OCTOBER AT THE IFI

September 26th 2022: This October, the Irish Film Institute (IFI) presents a selection of exciting new Irish and international releases, including Holy Island, The Banshees of Inisherin, Vicky and Decision to Leave. From Thursday 27th to Monday 31st, IFI Horrorthon returns, offering audiences the chance to enjoy an enticing programme of horror films and documentaries, new and old, in IFI Cinemas. The IFI marks Black History Month with a selection of events in-cinema, alongside a curated offering of titles available nationwide on IFI@Home throughout the month of October.

In new releases, Pure Grit, a thrilling documentary focusing on extreme bareback horse racing, screens at the IFI from Friday, September 30th. The opening night screening at 6.20pm will be followed by a Q&A with director Kim Barley hosted by John Connors.

Opening at the IFI on Friday October 7th are Nothing Compares, the new documentary highlighting the career and impact of Irish musician Sinéad O’Connor; The Lost King, depicting the remarkable discovery of King Richard III’s remains under a carpark in Leicester in 2012; and Vicky, which captures the incredible story of Irish activist Vicky Phelan. The opening night screening at 6.30pm will be followed by a Q&A with director Sasha King.

Screening in IFI Cinemas from Friday 14th is All Quiet on the Western Front, a new World War I-set drama hammering home the futility of war and conflict and Emily, an evocative and progressive period drama which imagines the early years of author Emily Brontë. Holy Island, a feature exploring the weighty themes of exile, loss and unreliable memory, is funded through the Arts Council’s Authored Works initiative and also screens from Friday 14th. The opening night screening of Holy Island will be followed by Q&A with director Robert Manson.

Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, a deliciously knotty, Hitchcockian romantic thriller, Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and The Good Nurse, which dramatises the story and apprehension of Charles Cullen, one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history, screen in IFI Cinemas from Friday 21st. Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning Triangle of Sadness, which satirises the world of influence and excess through the lens of a cruise gone wrong, screens at the IFI from Friday 28th.

This month, the IFI marks the occasion of Black History Month throughout October with a range of events which serve to highlight the importance of Black voices in Irish contemporary society and in Irish film and screen spaces. On Wednesday 5th, new documentary portrait of the late, great Sidney Poitier, Sidney, screens in IFI Cinemas, and for audiences nationwide, a curated season of films by Black filmmakers will be available to view on our online streaming platform, IFI@Home from Saturday 1st, with titles including Within Our Gates, Young Soul Rebels and Miss Juneteenth.

The IFI in partnership with UNAPOLOGETIC will host a curated screening of Black and Irish short films and a Visibility and Representation in Film and Media panel discussion on Sunday 16th.

From Thursday 27th to Monday 31st, IFI Horrorthon welcomes audiences to the first fully-fledged, unrestricted festival since 2019. To celebrate, this year’s event will focus on the theatrical experience, and the pleasure of enjoying a good, communal scare as part of an excited audience
of fellow fans, and offers a mouthwatering programme of the best new films available from all over the world, as well as fascinating documentaries and classic titles from some of the genre’s greatest directors. Full programme to be announced soon.

In event screenings, Below the Belt, an eye-opening documentary on endometriosis, screens at the IFI on Thursday 6th, followed by an engaging panel discussion with the director, government leaders, medical experts and more. On Saturday 15th, Yung Chang’s This Is Not a Movie, which captures the life of late journalist Robert Fisk, screens in IFI Cinemas, followed by a Q&A.

This month’s Irish Focus strand presents Folds (Klostės), a black and white, non-verbal feature film created by the people of Kaunas, Lithuania, together with Irish artist and filmmaker, Aideen Barry, screening in-cinema on Monday 10th, followed by a director Q&A.

This month, IFI Family presents a screening on Sunday 23rd of Even Mice Belong in Heaven, a stop motion puppet animation following two mortal enemies, a mouse and a fox, as they find themselves in animal heaven together. Also screening on Sunday 23rd, October’s Mystery Matinee offers audiences the chance to see a surprise film, new or old, for only €6.

In October, From the Vaults will feature Inis Fáil – Isle of Destiny, an early essay-style film of significant historical interest written by James Plunkett for the BBC in 1971, screening on Thursday 13th for free in association with the Dublin Festival of History – tickets available from IFI Box Office. This month’s Archive at Lunchtime programme, Island Lives, focuses on archive pieces which capture how Irish islands have intrigued filmmakers since cinema began, screening every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday in October.

The Bigger Picture strand presents a screening on Wednesday 19th of Walter Murch’s Return to Oz on stunning 70mm, with an introduction from director Aislinn Clarke. This month, Wild Strawberries, the monthly film club for over 55s, offers screenings of Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho on Wednesday 26th and Friday 28th, and a special screening of The Noble Call, a filmed theatre piece which powerfully explores the trauma that can surface when life is drawing towards its final scene. This screening is followed by a Q&A with the director, writer and actors, tickets available for €7.

From October 2nd to 8th, GAZE Online returns to IFI@Home following the festival’s in-cinema programme, offering audiences across the Republic of Ireland a chance to delve into smart, innovative queer cinema from the comfort of their own homes.

Tickets for new releases and special events are on sale from the IFI Box Office on (01) 6793477 and from www.ifi.ie, as per the IFI’s Weekly Schedule. Online rentals from IFI@Home are available at www.ifihome.ie. For further information and high-res images, please contact Casey Hynes (chynes@irishfilm.ie) at the IFI Press Office.

FROM FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH
Pure Grit

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH
Pure Grit + Q&A

FROM SATURDAY 1ST
Black History Month on IFI@Home

SUNDAY 2ND – SATURDAY 8TH
GAZE Online (IFI@Home only)

WEDNESDAY 5TH
Black History Month: Sidney

THURSDAY 6TH
Below the Belt + panel discussion

FROM FRIDAY 7TH
Nothing Compares
The Lost King
Vicky

FRIDAY 7TH
Vicky + Q&A

MONDAY 10TH
Irish Focus: Folds

THURSDAY 13TH
From the Vaults: IFI & Dublin Festival of History: Inis Fáil – Isle of Destiny

FROM FRIDAY 14TH
All Quiet on the Western Front
Emily
Holy Island

FRIDAY 14TH
Holy Island + Q&A