Irish Film Institute -Once Upon a Time in a Cinema

Once Upon a Time in a Cinema

Director: David Gleeson


In a small-town cinema in 1984, harassed owner and manager Earl Clancy (Colin Morgan) battles an escalating series of personal and professional disasters over the course of the Friday 8pm show from hell, while mulling over the sale of the cinema to a shady politician. Can he really walk away from his life’s passion? Acclaimed filmmaker David Gleeson (Cowboys and Angels, The Front Line) brings a witty, light-hearted, sometimes frenetic night at the movies in this authentic-feeling drama.

World Premiere: Dublin International Film Festival, 2026

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