This year’s films at a glance

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20th November 2022, 5:30pm

The Eagle Huntress

[Dir. Otto Bell, UK, Kazakhstan, 2016, U, 87min]

An internationally co-produced Kazakh-language documentary film directed by Otto Bell and narrated by executive producer Daisy Ridley (2016). Featuring beautifully shot dramatic and wonderful wild landscapes.  It follows the story of Aisholpan Nurgaiv, a 13-year-old Kazakh girl from Mongolia, as she attempts to become the first female eagle hunter to compete in the eagle festival at Ulgii, Mongolia, established in 1999.

The film was shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature but was ultimately not nominated.  It was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary.

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December 18th, 2022, 5:30pm

Official Competition

[Dir.  Gastón Duprat, Mariano Cohn, Spain, 2022, 15, 1h 55m]

Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez star in satirical dig at the movie industry. A billionaire businessman in search of fame and social prestige decides to make a unique, groundbreaking film. To achieve this goal, he hires the best of the best: A stellar team consisting of famous filmmaker Lola Cuevas and two well-known actors who boast not only an enormous talent, but also an even bigger ego: Hollywood star Félix Rivero and aging theater thespian Iván Torres. They’re both legends, but not exactly the best of friends. Through a series of increasingly hilarious tests set by Lola, Félix and Iván must confront not only each other, but also their own legacies.

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January 15th, 2023, 5:30pm

Untouchable

[Dir. Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano, France, 2011, 15, 1h 52m ]

Untouchable sees the development of an unusual friendship develops when Driss, a street smart immigrant, is hired to take care of Philippe, a quadriplegic French nobleman.  Written and directed by Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano, it stars François Cluzet and Omar Sy. Nine weeks after its release in France on 2 November 2011, it became the biggest box office hit in France, just passing the 2008 film Welcome to the Sticks.  The film was voted the cultural event of 2011 in France with 52% of votes in a poll by Fnac. It became the most viewed French film in the world with 51.5 million tickets sold.  The film received several award nominations. In France, the film won the César Award for Best Actor for Sy and garnered seven further nominations for the César Awards, including the César Award for Best Actor. 

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February 19th, 2023

The Worst Person In The World

[Dir. Joachim Trier, Norway, 2022, 15, 2h 8m]

The Worst Person in the World chronicles four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and her career, leading her to take a realistic look at herself. The film premiered in competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival to widespread critical acclaim, with Renate Reinsve winning the award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. At the 94th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay.  The score for the film was written by Ola Fløttum.

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March 19th, 2023, 5:30pm

Hive

[Dir. Blerta Basholli, Kosovo, 2021, 15, 1h 24m ]

Hive is inspired by the true story of Fahrije Hoti.  Like many women in Kosovo, Fahrije is hoping for news about her husband, who is still missing seven years after the war. Widows are not expected to work, but she has to provide for her family and joins forces with other widows to start a business producing ajvar – a pepper and aubergine relish. This is even though the community already condemns her for daring to drive.

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April 16th, 2023

Roise and Frank

[Dir.  Peter Murphy, Rachael Moriarty, Eire, 2022, 15, 1h 30m]

Roise and Frank is an Irish language file where, Roise, a widow who has given up on life, becomes convinced that a stray dog is the reincarnation of her Hurling-loving husband Frank.  Needless to say, her children are not convinced.

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May 21st, 2023

Hit The Road

[Dir. Panah Panahi, Iran, 2021, 12, 1h 33m]

Hit the Road is a 2021 Iranian road comedy-drama film written and directed by Panah Panahi in his feature debut. It depicts an Iranian family driving to the Turkish border to smuggle their young adult son out of the country. It premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, and won top prizes at the BFI London Film Festival and the Singapore International Film Festival.

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June 18th, 2023

The Quiet Girl

[Dir.  Colm Bairéad, Eire, 2022, 12, 1h 34m ]

The Quiet Girl set in 1981 follows a withdrawn nine-year-old girl who experiences a loving home for the first time when she spends the summer on a farm with distant relatives in Rinn Gaeltacht, County Waterford.