Director Dylan Mohan Gray on his new documentary 'Fire in the Blood'

"What drove me to spend so many years working on Fire in the Blood knowing, even in the worst, loneliest moments, that this would almost certainly be the most important thing I would ever do in my life…" Dylan Mohan Gray, director of Fire in the Blood, which will screen EXCLUSIVELY at the IFI (February 21st - 28th), discusses why he felt he had to make this film and why he is particularly pleased it will screen in Ireland. 

I tend to be a fairly laconic character, but must confess that I was truly thrilled when I heard that the Irish Film Institute would be screening my film, Fire in the Blood, over the course of eight days in February. In fact, I insisted on coming for opening night, because somehow I have long suspected that people in Ireland would, and will, really and truly connect with the story and message of this film. More times than I can count I have met Irish people working on health projects in different parts of Africa, in particular with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and have invariably been deeply impressed with the energy, fierce commitment and good humour with which they were fighting the good fight for global public health and basic human rights. A few people have also mentioned to me lately that Ireland is home to Europe’s largest pharmaceutical industry, at least on a per capita basis, and that possibly adds another wrinkle to the great sense of anticipation I feel in bringing this film to audiences in Dublin.

Fire in the Blood has been a nearly six-year journey for me, though its roots go back at least a few more years before that, to an article I read in Sri Lanka back in 2004. Initially I had no intention whatsoever of making a film on this subject, but started reading obsessively about it out of pure curiosity, and soon found myself deeply shocked and angered… first of all because I was ashamed to admit I knew virtually nothing about what was clearly an episode of immense historical significance, and secondly because such scant attention had been paid to it, that no book or film provided a comprehensive account of it, and that the entire story was quickly fading into the mists of time, virtually without a trace.    

       

Fundamentally, however, what made me see that there was a great film in all this, what caused me to lay awake thinking about it and finally one day to take the fateful decision to try and make it, despite having no expertise in non-fiction, was my enduring fascination with the ins and outs of the story, and more importantly the incredible cast of characters who played key roles in it.  

That is what drove me to spend so many years working on Fire in the Blood  knowing, even in the worst, loneliest moments, that this would almost certainly be the most important thing I would ever do in my life… for me this film has so many fascinating and inspirational aspects which take it far beyond the realm of HIV/AIDS, of global public health, world trade, commerce and even the wider field of human rights.  This is a story about money and power, how we treat one another as human beings, but also how any single one of us can rise above the cynicism and casual inhumanity which surrounds us all the time and decide to change the world for the better, no matter how daunting the adversary. Even after so many years, I still find that idea incredibly uplifting and empowering.    

Dylan Mohan Gray will attend the opening night screening at 18.20 on February 21st and take part in a Q&A. Book now or call the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477.

Do we really need rom-coms this Valentine's Day?

The annual event that is St Valentine's Day. A day laced with cynicism as the red balloons start to blanket Dublin and every shop is adorned with teddy bears and red hearts. Valentine’s Day conjures up images of the traditional date night: going to the cinema and a bite to eat, or cuddling up and watching a movie with the fire roaring. But does there really need to be a rom-com in there? Here are my top three, anti-Valentine films.....

Shame  

A handsome New Yorker with a compulsive addiction and a fear of intimacy, this is the bare faced reality of the wounded shunning his past trying to belong to a world that’s slowly destroying him. Evocatively shot and beautifully directed by Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender gives a raw and compelling performance, turning any romantic notions of the world he inhabits on its head. Definitely more of a second date movie...

Fatal Attraction

Another theme of obsession, this tense thriller can still make a grown man shudder. Happily married man Michael Douglas has a weekend fling with his co-worker (Glenn Close) which goes horribly sour when she refuses to let  the relationship end.  His life quickly turns into a nightmare with a healthy dose of blackmail, stalking, and kidnapping. A good warning for any intendant adulterer/adulteress. Recommended for a night in with some rabbit stew...

Cyrus

Is this a truly modern love story? In honour of the wonderful John C Reilly who did an exclusive Q&A here at the IFI last weekend, Cyrus has to be on the list. Directed by the stalwarts of mumblecore -  Jay and Mark Duplass - this is the story of a divorced  and lonely middle aged man, who on the encouragement of his ex-wife, finds new love with a single mother, only to encounter a rival in the form of her unhinged son Cyrus. Nobody plays the downtrodden but determined romantic like Reilly with such delicacy and humour.

Shauna Lyons

Public Affairs & Marketing Director

Lucky for us, all three of these titles are available in the IFI Filmshop, so after your Valentine’s dinner at the IFI Café Bar, grab yourself a copy and leave Sleepless in Seattle for another day.

Last Men Standing

With so many movies being shot on digital these days, is it the end for film cameras? New documentary Side by Side, produced by Keanu Reeves, investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation. We talked to Paul Markey, IFI Projectionist, about the importance of grainy 35mmm film, old-school projectors and the future of cinema exhibition.   

Side by Side, screening from February 15th - 21st at the IFI

What’s so special about 35mm? Don’t we all care for quality and convenience these days? 

It’s not as cut and dried as you would imagine. 35mm and, more specifically, all its flaws became the universal cinema aesthetic these last hundred years. ‘Flaws’, such as graininess, can now be instantly corrected by digital conversion – in the case of old films, or never exist at all – in the case of new movies shot digitally. I think we are in a time of evolution in what is regarded as a quality picture. Many old films have been converted to digital with awful results – scrubbed of their grain and all slick and shiny. Even new movies, shot and released digitally, can suffer certain blandness when the final picture ends up on screen. So what defines a ‘quality’ image is in flux and has never been more in the eye of the beholder.

Becoming a projectionist doesn’t sound like an obvious career choice. Why did you choose this job? 

My father instilled in me a love of movies, so it's in my blood. Retired now, he worked as a Stand In and assistant to actors (he was Daniel Day Lewis' assistant on My Left Foot and got kicked in the face by Sean Connery during The Great Train Robbery). I supposed that's been my indirect root to show business!  I hate popcorn, but I like to write and am a bit of a night owl so I found a home in projection booths.  Plus ultimately, it’s the projectionist not the director, who has final cut!

Are all projectionists obsessed with cinema – you must have seen hundreds if not thousands of films?

The biggest surprise I found when first working in a cinema was that most people weren't film fanatics.  It was just a job. This is true of many projectionists, or they might be tech-heads and like working with the equipment.  For me it is all about the films. Embedded in that is a drive to put the picture on screen in the correct ratio - many cinemas take a very flippant approach to this, especially when it comes to trailers - and decent sound levels (harder than you think!). After serving time in a multiplex for 10 years, I realised that one's taste can become polluted and standards systematically lowered.  One has to strike a balance between the fast food of movies and the nourishment of film.  I love all genres and all types.  Some of my all-time favourites would be:  O Lucky Man, Subway, Yeopgi Girl, Sons of the Desert, Police Story, California Split, Mr. Vampire.

Working in the projection room, you’re watching the audiences’ backs from above. Any memorable stories to tell or any anecdotes from the dark side to share? 

Adults tend not to look up at where the light is coming from, but kids do all the time.  Over the years I've seen fights break out, been blinded by laser-pens, seen whole screens thrashed by thugs (on the opening night of the Veronica Guerin movie, the audience cheered and clapped when she was shot and wrecked the screen when the credits rolled). Oh, and the ratio of Irish male pattern-baldness remains about 3 to 1!  Don't get me started on cell phones...

The IFI is the only cinema in the country screening films in all possible formats – from Digibeta, DVD, Blu-ray and DCP, to 8, 16, 35 or 70mm. Why is it so important to maintain all these different forms of projection?

‘Grainy film’, as I mentioned at the start, is a flaw that is now an aesthetic element of the film picture.  This debate continues to rage as film stock is converted to DCPs and Blu-ray. The grain can be easily removed, but should it?  Also as regards digital, there is still little future-proofing.  I could easily lace up and project a film print struck 50 years ago, but decades from now will hard drives, servers and file compression be the same?  Nope.  It’s a big problem facing digital preservation.  In the short term we've gained a lot.  Many films are being restored and distributed widely thanks to the cost-effectiveness of digital cinema but we face big questions in the long term.  Our Blu-ray players and servers require regular updating as the file structure software changes, or they cease to function.  The lumbering film projectors, with a dash of oil and a bit of care, have been turning for years and will, at least in the IFI, continue to do so.

Side by Side is opening from February 15th – 21st, EXCLUSIVELY at the IFI. There will be a special screening of The Last Projectionist on February 16th (14.30) & 17th (16.20). 

Saidhbh Ni Dhulaing, IFI Membership Officer, talks about IFI Membership and explains its many benefits to customers . . .

An IFI membership is not a hard thing to encourage people to sign up for, something I soon learned having started as IFI Membership Officer recently. In fact, if you go to the cinema at the IFI even just 3 times a year, you’d be almost foolish not to opt for it.

First of all let’s look at cinema tickets - IFI members receive up to 15% off cinema tickets and our concession members (that’s pensioners, unemployed and students) receive an even greater reduction, almost 25% in fact. 

Imagine for a minute that you are an IFI Member, and you come to see Tarantino’s Django Unchained this Friday night at the IFI. As a regular customer you will pay €8.90 (still good value for Dublin city on a Friday night it has to be said) but as a member you will only pay €7.70, and as a concession member you will pay a mere €6.70. You can bring up to 3 friends with you who will also receive this cheaper ticket price, so you’ll be saving your friends money too.

Django Unchained showing from January 18th 

As well as reduced prices you receive loyalty points each time you spend at the IFI – 8 points for every €1 (double the amount received when using a Loyalty Card without membership). Loyalty points can be exchanged for cinema tickets once you have enough as each point equals 1c, so 670 points for example will get you a free ticket worth €6.70 and so on.

Did I mention you also collect those loyalty points every time you eat or drink at the IFI Café Bar, and each time you buy something in the IFI Film Shop? You also get a 10% discount at both of these fine establishments when you flash your membership card.*

IFI Café Bar

Once you’ve signed up (which you can do online, at our Film Shop or at the Box Office) you’ll receive a free cinema ticket meaning your first visit as a member will be ... free! You can also get a free monthly programme delivered to your home, a weekly ezine and the chance to win free tickets to a members-only preview screening every month.

In short, at this time of year when money can be tight, an IFI membership gives you a cheaper option for a great night out and an opportunity to be inspired by fascinating and award-winning films all for only €25 a year or €15 concession.

If you want to know more visit, see our IFI Membership page or you can contact me, Saidhbh Ni Dhulaing.

* discount in Café Bar is for max two diners and amount must be over €10

Christmas Shopping ideas from the IFI Film Shop

Christmas is in sight and you’ve no shopping done? Time is short but the pressure is on to find that special gift and despite the global realm of internet shopping you fear you’ll end up grabbing random gifts in your local shopping centre on Christmas Eve? You may not have considered it but the IFI Film Shop could be the antidote to your Christmas gift anxiety. In addition to carrying a broad range of DVDs and books relating to film which make perfect stocking fillers, it also has some quirky gems and beautiful, limited edition gifts that could be just the ticket for that Cinephile in your life. 

Here are three I hope I will find under my tree this year.

One of my favourite items in the IFI Filmshop is a beautifully framed print of James Mason as rebel leader Johnny McQueen, which is a production still from the classic Irish film Odd Man Out (€100, with proceeds going to the IFI Irish Film Archive preservation fund). This image, which is one of the thousands preserved by the IFI Irish Film Archive as part of its stills and document collection (and reproduced with kind permission of ITV) is from the noir thriller directed by Carol Reed, who later made the Third Man with Orson Welles.

Roman Polanski proclaimed Odd Man Out the greatest film ever made, praising its intriguing mix of styles, Reed married the classic film noir aesthetic with surrealist sequences giving the film a dreamlike, claustrophobic quality; that signature film noir visual style; dramatic lighting creating heavy shadows and an unusual unbalanced composition are used to great effect in this image and make it an arresting and worthy addition to any cinema aficionado’s abode. The IFI Irish Film Archive’s Document Collection includes film stills, posters and production materials, relating to Irish films and many of the images from this collection can be ordered as framed pictures (where copyright allows) making  striking and unusual gifts for a discerning film fan.

Another beautiful gift for those interested in film history is the collector’s edition of the Shepperton Studios book (€40) which was released by Southbank publishing to celebrate the Shepperton’s 75th anniversary this world famous studio. 

This special limited edition of the book comes in a presentation box, is numbered and is one of only 750 copies published. With exclusive contributions from directors, actors and producers and including over 300 stunning images, this book is the first comprehensive, illustrated account of the history and influence of  the legendary British studio where some of the most successful films ever produced were made , including such classics as The Third Man, The Omen, Alien, Gladiator and 2001 A Space Odyssey. This special collectors’ edition includes extras such as a Facsimile of an original Flicker Book (the success of which helped Norman Loudon create Shepperton Studios) A reprinted copy of the film campaign brochure for 70s classic The Wicker Man, and an exclusive DVD featuring trailers from 12 major Shepperton Films , making it all the more covetable and worth repeated investigation.

My final pick is lavish a book from the Taschen Directors’ Archive series The Ingmar Bergman Archives; (€100) for over 30 years Taschen have been producing imaginative and beautifully presented books about art, but even by their impeccable standards this work is remarkable.

Ingmar Bergman who has been considered one of the leading figures in international cinema since The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries were released in 1957, wrote, produced and directed 50 films in a career that spanned 60 years, addressing the fundamental questions of our existence such as mortality, faith, loneliness and fear. For this project Bergman collaborated with the authors up until his death in 2007, gave full access to his archives and granted permission for his writings and interviews to be reprinted. Picture researcher Bengt Wanselius (Bergman's photographer for 20 years) discovered previously unseen images from Bergman's films and from the personal archives of many photographers. The book features an introduction by Bergman's friend, and collaborator Erland Josephson, a full chronology, filmography, and bibliography, a DVD full of rare and previously unseen material and an original  film strip from the 1982 film Fanny and Alexander (1982) that has been played on Bergman's own film projector.

This is the most detailed examination of  Bergman’s life and work ever published and one that The Guardian’s film critic Philip French described as "a sumptuous volume of unsurpassable excellence, the greatest-ever study of a movie director".

Kasandra O'Connell

Head of IFI Irish Film Archive

IFI Film Shop - opening hours: Mon – Tues 11am – 7pm, Wed – Sat 12pm – 9pm, Sun 1pm – 7pm (extended opening hours in December!). Also open Christmas Eve!

Follow the IFI Film Shop on Twitter (@IFI_FilmShop)

The season of giving…

As much as I find it hard to believe that it’s December once again and we’re about to embark on another festive season, I’m going to have to face facts and accept that I’m another year older and have a lot of Christmas shopping to get through! The IFI Film Shop is always a good place to start. There are plenty of gift ideas I could talk about (IFI Membership and IFI Gift Cards are no-brainers!) but I’m going to pick out three things that I’ll be snapping up in the coming days.

First up is a must-have for any cineaste. I simply love the films of Michael Haneke. Showing currently at the IFI is his latest Palme d’Or winning Amour which has to be one of the best films of 2012. It has really given me the appetite to rediscover some of his earlier films. The Films of Michael Haneke box set (€60) is a ten disc collection and includes his entire filmmaking career (with the obvious exception of Amour). There are so many classics in there. I can still recall the chilling masterpiece and the sheer discomfort watching The White Ribbon, or the unsettling atmosphere in the thriller Hidden (Caché) starring our recent Festival guest Juliette Binoche, and only recently I saw for the very first time the uncompromising Funny Games which screened during our IFI20 Landmark Films Season. So this box set is a must have for any Haneke fan and it even includes the fascinating documentary 24 Realities per Second.

Next up is a DVD from one of my favourite Irish filmmakers, Pat Collins. Many of you may have seen his recent film Silence which is an utterly spellbinding piece of filmmaking. His 2011 film, Tim Robinson: Connemara (€14.99), is a sixty minute film based on three Connemara books and is an exploration of landscape, history and mythology. It’s a beautiful film and perfect for any lovers of the West.

As we’re about to embark on a full and comprehensive retrospective of all of Hitchcock’s 52 films (in the biggest season the IFI has ever undertaken) and in advance of the release of the new biopic Hitchcock, it’s a great time to read Paul Duncan's Alfred Hitchcock. The Complete Films (Taschen) or Looking for Alfred by Johan Grimonprez. Both make a fascinating read and a marvellous way to truly get to know the man behind some of the famous thrillers ever made.

Happy shopping!

Ross Keane

Director  

  

Recollections from 1978 to 1984

On the occasion of the launch of Film Focus: New Directions in Film and Media Literacy for Young People, IFI Education's two-year action research project, Ciarán Benson writes about film education as one of the core activities of the IFI over its last 20 years. 

In addition to its recently commemorated 20th birthday, the IFI also has a 30th anniversary looming in 2013.  The IFI was officially incorporated as the Irish Film Institute in 1983. The years leading up to that have their own little history, one reflective of the changes at work in Irish society from the 1970s. The Arts Council, under the leadership of Colm O’Briain, was a particularly energetic and exciting body at that time.  It was a time when older categories of ‘fine’ art were being jostled by newer ones seeking recognition. Film was one of these upstarts. It was also a time when those seeking societal change were strongly committed to the idea that profound change could be instigated by energetic and thoughtful transformations of the education system. 

During 1978 I worked on a project for the Arts Council to reposition the arts in Irish education. The young David Collins (Now Managing Director & Producer of Samson Films), then Literature and Film Officer with the Council, and I taught a course in film ‘theory’ (having taught ourselves in the preceding weeks!) at an annual meeting of the Irish Film Society in the La Touche Hotel in Greystones in the summer of 1978. Following this, it was Davy’s idea that we should seek to become board members of the then National Film Institute at 65 Harcourt Street and use it as a vehicle to advance film and film education. Founded by Archbishop McQuaid in 1943, and incorporated in 1945 with a view to keeping a close eye on the moral dimensions of film and to promote its educational and training potential it had, I think it is fair to say, largely run out of steam by the late 1970s. But it owned its building and the board controlled that ownership. In a word, it had potential.

IFI Family Film Festival 2011

Following our – uncontested – election to the board in late 1978 (or early 1979?), Davy and I set about co-opting new members and re-imagining the Institute. We quickly co-opted Kevin Rockett (now Professor in Film Studies, TCD), Donal Fitzsimons (currently in the School of Education, UCD) was already there. Liam O’Dwyer (now CEO of the Irish Youth Foundation), Luke Gibbons (currently Professor of Irish Literary and Cultural Studies, NUIM), Niamh O’Sullivan (later Professor of Visual Culture, NCAD), and a young encyclopaedist of film from Tralee, the late Michael Dwyer (distinguished Irish Times film critic), amongst others, joined us in the years following.

We were all in our twenties/early thirties, lovers of film, and optimistic about the ways in which Irish society might be changed for the better. With a shoestring budget we appointed a director (Malachy O’Higgins) who was quickly succeeded by a second Director David Kavanagh who remained until the IFC/IFI was firmly established in Eustace Street. A particularly important appointment was our first education officer Martin McLoone (currently Professor and Director of The Centre for Media Research, University of Ulster) in January 1980.

It is fair to say that two very different tendencies met on that NFI board representing very different views of Ireland, yet my memories are that the tone of our board meetings was affable and often amusing. From the outset we committed ourselves to advancing film education and, with Martin McLoone on board, we immediately instituted summer courses of the La Touche kind.  

In July 1980 the first Summer School was held at Clongowes Wood College. It was themed Film Studies: The Irish Context and had over 90 students. The following year’s theme, also at Clongowes, was Film Noir. Evening courses for teachers and the general public began early on, and soon publications began to appear like Television and Irish Society (edited by Martin McLoone and John MacMahon, based on the papers from the 1984 Summer School) and Every Picture Tells a Story: Introduction to Visual Literacy (1985). The first Television Summer School, in cooperation with RTE, was held in the ‘green room’ at RTE in July 1983. 

I was Chairman from 1982 to 1984. By 1982 the board was committed to changing from the National to the Irish Film Institute. I remember the meeting at which all emblems of the NFI’s denominational history were removed and the course of the future IFI was clearly charted. It was never easy since money was always short and the times were tough. We received comradely encouragement from the British Film Institute and from the BBC’s educational services. 

In 1983 the IFI took over the running of the IFT (The Irish Film Theatre, formerly The International, on Earlsfort Terrace) and changed it from a rep cinema to a 'first run' art cinema. Despite some notable box-office successes (Heat and Dust, for example) it was not a great success. What it did, however, was to confirm that the IFI needed its own screens and by late 1985 The Quakers Meeting House on Eustace Street was identified as being a potentially ideal new home.

Eventually, under subsequent boards chaired by Kevin Rockett, and with farseeing support from The Arts Council, the move to Eustace Street became possible.  Proceeds of the sale of 65 Harcourt Street were, like a dowry, instrumental in attracting the funds for the IFC.  

In these differently challenging times, little histories like this should remind us that we never know how far the ripples of enthusiasm can reach. 

Ciarán Benson

Emeritus Professor of Psychology, UCD

Read more about IFI Film Focus report.