This film screened on Wednesday 8th March 2017.

A multi event-pass for the John T. Davis retrospective is available (4 events for €35) by contacting the IFI Box Office by phone or in person ONLY – 01-6793477.

The Uncle Jack is at once a portrait of John T. Davis’s maternal uncle John McBride Neill, the Ulster cinema architect who from the 1930s to the 1960s designed 18 cinemas in the province, and a self-portrait of Davis himself. It was ‘The Uncle Jack’ who catalyzed Davis’s passion for filmmaking. “Jack was like a second father to me, and when he died, he left so much to me, his house, his inventions, his musical instruments, but most importantly, the 8mm camera that was to change my life forever.”

Through a montage of dramatic reconstructions, abstract sequences, contemporary narrative and diverse archival sources, Davis’s moving tribute to Jack is bound up with a deeply personal statement about the power of obsession and the drive towards creativity.

Director John T. Davis will introduce this screening.

This screening is part of Peripheral Visions: John T. Davis, A Retrospective taking place from March 8th – 22nd.