January 12th 2022: As part of the fifth Night of Ideas, the Irish Film Institute (IFI) and the French Embassy in Ireland are delighted to present a special hybrid screening of Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier’s documentary The Velvet Queen on Wednesday, January 26th. Tickets are now available from www.ifi.ie and www.ifihome.ie.
The Night of Ideas is a worldwide initiative spearheaded by Institut Français celebrating the stream of ideas between countries, cultures and generations.
The Velvet Queen, which world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Cinema for the Climate section, shows Vincent Munier, one of the world’s most renowned wildlife photographers, taking the adventurer and novelist Sylvain Tesson (In the Forest of Siberia) with him on his latest mission. Set on the wild Tibetan plateau, Munier and Tesson explore valleys trying to spot rare wildlife including the rare and elusive snow leopard.
Commenting on this year’s hybrid screening, IFI Director Ross Keane said, ‘Having been a collaborator on the Night of Ideas since its very first year in Ireland, the IFI is delighted to once again work with the French Embassy on this global event. For this fifth edition, we have decided to put the spotlight on the critical topic of climate through the presentation of The Velvet Queen following its premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. This event also builds on the enormous success of our annual IFI French Film Festival which takes place each November, and caters for the appetite that our audience has for French cinema. We’re delighted that not only will the event take place in screen at IFI, but also on our new streaming platform, IFI@Home.‘
French Ambassador Vincent Guérend added, ‘The French Embassy is thrilled to continue its partnership with the Irish Film Institute for the Night of Ideas on the topic of the environment. France is very engaged on climate issues and we wish to engage even further with our Irish friends and highlight this matter in our cultural cooperation. Through breathtaking images, this film captures the essence of powerful and beautiful nature and questions the place of man in the living world. Wherever you are in Ireland, I invite you to join us on this journey and together celebrate our planet and La Nuit des idées.’
The cinema screening will be accompanied by a virtual introduction from Mariam Diallo, Cultural Counsellor at the French Embassy.
Cinema tickets for Wednesday 26th at 17.45 are available from www.ifi.ie/film/ifi-night-of-ideas-the-velvet-queen. IFI@Home rentals are available to pre-order from www.ifihome.ie/film/ifi-and-night-of-ideas-the-velvet-queen; the film will be available to rent from 18.00 on Wednesday 26th until 18.00 on Thursday 27th.
The IFI acknowledges the support of the Arts Council.
The IFI is supported
by The Arts Council