Dissatisfied with the routine of her work and social life, working-class hairdresser Rita (Julie Walters) yearns for intellectual stimulus. She signs up for an Open University Course and is assigned a jaded and dissolute tutor, Frank Bryant (Michael Caine), a self-described “appalling teacher”. Willy Russel’s adaptation of his stage play provides a lively and lovable character for Walters to inhabit, while Michael Caine provides a deadpan foil to her exuberance. Their performances earned each of them Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe recognition. Though exploring class, privilege and inequity within the British education system, the film was shot almost entirely in Dublin – in Trinity, Stoneybatter, Ringsend and in Maynooth.

The film chimes thematically with “Snowflake”, this year’s excellent One Dublin One Book choice, wherein Debbie, a young country girl, encounters challenges in navigating the social quagmire of TCD. With an introduction from Louise Nealon, author of “Snowflake”.

This event is free but ticketed. Tickets can be collected from IFI Box Office, booked online (€1 booking fee), or by phone (01 679 3477).