It’s our monthly round-up of Film In Dublin reviews and views. Check out our thoughts on some of the films released in Ireland in March 2020 below:
Director: Lorcan Finnegan Starring: Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Jonathan Aris Running Time: 97 minutes
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Even as news reports were starting to darken and arrive ever closer to our doors, while sitting in the sold out screening for the Opening Gala of VMDIFF 2020 it was difficult to imagine just how real Vivarium would become. Or how quickly the energy of a film premiere, glamorous stars ; a room packed full of people eagerly anticipating the uncertainty and possibilities of the immediate future, would feel like a bittersweet memory of oohhh, a billion years ago.
If Vivarium is a horror, it’s a horror about the domestic drudgery, a blunt jab at how social constructs can be so narrowly confined, widely expected and hellish to navigate that they can feel like a trap from which there is no escape. The fact that we all have to stay indoors right now with unknown and deadly consequences lurking ominously over us all the time has made the film’s blunt, exaggerated parody of suburbia very real in ways that director Lorcan Finnegan and writer Garret Shanley (who paired previously on Without Name) might never have anticipated when putting this story together, and it would be hard to blame the average viewer for running a mile from its ideas at the moment. The black joke has gotten a few shades darker, but the film is so committed to the bit, so giddily weird, it manages to pull off the delivery.
The Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival 2020 is in full swing and tomorrow one of the biggest parts of the festival every year will take place: the screening of the surprise film. A closely guarded secret by festival organisers, not even the projectionist knows what the film is going to be until the lights go down and the film begins. Some have been excellent, some have been awful, but the anticipation is always killer.
Making Film Dublin is a special event for anyone seriously interested in filmmaking, including current film students, and independent filmmakers. During the course of the afternoon attendees will hear from a panel of experts about their own filmmaking journey and to learn from them. Taking place at the Generator Hostel Dublin this Sunday March 1st,
a substantial line up of expert filmmakers have been assembled, all of whom are vital and active members of the fair city of film. Two of the first guests confirmed for this event are:
Liam McGrath, Scratch Films:–
Liam McGrath is a director and producer, known for Southpaw: The Francis Barrett Story (1999), Blood of the Travellers (2011) and Dolores Keane: A Storm in the Heart (2014).
Robert Fitzhugh, Dublin Smartphone Film Festival :-
Director of the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival, founder of Filmsmart productions. Videographer, director, and speaker.
Making Films Dublin has been organised by final year film students at Ballyfermot College of Further Education. The proceeds from ticket sales will be used to fund their Final Year film which is called Ballcourt (Dir. Heidi Kivikallio) which will be shot on 9th – 13th March and screened in the IFI in May 2020.
The workshop will be divided into talks, practical tips, Q&A and networking to close, providing aspiring creatives with an opportunity to take valuable first steps in filmmaking in Dublin. Find out more here.
Tickets for this event are €10 and are available now from Eventbrite.
In the Light House, everything is fine.
The 2020 Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival has finally arrived. The biggest event in the year for film in Dublin (and Film In Dublin) officially gets started this Wednesday evening with the Opening Gala screening of Vivarium, Lorcan Finnegan’s sci-fi thriller. Cinephiles from all over the island and beyond will be zipping back and forth in the fair city of film over the next twelve days, checking out screenings and events in a packed programme.
Collectors of cult film curios Cabaret Noise are sounding off again, set to return to Stoneybatter in the spring with a new batch of the strange, underseen and interesting. From March through to May they’ll be hosting a trio of their well-curated and thought provoking presentations, deep from the deeper cuts of film.
Sass Mouth Dames celebrates woman’s pictures from 1929-1959, a genre in classic Hollywood which regarded women’s stories as important and meaningful. Megan McGurk regularly hosts both the Sass Mouth Dames podcast and the Sass Mouth Dames Film Club, discussing, distributing and celebrating prominent fixtures in female films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The latest series of Sass Mouth Dames will be kicking off screenings in Dublin in March 2020.
The full programme for the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival 2020 was launched at the Light House Cinema in Smithfield this afternoon. VMDIFF Director Gráinne Humphreys announced details of this year’s programme, a 12 day extravaganza of cinema and an opportunity to see the very best of world cinema and film talent in Dublin.
The Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival is always a good opportunity to cast eyes over some of the latest talents making a name for themselves in Irish film. The Discovery Award at DIFF identifies, supports and encourages new and emerging talent in the Irish film industry, both in front of and behind the camera. Thirteen exciting emerging talents have been nominated for this year’s Award, sponsored this year by Aer Lingus, with the announcement of the winner taking place at a special event in Café En Seine, Dawson Street on the closing day of the festival on Sunday 8 March, 2020. Aer Lingus have also been announced as the “Official Airline Sponsor” of the Festival. Hey somebody has to fly those international guests in, right?
