Director John Ford’s long-lost classic ‘Upstream’ is to be screened for Irish audiences for the first time when it receives its Irish premiere on Friday (June 8) as part of this week’s John Ford Ireland Film Symposium.
Made in 1927, the burlesque comedy was unearthed by film archivists in 2009 at the New Zealand Film Archive, where it lay hidden for over 80 years. It was considered among over 60 feature films from the legendary filmmaker’s early career that were lost forever.
Now housed in the archives of the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the world’s only 35mm print copy of the feature will receive only its second European screening when it receives its Irish premiere at the IFI in Dublin at 5pm. It was previously screened in Spain last year.
Film historian Charles Barr, emeritus professor at the University of East Anglia, will introduce the film, which is being presented by the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA). Pianist Conor Lenihan will provide live musical accompaniment.
Speaking of the Irish premiere of ‘Upstream,’ IFTA chief executive Áine Moriarty said: “The importance of this extraordinary discovery of Upstream in 2009 cannot be overstated and the John Ford Ireland Film Symposium is delighted to provide Irish audiences with the opportunity to see John Ford, the master filmmaker, in the early days of his career.”
Charles Barr added: “The theatrical setting for ‘Upstream’ makes a fascinating contrast to the Western and Irish settings of other Ford films: a reminder of the exhilaratingly wide range of his work, and of the importance of his roots in silent film. This is an unmissable screening."
The Irish premiere of John Ford’s ‘Upstream’ takes place this Friday (June 8) at the John Ford Ireland Film Symposium (which runs 7- 10 June). Tickets €8.00 / 7.00 with Charles Barr introduction at 5pm. Purchase tickets at www.johnfordireland.org or www.ifi.ie
