Irish Film Institute -STAGING THE TREATY: A RECORD OF THE REENACTED DEBATES SCREENING AT THE IRISH FILM INSTITUTE (IFI) ACROSS ONE WEEKEND IN OCTOBER

STAGING THE TREATY: A RECORD OF THE REENACTED DEBATES SCREENING AT THE IRISH FILM INSTITUTE (IFI) ACROSS ONE WEEKEND IN OCTOBER

August 30th 2023: Staging the Treaty, staged by ANU Productions in December 2022 and filmed by Tiny Ark, screens in four parts at the Irish Film Institute (IFI) this October 7th – 8th, as part of Dublin Festival of History. Tickets are free for this special in-cinema presentation, while each four parts of the filmed production are also available to rent on IFI@Home nationwide, and IFI International globally.

In December 2022, ANU Productions presented Staging the Treaty as a live theatre production over four nights, bringing to life one of the most significant events in Irish history: the Dáil Debates of 1921/22 in Earlsfort Terrace. With a script from Theo Dorgan, and directed by Louise Lowe, the production was produced by Lynnette Moran and Matt Smyth, with an ensemble cast of 45 including some of Ireland’s leading actors. The production was presented as part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012 – 2023, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and was filmed by the production company Tiny Ark. This special screening in the IFI is part of Dublin Festival of History 2023.

Speaking on presenting this historical epic on screen at the IFI, Head of IFI Irish Film Programming Sunniva O’Flynn said, ‘We commend ANU Productions for their foresight in recording this marathon theatrical feat which is of such immense historical importance. Louise Lowe and production company Tiny Ark have crafted four long-form films which will allow IFI cinema audiences to seamlessly immerse themselves in the original and reenacted dramas at Earlsfort Terrace.’

Poet and writer Theo Dorgan spent over three years working with the original contributions to the debates on the Anglo-Irish Treaty documents, and encourages the audience to ask, ‘How could we have come to this? What brought the country to this descent into the dark?.‘ The theatre presentation was described by Lyn Gardner (The Guardian) as ‘a rare thing, a genuinely site-specific, scorching production’; Staging the Treaty demands historical investigation as well and interpersonal insight of the Irish people and nation.

TICKETS

• Staging the Treaty cinema screenings (October 7th & 8th) are free but ticketed, with tickets available at the IFI Box Office or over the phone at 01 679 3477. More info: www.ifi.ie/staging-the-treaty/
• IFI@Home rentals (available from October 7th) cost €4.99 each, with all four parts available for €14.99, here: www.ifihome.ie/page/staging-the-treaty/
• IFI International rentals cost €4.99 (available from October 7th) or international equivalent, with all four parts available for €14.99 or international equivalent, here: www.ifiinternational.ie/page/staging-the-treaty/

IFI is principally funded by the Arts Council.

IFI CINEMAS TODAY


The IFI is supported
by The Arts Council

Arts Council of Ireland