Quit Whenever I Want (awarded the Golden Puffin in Reykjavik International Film Festival); the beautiful German film Phoenix directed by Christian Petzold and starring Nina Hoss; Sundance Audience Award winning Etheopian film Difret and Scandanivan films which include Blind (Norway), The Salvation (Denmark), The Quiet Roar (Sweden) Silent Heart (Denmark), Something Must Break (Sweden) and When Animals Dream (Sweden).
Other cinematic gems inlcude Force Majeure and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (USA) along with Liv Ullman’s Miss Julie and Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young.
Exciting homegrown talent will be showcased in the line up of Irish features, which will encompass directors Gerard Barrett’s Glassland, Brian O’Malley’s Let Us Prey, Pat Murphy’s Tana Bana, Ivan Kavanagh’s The Canal, Conor McMahon’s From The Dark, and Vivienne De Courcy’s Dare to be Wild. Actor Robbie Sheehan will be attending the Festival for a screening of his new film The Road Within and he will participate in the Actors in Conversation event, part of this year’s Screen Test programme.
Documentaries have always been to the fore in the Festival and this year is no exception. This year’s Reel To Reel programme scours the globe and beyond the stars. One of the most exciting documentaries to feature this year is The Last Man On The Moon with director Mark Craig and Gareth Doods both in attendence. The engaging and moving Russian documentary Red Army is about the greatest ice hockey team ever assembled in the 1980’s Winter Olympics, while Germany’s The Decent One unveils the private documents, journals and photographs of the SS comander Heinrich Himmler. Wheel of Fortune: The Story and Legacy of the Fairview Lion Tamer is one of Dublin’s hidden gems which puts Northside Dublin in a whole new light!
This year RTE Lyric FM’s Movies and Musicals will broadcast live from Filmbase on the opening weekend. Presenter Aedin Gormley will be joined by special guests of the Festival along with live music from Music Ireland and tunes from Cian Boylan (piano), Dan Bodwell (double-bass) and Jerry Fish (vocals).
The programme will also feature three outstanding programmes of Irish and International short films. Selected from around 200 submissions these programmes offer a broad range of genres and narratives. Short films from Mexico, United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, and the United States will screen alongside the cream of Irish live action and animation in a programme that includes both Oscar nominated and Oscar winning short films.
The Festival will host numerous industry events across the city including a Perspectives in Pictures in Collins Barracks, Critical Response with the Dublin Film Critics Circle, Write to Live, Live To Write, The Art of Manipulation: Editing with Réka Lemhény and many more.
The Festival continues its Picture House outreach project in hospitals and care homes, as well as reaching out to new additional venues this year, including The Pavilion Theatre, Riverbank Arts Centre, Movies@Dundrum, and of course the finale interview with Julie Andrews at the Board Gais Energy Theatre. For loyal film fans the festival returns to The Screen Cinema too (along with our existing venues Cineworld, The Savoy, Light House Cinema and the IFI). After hours club events take place in The Church nightly.
The Out of the Past season will this year feature classics such as Richard Brooks’ In Cold Blood, PJ Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding, Jean Renoir’s Partie de Campagne, Keith Bearden’s Meet Monica Velour, Arthur Hiller’s The Americanisation of Emily, King Vidor’s The Crowd (with live accompaniment from pianist Stephen Horne) and of course the 50th Anniversary of The Sound of Music.
So pick your films…and take a seat.
The 13th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival will take place from the 19th – 29th March 2015. The full programme will be available to view from the festival website jdiff.com from 7.30pm along with online booking open on 25th February, Tickets can be booked in person at the Festival Box Ofiice on 13 Lower Ormond Quay from 26th February, or at Ticket Offices in Cineworld or the Light House from 14th March.