Irish Film London’s season of hopeful Irish films has welcomed live audiences back to London cinemas this August.
Eight Irish filmmakers will showcase their short films at the final screening of The Irish for Hope series on 22 August.
The series, organised by Irish Film London which champions Irish film and animation in the UK, encouraged live audiences back to cinemas following Covid-19 closures. The programme features Irish stories imbued with hope for new beginnings, better tomorrows and the goodness that can be found in humanity – and the first two screenings at Rio Cinema in early August were sold out.
The Irish for Hope series will end with a showcase of short films from young, emerging and award-winning filmmakers across many genres including animation, documentary, comedy and drama.
The shorts programme will be screened at 3:45pm on Sunday 22 August at Rio Cinema and feature:
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Travel Bud by Niall Farrell – the debut animated film from the Dublin-based filmmaker which has already been selected for 19 film festivals and won three awards.
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Tea by Paul Mulgrew – a romantic comedy with a twist on the great tea versus coffee debate that has been selected for the BBC’s ‘Two-minute Masterpiece’ series and is available on BBC iPlayer.
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Jellybabies by Sophia Cadogan – a drama about a bereaved woman that was written during lockdown and filmed in the Wicklow Mountains in just two days.
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Caravan by William Anderson – a London Film School MA graduation film shot in neo-Western style and featuring actors John Lynch and Madeleine Dunbar.
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Building the Arc by Pat Boran – a poetic documentary filmed on a smartphone that explores the essential relationship between humans and our companions in the natural world.
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Tears to the Sea by Luciana Baseggio and Emma Smith – a bi-lingual film by Brazilian cinematographer and director Luciana Webber Baseggio and IADT Dublin graduate Emma Smith that follows a woman’s journey to meet her estranged father.
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Pogonophobia by Thomas Ryan – a comedy drama that addresses the little-known but truly debilitating fear of beards. It won Best LGBTQ Short Film at Berlin Short Film Festival 2021.
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Leave the Road Behind You by Daniel Butler – an Irish language coming-of-age drama that won the Lumi Award at the Belfast Film Festival 2020.
The screenings are part of Film Feels Hopeful (www.filmfeels.co.uk), a UK-wide cinema season, supported by the National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network, that celebrates films’ unique ability to connect us and inspire hope.
Gerry Maguire, Head of Irish Film London, said: “The Irish for Hope series showcases some of the most inspiring feature films and shorts from new and established Irish filmmakers.
“We’ve really missed the communal experience of watching films together and hope audiences join us back in cinemas to enjoy these films on the big screen where they belong.”
Ben Luxford, Head of UK Audiences at the BFI, said: “We’re delighted that the Film Feels UK-wide film programme provides a welcome opportunity for audiences to experience something different with exciting new voices and a showcase of in-venue screenings and activities, as well as online events, with the support of the BFI Film Audience Network. Film Feels Hopeful will allow a diverse mix of organisations across the country to express their creativity and programming ambitions. This will enable venues and programmers to amplify new stories and reconnect with audiences following the challenges of Covid-19 for the exhibition sector, all supported thanks to National Lottery players.”
Tickets for The Irish for Hope screenings are available now at www.irishfilmfestivallondon.com/ifl-2021-events. Irish Film London members can attend the events free of charge. Full details about membership are available at www.irishfilmfestivallondon.com/become-a-member.