The biggest event in the calendar in the fair city of film, the Dublin International Film Festival will take place in 2024 from Thursday 22nd February to Saturday 2nd March.
In advance of announcing the full programme in January, the Festival like to announce early programme highlights before Christmas, and today they have revealed that screen legend Isabelle Huppert will receive the DIFF Volta Award. DIFF have also confirmed that next year’s festival closing night gala screening will be an adaptation of John McGahern’s That They May Face The Rising Sun. With Pat Collins in the directors chair, the film has a strong chance of being one of the festival’s finest.
”One of the finest actors of her generation, Isabelle Huppert has made an indelible impression on world cinema, her fearless performances, boundless curiosity and incredible work rate has defined modern French cinema. We relish the opportunity with our Festival audience to celebrate her career and her immense talent in presenting her with our Volta Award in person in Dublin.”
Gráinne Humphreys, DIFF Festival Director
With a film career spanning six decades, Isabelle Huppert is renowned as being one of France’s hardest working and most accomplished actors. From early roles such as Claude Goretta’s The Lacemaker, for which she received the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer, through to her numerous roles working across different genres with Claude Chabrol, she has received scores of awards for her work, not least France’s highest honour the Légion d’Honneur. Huppert’s recent cinema roles include Mia Hansen-Love’s Things To Come, Michael Haneke’s Happy End, Neil Jordan’s Greta, Anthony Fabian Mrs Harris goes to Paris, and Paul Verhoeven’s Elle (for which she won a César, US Gotham Award, Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress).
Huppert will be awarded the Festival’s career achievement award, the Volta, named in honour of Ireland’s first dedicated cinema in Dublin, established by James Joyce in 1909. One of the highest accolades in Irish film, previous Volta Award recipients include Daniel Day Lewis, Al Pacino, Kristin Scott Thomas and Thierry Frémaux. Madame Huppert will be presented with the Volta at a special ‘In Conversation’ event. The festival is also excited to screen Madame Huppert’s new film, Sidonie au Japon, directed by Elise Girard.
Capturing a year in the life of a rural, lakeside community in Ireland in the 1970’s, That They May Face The Rising Sun is an adaptation of the final novel from John McGahern, one of Ireland’s greatest novelists. Joe and Kate Ruttledge have returned from London to live and work among the small, close-knit community near to where Joe grew up. Now deeply embedded in life around the lake, the drama of a year in their lives and those of the memorable characters around them unfolds through the rituals of work, play and the passing seasons as this enclosed world becomes an everywhere.
Directed by Pat Collins (Silence), the film stars Barry Ward (Jimmy’s Hall, Bad Sisters) and Anna Bederke (Soul Kitchen, Sterben) in the lead roles. Lalor Roddy (Grabbers, God’s Creatures), Sean McGinley (Michael Collins, Braveheart), Ruth McCabe (Philomena, Joy Ride) and first-time actor Phillip Dolan make up the rich cast of supporting characters.
Break Out Pictures will release the film theatrically in Ireland and the UK in 2024, with audiences getting an opportunity to see it early in the festival.
“It is joy to close the festival with Pat Collins’s lyrical, tender adaptation of John McGahern’s final novel. It has a timeless quality and sensitivity are we are delighted to officially launch the film trailer with this announcement which gives a flavour of this cinematic gem.”
Gráinne Humphreys
”It’s a huge honour for us that the Irish premiere of That They May Face the Rising Sun is the Closing Film for this year’s DIFF. We have a long association with the festival and have had many special screenings there over the years and are delighted to be showing it here first.”
Pat Collins, Director
Tickets for That They May Face The Rising Sun, mailing list sign-ups and more can be accessed at www.diff.ie. Stay tuned for more announcements on next year’s festival.