The IFI Documentary Festival 2021 will bring the Institute’s usual intriguing offering of insights when it returns online and in cinemas this September.
You can get an early look at Break Out Pictures’ Irish music doc Love Yourself Today ahead of its November release, see the latest work by the prolific Mark Cousins and more at this year’s Doc Fest, which will host screenings at the Institute’s home in Temple Bar as well as online on the IFI@Home player. 16 feature films as well as a shorts programme will be on offer this September 20th – 26th at the festival.
Opening the Doc Fest on the 20th at 6.30pm will be Love Yourself Today by Ross Killeen. Every Christmas in Dublin, the crowds gather for Damo’s Christmas gig at Vicar Street. For many, these shows have become a cathartic ritual, a safe space where emotions can be laid bare. Part documentary, part concert film, Love Yourself Today is said to be a moving celebration of modern spirituality and the power of music to heal.
Best known for his deep dives into cinema with The Story of Film, Women Make Film and many more, Ireland’s own Mark Cousins will have his latest film on show at the festival too. 10 years after his original odyssey into the story of film, Cousins returns with an epic and hopeful tale of cinematic innovation from around the globe in The Story of Film: A New Generation. Cousins turns his gaze on world cinema from 2010 to 2021, exploring recurring themes and emerging motifs, from the evolution of film language to technology’s role in moviemaking today, to shifting identities in 21st-century world cinema, to what comes next in the age of streaming. From Parasite and Joker to Black Panther and Lover’s Rock, Cousins also seeks out filmmakers and communities under-represented in traditional film histories, emphasising Asian and Middle Eastern works, as well as boundary-pushing documentaries and films that see gender in new ways.
Tickets for films showing at the Irish Film Institute will cost €11.50, while IFI@Home screenings are €7.50 to rent (With the exception of Breaking Out – €9.99). More information is available on bookings from the IFI website.
You can check out the full programme of the IFI Documentary Festival 2021 online now HERE.