JULY 2019 VARDA BY AGNÈS THE IRISH FILM INSTITUTE

The Irish Film Institute is Ireland’s EXHIBIT national cultural institution for film. It aims to exhibit the finest in independent, Irish and international cinema, preserve PRESERVE Ireland’s moving image heritage at the IFI Irish Film Archive, and encourage EDUCATE engagement with film through its various educational programmes.

IFI IRISH FILM IFI SUMMER ARCHIVE TOURS TERRACE BITES

Treat the film obsessive in your life to a behind-the-scenes The summer is here, making it the perfect time to visit our look at the IFI Irish Film Archive. This tour gives a unique fantastic outdoor terrace. Open every Thursday to Saturday insight into the materials held in the IFI Irish Film Archive and from 16.00, we are delighted to offer a special summer tapas talks through how we safeguard our collections that span menu featuring tasty flatbreads and sweet potato fries, from 1897 to the present day. Attendees are also invited plus beats from our resident Terrace DJs every Friday from to lunch at the IFI Café Bar. Tours will take place in July 19.00. See www.ifi.ie for more details. Proudly presented in on Fridays 5th and 19th. See www.ifi.ie/archivetours for association with GCN. further details.

MYSTERY MATINEE

Join us for Dublin’s best kept secret! This month’s This August will see the IFI embark on an ambitious and screening, for which tickets cost just €5.20, will take much-needed refurbishment of our two largest cinema spaces place at 13.00 on Sunday 21st. The film chosen could and our foyer roof. As a charity and non-profit, much of the be anything from throughout the history of cinema, or funding is already in place, but we urgently need your support even a preview of a hotly-anticipated upcoming release. to complete the works. You can donate at www.ifi.ie/donate With the Mystery Matinee, you should always expect the or text IFI to 50300 to donate €4*. Alternatively, you can have unexpected! A full list of previous screenings is available your name on a seat in the soon-to-be-refurbished Cinema 1 from www.ifi.ie/mystery-matinee-archive. – see shop.ifi.ie/nameyourseat for details.

2 *IFI will receive a minimum of €3.60. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 6805278. DIRECTOR’S NOTE

This July, it’s all hands on deck as we continue to fundraise to help us realise our plans to refurbish and upgrade the facilities at the IFI. JULY

AT THE IFI War The Current Our fundraising campaign is now well under way as we check out our rainforest activities on the opening night! await big changes at the IFI! But as a registered charity and The IFI Family Festival is a great opportunity to introduce not-for-profit, we need your help to help this to become a young film enthusiasts to films from all around the world, reality. This summer, the home of film in Ireland will receive most of which would not be otherwise seen. Check out a brand new look in our main cinema spaces with premium the full programme at www.ifi.ie/familyfest or in the seats, more leg room, new carpets, acoustic panelling, and separate brochure. urgently-needed repairs to our roof. Part of the funding is now in place but we need your help to complete the works. This month we are thrilled to present a full retrospective You can support us in a number of ways by: of the work of Robert Bresson, one of the most pivotal French filmmakers of all time. Determined to differentiate • Making a donation online, in our donations box or at cinema from theatre as a form of art, Bresson has made an IFI Box Office (you choose the amount!) undeniable mark on both French and world cinema. In the • Naming a seat in our new-look Cinema 1 (€300 for 3 years) planning for many years at IFI, we are pleased to now be able to bring this season to fruition, and especially to present • Becoming an IFI Member (€35/€20 per annum) his full body of work to our audiences. This is a rare • Upgrade to become an IFI Friend (from €10 a month) opportunity to immerse yourself in the cinema of one • Putting your name on our walkway with our other of the French greats. IFI Luminaries (€5000) Also, keep an eye out for the IFI Café Bar’s new summer • Asking your company to name a corporate seat menu and a special drinks and food offering on our terrace (€500 for 3 years) which is guaranteed to tickle your taste buds in fine weather • Encouraging your company to become an (if we actually get any!) IFI Corporate Member (from €1,000) Ross Keane Information on all of the above is available at ifi.ie in the ‘Join Director & Support’ section, or you can talk to any of our staff. We hope we can count on your support to help realise our plans.

The IFI Family Festival kick-starts our annual festival season and runs this year from July 26th to 28th. We have another wonderful programme lined up for our younger film fans, with films from France, India, Japan, Australia, Sweden, all told through animation and live-action. This year we’re particularly delighted to have a strong theme of nature and biodiversity running through the programme, so be sure to

3 NEW RELEASES, IFI SEASONS & DOCS & IFI CLASSICS EVENTS CALENDAR

METAL HEART FROM JUNE 28TH DATE SCREENING TIME DON’T LOOK NOW OPENS FRI 5TH 1ST IRISH FOCUS: PRISONERS OF THE MOON + Q&A 18.30 NEVER LOOK AWAY OPENS FRI 5TH MON 2ND ROBERT BRESSON: ANGELS OF SIN 18.30 VITA AND VIRGINIA OPENS FRI 5TH TUES THE BRINK OPENS FRI 12TH 4TH THE COLD BLUE 18.30 THE DEAD DON’T DIE OPENS FRI 12TH THUR OUR TIME OPENS FRI 12TH 6TH ROBERT BRESSON: LES DAMES DU BOIS 16.00 SAT DE BOULOGNE TELL IT TO THE BEES OPENS FRI 19TH 7TH ROBERT BRESSON: DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST 16.00 VARDA BY AGNÈS OPENS FRI 19TH SUN THE CHAMBERMAID OPENS FRI 26TH 8TH FROM THE VAULTS: THE LAST OF THE HIGH KINGS 18.30 THE CURRENT WAR OPENS FRI 26TH MON 9TH OPEN CAPTIONED SCREENING: DON’T LOOK NOW 13.10 MARIANNE AND LEONARD: TUES ROBERT BRESSON: A MAN ESCAPED 18.15 WORDS OF LOVE OPENS FRI 26TH 10TH OPEN CAPTIONED SCREENING: DON’T LOOK NOW 18.15 WED FEAST YOUR EYES: VITA AND VIRGINIA 18.30 12TH OPEN CAPTIONED SCREENING: THE DEAD DON’T DIE 16.00 FRI 13TH ROBERT BRESSON: PICKPOCKET 16.00 SAT PAVAROTTI & SATELLITE Q&A 19.00 14TH ROBERT BRESSON: THE TRIAL OF JOAN OF ARC 16.00 SUN 15TH THE BIGGER PICTURE: IRIS 18.30 MON Films not classified by IFCO, including festival, one-off, and special 16TH ROBERT BRESSON: AU HASARD BALTHAZAR 18.20 screenings, are exhibited under Club rules and are restricted to persons 18 TUES years and over. If you are not an IFI member, a daily membership (€1.50) is required for unclassified films, and this will be added to your transaction. 17TH IFI FILM CLUB: THE BRINK 18.15 WED † The exclusivity of films is correct at the time of print. All films exclusive to the IFI are kindly supported by the Arts Council. 18TH OPEN CAPTIONED SCREENING: THE DEAD DON’T DIE 18.15 THUR 20TH ROBERT BRESSON: MOUCHETTE 16.00 linkedin.com/company/irishfilminstitute SAT 21ST MYSTERY MATINEE 13.00 @IrishFilmInstitute @IFI_Dub SUN ROBERT BRESSON: A GENTLE WOMAN 16.00 22ND IFI FRENCH FILM CLUB: VARDA BY AGNÈS 18.20 @IrishFilmInstitute MON 23RD ROBERT BRESSON: FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER 18.20 TUES MARIANNE AND LEONARD: WORDS OF LOVE + 20.10 For bookings and film information, please see our RECORDED Q&A website, www.ifi.ie, or contact the IFI Box Office on 01-6793477 (open 12.30 to 21.00 daily). 26TH WILD STRAWBERRIES: FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS 11.00 FRI IFI FAMILY FESTIVAL 2019* 27TH ROBERT BRESSON: LANCELOT DU LAC 15.30 Open Captioned screening SAT IFI FAMILY FESTIVAL 2019* 28TH ROBERT BRESSON: THE DEVIL, PROBABLY 16.00 Audio Described screening SUN IFI FAMILY FESTIVAL 2019* 30TH ROBERT BRESSON: L’ARGENT 18.30 TUES The F-rating is a classification 31ST WILD STRAWBERRIES: FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS 11.00 reserved for any film which is WED BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: BETWEEN STRUCTURE 18.30 directed and/or written by a woman. AND AGENCY *See page 20 or the separate brochure for more details. www.ifi.ie/familyfest

4 JULY 2019

METAL RELEASE NEW HEART

FROM JUNE 28TH Fraternal twin sisters Emma (Jordanne When their parents go away for the Jones) and Chantal (Leah McNamara) summer, their simmering sibling rivalry FILM INFO: are worlds apart. Emma is Goth-ish, threatens to boil over, especially when 88 mins, Ireland, 2019, Digital self-conscious, and unsure of which their mysterious next door neighbour path to take in life; she dreams of (Moe Dunford) moves back in… starting a band with her best friend Gary (Seán Doyle), who secretly has a In his debut feature actor/director crush on her. Chantal, meanwhile, oozes Hugh O’Conor has delivered a refreshing confidence, and knows exactly where coming-of-age comedy-drama about Q&A her life is headed. a young woman which is poignant, The 18.20 screening on Friday, June 28th will be sophisticated and wise. followed by a Q&A with director Hugh O’Conor and Jordanne Jones.

DON’T CLASSIC IFI LOOK NOW

OPENS FRI 5TH Following the tragic death of their of the sisters’ intentions and their daughter, John and Laura Baxter uncanny hold over his vulnerable wife. FILM INFO: (Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie) Nicolas Roeg’s atmospheric masterpiece, 110 mins, UK-Italy, 1973, Digital relocate to wintery Venice. Whilst John based on Daphne du Maurier’s novella Notes by David O’Mahony finds a modicum of comfort working on and screening in a new 4K restoration, the restoration of a gothic church, his is both a ghost story rooted in realism, bereft wife befriends two mysterious and a psychological thriller informed by sisters, one of whom is blind and claims supernatural elements. to have psychic abilities. She also tells John that he has the same gift There will be Open Captioned screenings of ‘second sight’ and that his life is in at 13.10 on Tuesday 9th and 18.15 on grave danger. Unable to accept the idea Wednesday 10th. of the supernatural, John is suspicious

5 JULY 2019 NEVER LOOK AWAY NEW RELEASE

OPENS FRI 5TH Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The the Nazis’ notorious Degenerate Art Lives of Others, 2006) returns to recent exhibition of 1937. Years later, in what is (WERK OHNE AUTOR) German history for his Oscar-nominated now East Germany, Kurt is a sign painter third feature, an intimate epic which hoping to gain admittance to a local art EXCLUSIVELY AT IFI† explores the intersection of personal academy when he meets and falls in FILM INFO: experience, politics and art for a young love with Ellie (Paula Beer), a student of 188 mins, Germany, 2018, Digital, Subtitled couple in the years following World War fashion design, unaware that her father, Notes by David O’Mahony II. Inspired by the life of Gerhard Richter, Carl (Sebastian Koch), a former Nazi- the film traces the artistic development sympathising doctor, was responsible of Kurt (Tom Schilling), whose passion for his aunt’s death. for contemporary art was ignited by his aunt when she brought him to see VITA AND VIRGINIA NEW RELEASE NEW RELEASE

OPENS FRI 5TH Vita and Virginia details the intimate is punctuated by episodes of Virginia’s relationship between literary trailblazer psychosis creatively rendered as visual FILM INFO: Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki) metaphors; the focus however is not on 110 mins, Ireland-UK, and her muse, the novelist and her well-publicised mania but rather on 2019, Digital poet Vita Sackville-West (Gemma the relationship that emboldened her and Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn Arterton). Drawing on their passionate inspired her modernist novel Orlando: correspondence, the film celebrates A Biography. Debicki and Arterton the unconventional and intoxicating create fully-fleshed opposites in this relationship which flourished within meticulously designed period drama with Presented in association with the sexually liberated Bloomsbury a refreshingly modern score. Director Set, provoking the opprobrium of Chanya Button has created a timeless their husbands and Vita’s overbearing love story that is contemporary both in mother (Isabella Rossellini). The film its style and sensibility.

6 THE BRINK IFI DOC IFI

OPENS FRI 12TH When Steve Bannon left his position in the US, while shedding light on his as White House Chief Strategist less efforts to mobilise and unify far-right FILM INFO: than a week after the Charlottesville European parties in order to win seats in 90 mins, USA, 2018, Digital rally in August 2017, he was already a the May 2019 parliamentary elections. Notes by David O’Mahony notorious figure in Trump’s inner circle for bringing a far-right ideology into the Granted unprecedented access to her highest echelons of American politics. subject for more than a year, Alison Unconstrained by an official post, he Klayman adopts a vérité, observational became free to peddle influence as a approach, throwing back the curtain and ‘kingmaker’, turning his controversial capturing in intimate detail the world in IFI FILM CLUB Join members of the IFI team brand of nationalism into a global which Bannon operates. for an informal discussion movement. The Brink follows Bannon following the 18.15 screening through the 2018 midterm elections on Wednesday 17th.

THE DEAD RELEASE NEW DON’T DIE

OPENS FRI 12TH The zombie apocalypse comes to and uncanny phenomena, the small-town America in Jim Jarmusch’s reanimation of the dead as flesh-eating FILM INFO: typically droll comedy, for which he has ghouls being the most alarming. 105 mins, USA, 2019, Digital assembled a cast to die for. Laconic Jarmusch’s self-aware script playfully Notes by David O’Mahony police officers Ronnie (Adam Driver), Cliff references the tropes of zombie (Bill Murray) and Mindy (Chloë Sevigny) mythology laid down by George A patrol the sleepy streets of Centerville, Romero’s influential trilogy, and his where criminal activity amounts to wry film is similarly laced with barbed Hermit Bob (Tom Waits) stealing Farmer political commentary. Miller’s (Steve Buscemi) chickens. Bad times are ahead however, as polar There will be Open Captioned screenings fracking has tilted the earth’s axis, at 16.00 on Friday 12th and 18.15 on precipitating all manner of macabre Thursday 18th.

7 JULY 2019 OUR TIME NEW RELEASE

OPENS FRI 12TH Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light, Battle in him information, the dynamic quickly Heaven) turns the camera on himself in shifts, forcing Juan to examine his (NUESTRO TIEMPO) this tale of a marriage at breaking point. fragile masculinity. Reygadas and his real-life wife Natalia EXCLUSIVELY AT IFI† López play Juan and Esther, who live Incorporating beautiful, expansive FILM INFO: a peaceful yet unusual existence on a photography, Our Time is a raw 173 mins, Mexico-France- Germany-Denmark-Sweden, Mexican cattle ranch; unusual insofar exploration of a couple at a moment 2018, Digital, Subtitled as they are in an open relationship with of crisis, a story that is somehow both Notes by David O’Mahony Esther having an affair with an American quotidian yet epic in scope. horse trainer. Juan, for his part, can handle it as long as he hears how things are going, but when Natalia stops giving TELL IT TO THE BEES NEW RELEASE NEW RELEASE

OPENS FRI 19TH In a small Scottish town in the 1950s, new life into the old doctor’s house an young mother Lydia (Holliday Grainger) unexpected romance blossoms between EXCLUSIVELY AT IFI† is struggling to pay the rent as she Lydia and Jean, but in a small town raises her son, Charlie, whose father where secrets are hard to keep, the FILM INFO: returned from the war but never returned consequences of their love soon become 108 mins, UK, 2018, Digital Notes by Saidhbh Ní Dhúlaing to them. When they finally get evicted, clear. Director Annabel Jankel weaves the local doctor Jean (Anna Paquin), a tale of forbidden love in this romantic who has recently come back to take period drama based on the novel by over her deceased father’s medical Fiona Shaw. practice, comes to the rescue providing accommodation and work while also igniting a new passion for beekeeping in Charlie. As the three of them breathe

8 VARDA BY AGNÈS DOC IFI

OPENS FRI 19TH Whether behind the camera, or in front of Full of illuminating wisdom, moving it as she often was, Agnès Varda always stories and amusing anecdotes, (VARDA PAR AGNÈS) eschewed a conventional approach. In Varda by Agnès is a revealing self- her final work, the multi-award-winning portrait of a pioneering figure with an FILM INFO: 115 mins, France, 2018, filmmaker takes the audience on a uncompromising vision, a knowing Digital, Subtitled journey through her remarkable life and attitude to her eccentric persona and Notes by David O’Mahony career in her characteristically open a compassion and respect for people, and contemplative yet playful manner. especially those living on the margins Recordings of public appearances and of society. conversations with her collaborators are interwoven with film clips and Tickets for the 18.20 screening on Monday installation footage as Varda considers 22nd cost just €7.80 for IFI and Alliance her work as a director and visual artist. Française members.

THE RELEASE NEW CHAMBERMAID

OPENS FRI 26TH Eve (Gabriela Cartol) is a reserved young shell. Adopting a quasi-documentary woman working as a chambermaid in approach, Lila Avilés's striking debut (LA CAMARISTA) a luxurious hotel in Mexico City. It’s feature, which restricts the action exhausting work, the hours long, leaving almost exclusively to the hotel, EXCLUSIVELY AT IFI† her little time to see her four-year-old observes Eve’s daily routine – FILM INFO: son, but Eve hopes her diligence will be it baby-sitting the child of a bratty 102 mins, Mexico-USA, 2018, Digital, Subtitled secure for her a coveted position as Argentinian guest, or flirting with Notes by David O’Mahony the cleaner on the prestigious, newly- the hotel’s window cleaner – whilst refurbished 42nd floor. She enrols poignantly conveying the impersonal in the hotel’s adult literacy course yet intimate act of cleaning up and befriends the vivacious Miriam after strangers. (Teresa Sánchez), a co-worker who valiantly attempts to coax her out of her

9 JULY 2019 THE CURRENT WAR NEW RELEASE NEW RELEASE

OPENS FRI 26TH Fuelled by the intense rivalry between entrepreneurial Westinghouse, his less electricity titans Thomas Edison flamboyant competitor, convinced of FILM INFO: (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George their unique solutions. Director Alfonso 108 mins, USA, 2017, Digital Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), The Gomez-Rejon makes an impressive leap Current War tells the dramatic story of in scale here from his much-admired the late 19th century race to light up debut Me and Earl and the Dying Girl America. Edison confirmed his status as (2015), the eye-catching visual style a self-proclaimed genius in 1879 when he employs being a testament to his he conducted the first successful light association with Martin Scorsese, bulb tests, declaring an end to night as Michael Mann and Alejandro González people knew it. The wide distribution of Iñárritu, on whose films he apprenticed. electricity proved a daunting challenge however, with both Edison and the MARIANNE AND LEONARD: WORDS OF LOVE IFI DOC NEW RELEASE

OPENS FRI 26TH Leonard Cohen met Marianne Ihlen, his footage, the film follows their relationship Norwegian muse, on the Greek Island from its beginnings on the island, an FILM INFO: of Hydra in 1960. They fell in love and innocent time of ‘free love’ and open 98 mins, USA, 2018, Digital their complex relationship endured in marriage, to its collapse under the weight Notes by David O’Mahony its various forms up to their deaths in of Leonard’s growing celebrity status. 2016 which were separated by just three months. Cohen was still a poet at the There will be a special preview screening at time, having not yet made the transition 20.10 on Tuesday, July 23rd, followed by a to recording his writings as songs, and recorded Q&A with director the bohemian lifestyle shared by the Nick Broomfield. artistic community on Hydra was the perfect environment for his work to flourish. Featuring wonderful archival

10 ARCHIVE AT IRISH FOCUS LUNCHTIME Messing with the Kids

GROOVY MOVIES PRISONERS OF THE MOON Join us for daily free films from the IFI Irish Film MON 1ST (18.30) Archive. Simply collect tickets at IFI Box Office – please see www.ifi.ie for more information. This drama/documentary tells the story of Arthur Rudolph, a scientist who played a key role in PROGRAMME ONE NASA’s historic 1969 moon landing. Rudolph was MESSING WITH THE KIDS: POP MUSIC one of over 100 Nazi V-2 rocket engineers secretly AND YOUTH CULTURE IN IRELAND brought to America in 1945 to work on the Cold War missile programme. He became a key figure in Father Brian D’Arcy, speaking from a vinyl-pressing NASA's space race, but was arrested in Toronto in plant in Dublin, explores the influence of the rock 1990 on suspicion of being a war criminal. and pop industry on young people. This remarkable film includes concert footage of Rory Gallagher The dramatised trial (featuring Jim Norton and interviews with Joe Dolan, Shay Healy, Gilbert and Cathy Belton) animates this revelatory O’Sullivan and the mother of a Bay City Roller! documentary which uses archive material, expert FILM INFO: Radharc, 27 mins, Ireland, 1977, Digital witness interviews, and the testimony of Jean Michel, a slave labour survivor of the subterranean PROGRAMME TWO wartime V-2 Rocket factory where some 20,000 GREENISLAND ROCK people died. A day in the life of John, a 1950s enthusiast who As the 50th anniversary celebrations of the established a Rock’n’Roll society in the village of NASA moon landing continue, this is the story of Greenisland, County Antrim. The film show three America's desperation to beat Russia to the moon generations of John’s family making posters, at all costs. visiting a Carrickfergus record shop, and tailoring outfits for the weekly gathering of the society The screening will be followed by a Q&A with where they jive the night away to the music of The director Johnny Gogan and writer Nick Snow. Alley Cats, a leading Belfast rockabilly band. FILM INFO: Roy Spence, 22 mins, Northern Ireland, 1982, Digital DIRECTOR: Johnny Gogan FILM INFO: 75 mins, Ireland, 2019, Digital Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn

For more on the 50th anniversary of the moon landings, see Apollo 11 which opened on June 28th.

11 Pickpocket

ROBERT BRESSON Despite a relatively small body of work consisting of His films are infused with spiritual themes, often thirteen feature films made over forty years, Robert attempting to examine issues of redemption and Bresson is one of the most revered and pivotal of salvation, and how the individual’s place in broader French filmmakers. Determined to differentiate society may affect the possibility of achieving either cinema from theatre as a form of art, one with state. While his films are undeniably serious and its own distinct rules and power, Bresson honed frequently challenging, Bresson’s œuvre is equally over the course of his career an ascetic style that undeniably one of the most sublime in cinema history. eschewed the traditional use of elements such as scoring and professional performances. It was Introduction and notes on individual films by Kevin his belief that this would speak to a rawer and Coyne. A multi-film pass, 5 films for €45, is available more credible truth of a character’s experience or directly from the IFI Box Office. situation. The precision and efficiency with which Bresson approached and co-ordinated every aspect of his films makes each a concentrated experience that is nonetheless rich in resonance and metaphor beyond the ostensible subject matter.

conventional film, nonetheless contains ANGELS thematic concerns that would take on OF SIN greater prominence throughout his later work. In a Dominican convent whose members are dedicated to helping women adjust following their release from prison, novice Anne-Marie (Renée TUES 2ND (18.30) Faure) takes under her wing Thérèse (Jany Holt), who, unbeknownst to the (LES ANGES DU PÉCHÉ) young nun, has murdered the man she Bresson’s first experience as director believed responsible for her unwarranted FILM INFO: came when making his only short film, incarceration. In its study of the complex 80 mins, France, 1943, 35mm, the perhaps unexpectedly comedic interplay between conscience and faith, Subtitled, Black and White Affaires Publiques (1934). Nine years the film makes for a fascinating parable. later, he began his career proper with his first feature, Angels of Sin, which, although generally considered his most

12 ROBERT BRESSON

relationship by feigning disinterest, LES DAMES believing that this will inspire him to DU BOIS DE fight for her affection. To her horror, this backfires when Jean, with relief and BOULOGNE enthusiasm, agrees that he only wishes to continue as friends. Her plan for vengeance involves manipulating Jean SAT 6TH (16.00) to fall in love with and marry Agnès (Elina Labourdette), a former prostitute, believing that the ensuing scandal will FILM INFO: Bresson’s second film, featuring 83 mins, France, 1945, 35mm, bring about Jean’s ruin. Ultimately, Subtitled, Black and White dialogue by Jean Cocteau, marked Bresson posits that the redemptive the last time he worked solely with a power of love can overcome the darkest cast of professional actors. Hélène of motivations. (María Casares), fearing that lover Jean (Paul Bernard) is cooling in his ardour, attempts to rekindle the flame of their

an idealistic young man on his first DIARY OF A assignment. Rather than receiving COUNTRY a warm welcome from his new parishioners, he is met with suspicion PRIEST and contempt, borne at least in part of a zealous commitment to his vocation and dedication to his faith that is SUN 7TH (16.00) reflected in his ascetic lifestyle. Tested at every turn, the film observes how this man’s spiritual ideals offer comfort (JOURNAL D’UN CURÉ DE A creative turning point in the director’s CAMPAGNE) in a cruel world that seems to provide career, Diary of a Country Priest little in the way of grace. FILM INFO: sees the emergence of what is now 115 mins, France, 1951, Digital, identifiable as the Bressonian style Subtitled, Black and White in its use of voiceover, sound, editing, and his first ‘actor-model’, Claude Laydu. Laydu plays the titular priest,

despite the rigour of his filmmaking A MAN style, Bresson’s work was nevertheless ESCAPED deeply personal in its subject matter. A film about hope and perseverance in the face of despair, Fontaine (François Leterrier) is the man who must either accept his imprisonment and its TUES 9TH (18.15) inevitable outcome or find a way to save himself. The visual supersedes the verbal in a sparse yet intimate film, and Bresson (UN CONDAMNÉ À MORT A Man Escaped is based on the memoirs S’EST ÉCHAPPÉ OU LE proves a master at creating suspense of André Devigny, a member of the from the simplest of materials. VENT SOUFFLE OÙ IL VEUT) French Resistance who broke free from FILM INFO: Montluc prison. As Bresson himself had 101 mins, France, 1956, 35mm, been imprisoned by the Nazis for being Subtitled, Black and White part of the Resistance, the film can be seen as yet another example of how,

13 ROBERT BRESSON

to provide a regular stream of income, PICKPOCKET despite his obvious abilities to source a livelihood through more legitimate means. He is encouraged by Jeanne (Marika Green), a friend’s lover, to visit his poor and ailing mother more regularly, but refuses. He is SAT 13TH (16.00) also pursued by a police inspector determined to punish him for his crimes. Michel is a character conflicted FILM INFO: Bresson’s first original screenplay 76 mins, France, 1959, 35mm, between his determination to live Subtitled, Black and White concerns Michel (Martin LaSalle), outside societal laws and morality who, on realising the pleasure he and his desire to assimilate these derives from his initially clumsy very values and integrate into the acts of stealing, falls in with a group broader community. of more experienced petty thieves, quickly acquiring the skills necessary

of institutions when threatened, and THE TRIAL of the refusal or inability of individuals OF JOAN OF ARC to recognise the existence of genuine grace and faith when it presents itself. In contrast to what he called the “grotesque buffooneries” of Dreyer’s The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928), SUN 14TH (16.00) this is a more austere retelling of events, with Florence Delay in the (PROCÈS DE JEANNE D’ARC) lead role in particular offering a more With dialogue culled entirely from subdued, though no less powerful, FILM INFO: contemporaneous transcripts of Joan’s portrayal than that of Maria Falconetti 65 mins, France, 1962, Digital, trial itself, Bresson’s film operates in the earlier film. Subtitled, Black and White on one level as a simple but gripping courtroom drama. However, given the nature of the material, it may also be seen as an indictment of the corruption

Priest in its focus on a figure who is AU HASARD subject to abasement at the whims of BALTHAZAR practically all he meets, Balthazar’s suffering is mirrored by that of his first owner, farmer’s daughter Marie (Anne Wiazemsky, making her screen debut), who must undergo her own TUES 16TH (18.20) trials and tribulations at the hands of others. The film is filled with allusions to Christianity, many of which are open to FILM INFO: Subject matter as seemingly 96 mins, France-Sweden, 1966, numerous possible interpretations, not 35mm, Subtitled, Black and White unpromising as the life of a donkey from least in its deeply moving final scene. birth to death in fact offered Bresson the opportunity to explore the broad canvas of human cruelty and the rarity of kindness, altruism, and self-sacrifice. Reminiscent of Diary of a Country

14 Living with her alcoholic father and MOUCHETTE bedridden mother, Mouchette (Nadine Nortier) must care for her infant brother and the household. Shunned by her classmates and scorned by her teacher, she takes solace in nature. Following a sexual assault at the hands of a poacher SAT 20TH (16.00) who wishes to use her for an alibi, she makes a final decision that, although ambiguous in its depiction, seems to FILM INFO: Bresson’s second adaptation of a novel 81 mins, France, 1967, 35mm, point to the hollowness of the belief Subtitled, Black and White by Georges Bernanos (the other being in a better life to come. Diary of a Country Priest), Mouchette is a bleak coming-of-age tale in which a young girl already burdened with too many responsibilities realises that adulthood will offer her no respite.

leaping from her apartment balcony A GENTLE to her death. Her husband Luc (Guy WOMAN Frangin), a pawnbroker, tries to understand what motivated her to commit suicide by recounting the tale of their courtship and marriage to their maid, Anna (Jeanne Lobre). Although SUN 21ST (16.00) the narrative perspective does not shift from that of the husband, Bresson’s (UNE FEMME DOUCE) camera allows us to see the details Bresson’s first film in colour, adapted the character missed, indicating a FILM INFO: from a short story by Dostoyevsky, disconnect between the couple that 88 mins, France, 1969, is here presented in a new digital reflects the director’s greater concern Digital, Subtitled restoration. It begins with Elle with the detachment between the (Dominique Sanda’s film debut, spiritual and the material. although she, like Anne Wiazemsky, would go on to an illustrious career)

name. Young artist Jacques (Guillaume FOUR NIGHTS des Forêts) encounters Marthe (Isabelle OF A DREAMER Weingarten), who is about to jump from Paris’s Pont Neuf. It is revealed that Marthe had been driven to despair on discovering that her lover had returned to Paris and made no effort to contact TUES 23RD (18.20) her. Jacques arranges to meet her over the following nights, after which time the two profess their feelings for each (QUATRE NUITS D’UN Bresson began his fifth decade RÊVEUR) other. The disparity between Jacques’s of filmmaking with another loose idealism and Marthe’s level-headedness FILM INFO: adaptation of Dostoyevsky, this time of is resolved in a manner typical of 87 mins, France-Italy, 1971, his short story White Nights, previously the director. Digital, Subtitled adapted for the screen by Luchino Visconti in his 1957 film of the same

15 ROBERT BRESSON

to Camelot following the failure of LANCELOT their quest for the Holy Grail, they are DU LAC presented as bitter and disappointed rather than noble or heroic. The reunion of Queen Guinevere (Laura Duke Condominas) and her lover Sir Lancelot (Luc Simon) proves disappointing when SAT 27TH (15.30) he reveals he has sworn an oath to end their adulterous affair, believing his recent failure to be God’s punishment FILM INFO: Bresson’s rendering of Arthurian 83 mins, France-Italy, 1974, for his misdeeds. However, the rumours Digital, Subtitled legend is, despite the romantic regarding the two spread by Mordred potential of the material, a typically (Patrick Bernhard) ultimately lead to a spare and unflinching look at the more earthly form of retribution. dichotomy between the individual’s best and worst behaviours. As the Knights of the Round Table return

and unstoppable path towards its THE DEVIL, own destruction. Despite the bonds he shares with friends and lovers, he PROBABLY is unable to take solace from them, nor from religion or psychoanalysis. Bresson’s pessimistic depiction of the disillusionment of a generation of young SUN 28TH (16.00) intellectuals searching for meaning resonates today, particularly in the light of their fledgling concerns about the (LE DIABLE When the body of a young man is found PROBABLEMENT) environmental changes wrought upon in Paris, there are conflicting reports the planet, making for a film that retains FILM INFO: as to whether it was murder or suicide. its power to unsettle. 96 mins, France, 1977, 35mm, In flashback, the final six months in the Subtitled life of the deceased, Charles (Antoine Monnier), are recounted. Charles feels that humanity is on a self-made

disastrous consequences for a group L’ARGENT of connected individuals when a forged 500 Franc note circulates amongst them, initially as a prank. Hapless deliveryman Yvon (Christian Patey) unwittingly attempts to use it in a restaurant where the forgery is discovered, leading to his TUES 30TH (18.30) imprisonment. His determination to exact revenge sets in motion a further chain of events that leads to a downbeat FILM INFO: Bresson’s final film is perhaps his most 84 mins, France-Switzerland, and uncompromising ending that 1983, 35mm, Subtitled overt tract warning of the lures of serves as a fitting close to a remarkable money and materialism, questioning the body of work. concepts of conscience and corruption, and innocence and guilt in a society motivated by greed. Based on Tolstoy’s novella The Forged Coupon, it follows the

16 FROM THE VAULTS THE LAST OF THE HIGH KINGS

MON 8TH (18.30)

DIRECTOR: Set in 1977 Dublin, and based on the played with gusto by Catherine O’Hara. David Keating popular novel by Ferdia Mac Anna, The He is mentored in life skills by his visiting FILM INFO: Last of the High Kings features a young American cousin (Christina Ricci) who 102 mins, Ireland, 1996, 35mm Jared Leto as Frankie Griffin, a fun-loving teaches him the value of following his Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn teenager who, in his post-Leaving Cert own dreams. Stephen Rea, Gabriel summer of uncertainty, just wants to Byrne, and Colm Meaney join this stellar hang out with his friends, listen to Thin young cast in director David Keating’s Lizzy and win the attention of local well-observed, often hilarious portrait of women. Top of his list are Protestants rudderless youth. Romy Thomas (Emily Mortimer) and The screening will be her friend Jayne Wayne (Lorraine introduced by writer Ferdia Pilkington), much to the annoyance of Mac Anna. his highly-political republican mother,

BRIEF ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN STRUCTURE AND AGENCY

WED 31ST (18.30) Portrait of a Stone

EVENT INFO: This programme of experimental short Sharon Whooley’s Distance (2018), 65 mins, Ireland, 2011-2018, Digital works examines different facets or Doireann O’Malley’s A dream of becoming Notes by Alice Butler experiences of agency to consider 24 eyes, 4 parallel brains & 360 vision what occurs when it is compromised, (2014) and Ronan McCrea’s reclaimed, expanded or channelled Autodidact (2011). elsewhere. The programme looks particularly, but not exclusively, at the This programme, curated by Alice role of the film protagonist and their Butler and distributed in the UK by LUX struggle to find and maintain a fixed film distributors, is an initiative of IFI place as cinematic subject. Recent films International, and is made possible with by Irish artists to screen include Saoirse the generous support of the Culture Wall’s Sticky Encounter (2016), Laura Ireland GB18 programme. Fitzgerald’s Portrait of a Stone (2018),

17 WILD STRAWBERRIES FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS

FRI 26TH & WED 31ST (11.00)

DIRECTOR: While the fish out of water trope is Wild Strawberries is our film club for over Chris Foggin nothing new in cinema, it gets refreshed 55s. Tickets: €4.45 including regular tea/ FILM INFO: here by Daniel Mays as Danny, tough coffee before the event. If you happen to 112 mins, UK, 2019, Digital music exec extraordinaire, waylaid on a look younger, please don’t take offence if Notes by Alicia McGivern stag weekend in a Cornish fishing village we ask your age. and pranked into convincing the local fishermen’s sea shanty group that they could record a hit single. Based on the real-life chart success of the Port Isaac acapella group, this heartfelt and upbeat film is sure to get your feet tapping.

FEAST YOUR EYES VITA AND VIRGINIA

WED 10TH (18.30)

DIRECTOR: July’s pairing of a new release and a intoxicating relationship which flourished Chanya Button specially devised main course menu will within the sexually-liberated Bloomsbury FILM INFO: be Chanya Button’s Vita and Virginia, Set, provoking the opprobrium of their 110 mins, Ireland-UK, 2019, Digital followed by a specially created main husbands and Vita’s overbearing mother Notes by Sunniva O’Flynn course in the IFI Café Bar. (Isabella Rossellini). Debicki and Arterton create fully-fleshed opposites in this Vita and Virginia details the intimate meticulously designed period drama relationship between literary trailblazer with a refreshingly modern score. Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki) and her muse, the novelist and poet Vita Sackville- Tickets €21, free list suspended. West (Gemma Arterton). Drawing on their passionate correspondence, the film celebrates the unconventional and

18 PAVAROTTI + SATELLITE Q&A

SAT 13TH (19.00)

DIRECTOR: The 1990 World Cup in Italy was the iconic public persona to reveal the Ron Howard moment opera left the elite and hit private man. With unique access to the FILM INFO: the masses. Luciano Pavarotti, José Pavarotti family archives and extensive 170 mins, UK-USA, 2019, Digital Carreras and Plácido Domingo’s powerful live music footage, we see Pavarotti’s rendition of Nessun Dorma lives on as personal story emerge from his humble one of the most popular and famous beginnings in Northern Italy through to pieces of music ever, and Pavarotti global superstardom. realised his long-held dream of bringing opera into the mainstream. Tickets €12. Oscar-winning director Ron Howard takes an intimate approach in telling Pavarotti’s story, going beyond the

THE COLD BLUE

THURS 4TH (18.30)

DIRECTOR: The Cold Blue is a new feature-length and minus 60-degree temperatures. Erik Nelson film, digitally restored, constructed from All the odds were stacked against FILM INFO: the material of 34 reels of raw colour returning home alive. 102 mins, USA, 2018, Digital footage shot during bombing missions in Germany. This footage allows the audience to fly alongside the last surviving heroes who Captured by William Wyler, it was flew, who fought and who risked their originally shot for the 1944 documentary lives. This event will be paired with an The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying exclusive behind the scenes look at the Fortress. This extraordinary, never- making of The Cold Blue. before-seen material puts you 30,000 feet over Nazi Germany, battling killer flak, enemy fighters,

19 THE BIGGER PICTURE IRIS

MON 15TH (18.30)

DIRECTOR: On the actual centenary of her birth, the years when her brilliant mind was Richard Eyre great Dublin-born writer and philosopher tormented by Alzheimer’s. FILM INFO: Iris Murdoch will be commemorated 91 mins, UK-USA, 2001, Digital across the city with various events. To introduce the film, award-winning Notes by Alicia McGivern For this month’s Bigger Picture, we concert pianist Finghin Collins will speak are showing this moving drama, of his love of Murdoch’s novels and how based on the biography by Murdoch’s he believes her to be one of Ireland’s husband, John Bayley. The magnificent finest 20th century writers, deserving performances from Judi Dench and of wide recognition and celebration. Oscar winner Jim Broadbent capture the complexity of the author, from student days through to her long relationship with Bayley, and the harrowing later

IFI FAMILY FESTIVAL 2019

JULY 26TH – 28TH Boy Storm

Spread your film wings this summer with Biodiversity and conservation play a our great IFI Family Festival programme. part too, in our rainforest-set minibeast Stop off in Japan for a brand new anime, opening film and Sunday’s closing film. or touch down in the wilds of Australia; With Irish premieres and big screen root for Sune in Sweden, or for feisty escapades, whatever the weather, you Ladhaki girl Chuskit in India. can see the world this July at IFI. However different the setting, many of Tickets cost €5.50 per person the films we’ve chosen share a common per film, with a family ticket (2 adults, theme of characters trying to find their 2 children / 1 adult, 3 children) available own way against family traditions. for just €16.50. For full details, see our separate brochure or log on to www.ifi.ie/familyfest.

20 CLICK! CLICK!

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