Over the course of the final weekend of Spotlight: New Irish Film at the IFI, there will be two panel discussions focussing on new Irish film.

20:20 Visions: New Directions in Irish Cinema (April 27th) 
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the reestablishment of the Irish Film Board/Bord Scannán na hÉireann, we invite a number of Irish film directors to consider the substantial body of film work that has been produced in Ireland over the past 20 years and to reflect on new directions for Irish cinema today. Dr Díóg O’Connell (IADT/author of New Irish Storytellers: Narrative Strategies in Film) will be joined by stalwart Jim Sheridan, Kieron J. Walsh (Jump), Carmel Winters (Snap), Juanita Wilson (As If I Am Not There) and Mark O’Connor (King of the Travellers) to explore their sometimes conflicting perspectives on the role of Irish cinema in shaping Irish identity. 

A National Cinema in the Global Age? (April 28th) 
What have been the highlights of the Irish film industry over the last two decades? What films have shaped discussions about Irish cinema? What sectors of the industry has the national agency for film, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) supported and developed? Should the IFB support a culture or an industry and is it possible to support one without the other? These and related questions will be the basis of a panel  discussion among film commentators including Roddy Flynn, Dr. Harvey O’Brien, Neasa Hardiman and Steve Woods chaired by Tony Tracy, NUI Galway, which aims to acknowledge the breadth of the Irish film industry’s accomplishments as well as the purpose and priorities of the IFB. 

Simply book your FREE seat by contacting the IFI Box Office in person, on 01 679 3477 or by emailing boxoffice@irishfilm.ie (Given that events can sell out, please note that your emailed booking requests must be confirmed by reply email from the Box Office in order to be considered valid.)