Ahead of the full programme being announced on May 10th, John Ford Ireland has confirmed that along with special Guests, Screenings, Discussions, Masterclasses, Lectures, workshops, Music and Song this year’s 2013 Ford gathering will also see insight into Ford’s indelible influence on French cinema with a contingent of French filmmakers travelling to Dublin, headed up by the legendary French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier - one of the most celebrated directors in French cinema.
Tavernier will discuss his lifetime of work and the influence of Ford on his long and acclaimed career – a career which has seen him make over 25 feature films which include ‘A Sunday in the Country’, ‘Round Midnight’, ‘Death Watch’ and ‘Life and Nothing But’. He has received major accolades across the world for his work including BAFTA, Golden Bear, Best Director at Cannes Film Festival and European Film Awards.
Tavernier has spoken frequently about his love for John Ford and his influence and how Ford’s work was a huge source of inspiration for him. The director, as a young critic for the French publication Cahiers du Cinema, interviewed Ford in the 1960’s and reflecting on the iconic director has said; 'I always wanted to be a director, ever since I was about 13 or 14 years old. I think perhaps it was John Ford's Fort Apache and She Wore A Yellow Ribbon that suddenly made me realise that the director wrote with images.'
The four-day Symposium and Festival, will announce further details shortly including screenings, Industry Hub panels, interviews and workshops to honour and celebrate the legacy of the great Irish-American director who created such Hollywood masterpieces as ‘The Quiet Man’ and ‘The Searchers’.
About the John Ford Ireland – Film Symposium & Festival
The John Ford Ireland – Film Symposium & Festival takes place on June 6-9th and is cited as one of Ireland’s key cultural events taking place in 2013. The annual event celebrates the powerful legacy of the Irish-American Director John Ford, considered one of the world’s greatest Filmmakers – who’s films continue to influence and inspire young filmmakers and contemporary filmmaking across the globe. Last year’s inaugural symposium attracted a wide range of industry luminaries, craftspeople, veterans, academics and film lovers, reflecting, discussing and learning with a fresh understanding of Ford’s true impact and influence on Cinema with his monumental body of work spanning 6 decades with 140 feature films, 80 Documentaries and a record number of Academy Awards for Director.
The Ford & France aspect of the Programme is presented in association with the French Embassy of Ireland & Alliance Française.
Information about John Ford Ireland is available here.
