The festival has announced a focus on Irish cinema in the My First Film section of the programme, which nominates a European county and its debut films.
With My First Film: Ireland, curator Nenad Polimac also intends to mark the festival's involvement in the series of events dedicated to this year’s Centenary celebrations.
Featured filmmakers include Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan and Lenny Abrahamson.
Nenad Polimac, Programme Curator:
“We have gathered an impressive array of true Irish debut films, which next to Crowley’s ‘Break’ and Abrahamsons ‘Adam & Paul’ includes ‘Angel’ by the biggest Irish celebrity director Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan’s ‘My Left Foot’, a double Oscar winner (Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker) and the modernist crime comedy ‘The Guard by John Michael McDonagh, the brother of the famous playwright and film director Martin McDonagh. A must-see line-up of films.”
Jordan’s debut Angel (1982) starring Stephen Rea is set in Northern Ireland and precedes iconic Irish titles such as ‘The Butcher Boy’ (1997) and ‘Intermission’ (2003).
‘My Left Foot’ (1989) is the debut feature from Jim Sheridan, which earned Irish Actor Daniel Day-Lewis both BAFTA and Oscar wins. Sheridan’s work to follow included ‘In the Name of the Father’ (1993) and ‘In America’ (2002). Lenny Abrahamson’s ‘Adam & Paul’ (2004) also features in the line-up, with the project also marking the ‘Room’ director’s feature debut.
My First Film: Ireland is brought to you in association with the Irish Embassy and Irish Film Board.
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