Mattress Mick Documentary The Pick Of IFI’s Doc Fest 2016

A documentary about Dublin icon ‘Mattress Mick’ Michael Flynn is the stand-out film being shown at the IFI’s Documentary Festival in September. The man himself will be in attendance alongside director Colm Quinn and Paul Kelly for a Q and A when the film screens in the IFI on Thursday 22nd September.

Mattress Men tells the story of the eccentric bargain bed seller Mattress Mick and his friend and associate, Paul Kelly. In an attempt to save his struggling mattress business, sixty-something Michael Flynn reinvents himself as the eccentric online personality ‘Mattress Mick’ under Paul’s guidance. Paul, burdened with debts and living with his family in the inner city, yearns to for a full-time contract. Using all his marketing savvy and entrepreneurial skills, Paul embarks on a mission to make Mattress Mick a viral sensation. Will he be successful in his endeavours? And will Mick finally recognise the hard work and good intentions of his long-time friend? Vividly reflective of Ireland’s crippling austerity, Mattress Men is described as a wholly engrossing tale – peppered with startling revelations – of a friendship sorely-tested.

From Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th September, the IFI will be showing some very interesting sounding documentaries with more than a few of the films’ directors making appearances to do Q and As. Included in the IFI’s selection is Werner Herzog’s documentary Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World and Ross Adam and Robert Cannon’s film The Lovers and The Despot, which looks at the infamous story of South Korean actress and director (and former married couple), Choi Eun-hee and Shin Sang-ok, who were kidnapped by Kim Jong-il in order to make a propaganda film for the North Korean dictator/cinephile. Another festival highlight is the upbeat and uplifting doc Life, Animated, which tells the story of Owen Suskind, a young autistic man who learned to verbalise from quoting his favourite Disney films. A full list of the documentaries is listed below: