We are delighted that this film will open the proceedings for the final weekend of Spotlight: New Irish Film at the IFI with a Gala Screening on April 26th (18.30) and a Q&A with Walsh and cast member Charlene McKenna, followed by a wine reception.

Set in Derry on New Year’s Eve, and drawing focus on a cast of predominantly young actors, this Romeo & Juliet-type tale, not unlike the Baz Luhrmann production in terms of energy and visual style, is smart, sprightly, and adeptly constructed.

Effectively conveying the carnival feel of the night in question and making atmospheric use of its particular sense of momentum, Jump quickly establishes the relationship at its core between Greta (Nichola Burley) and Pearse (Martin McCann), who meet by chance on a bridge while the rest of the city is wrapped up in revelry.

The instant attraction between them however, is thwarted by an unwelcome connection in the form of Greta’s father, one of the city’s most brutal criminals. While the couple attempt to overcome and escape this, Greta’s friends – mirthfully played by Charlene McKenna and Valene Kane – run into dire straits of their own that alter but unite all four lives irrevocably. (Notes by Alice Butler.) 

Spotlight: New Irish Film at the IFI runs throughout April.