July at IFI

July looks set to be an extraordinary month of three special directors’ seasons and our annual IFI Family Festival. It’s going to be busy!

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is one of the world’s most exciting and unique filmmakers working today, and during July and August audiences in Dublin will have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in a major retrospective of his cinematic works at the IFI (from July 16th) and a multimedia exhibition at IMMA (For Tomorrow For Tonight, opening July 27th). Apichatpong came to the IFI in November for a special preview of his 2010 Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, and captivated the audience that night with an eloquent and thought-provoking discussion of his work. We are delighted then to be welcoming him back to the IFI on July 23rd for an in-depth interview about his career with Dr. Maeve Connolly. This is a free event presented in collaboration with IMMA and one not-to-be-missed.

The Tree of Life

There are some great films out this month and prize winners abound. The much-anticipated 2011 winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, The Tree of Life, hits our screens and, to mark the momentous event that a new Terrence Malick film represents, we are showing three Malick classics: Badlands, The Thin Red Line and The New World.

A Separation astounded audiences at this year’s Berlin Film Festival (picking up the Golden Bear) and confirms an increasingly strong position for Iranian cinema on the world stage. Poetry was one of the most memorable films from Cannes last year, and is a powerful and masterful portrayal of an older woman’s struggle to find her place in Korean society; and the master of modern cinema Jean-Luc Godard brings us what he claims to be his last ever film: Film Socialisme.

Light of the River at the IFI Family Festival

The IFI Family Festival opens on July 14th, bringing our young film fans a packed four days of the best films from around the world, as well as workshops and free festival activities in the foyer. Art, music and technology group Synth Eastwood join us again for the opening night with a free spectacular interactive family event followed by the delightful, award-winning Japanese animation Light of the River. Other festival highlights include: A Shine of Rainbows, a family drama set on the west coast of Ireland; In the Attic, a beautifully crafted stop-motion animation from Czech animator Jirí Barta;  Wind and Fog, a heart-rending film about a 10-year-old boy from Iran; and our closing French film, On the Sly, about a young girl’s adventures in a forest. Don’t just come for the films – join us for plenty of fun and exciting workshops, ranging from stop-motion animation, claymation and illustration to a large scale public graffiti art project and an interactive beast hunt around Temple Bar. Each day will be packed with choices for children of all ages. Check online for details of the full programme or pick up one of the festival programmes in the IFI.

And, finally, we are delighted to welcome back GAZE International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival with a special Fassbinder season presented in collaboration with the IFI.

Weerasethakul, Fassbinder and Malick all in one month – only at the IFI!

Sarah Glennie
Director