Irish Film Institute -The Swell Season

The Swell Season

Director: Nick August-Perna, Chris Dapkins, Carlo Mirabella-Davis


A simple, heartfelt love story about two musicians meeting on the streets of Dublin and falling in love while they write songs together, Once is one of the most celebrated and treasured Irish features of recent times. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who played the protagonists in the film and composed its soundtrack, memorably won Academy Awards for their musical collaboration. In a case of life imitating art, the pair fell in love, recorded an album together and embarked on an international tour. Beautifully presented in black and white and featuring wonderful performances from stages around the world, this intimate documentary follows the couple as they deal with the pressures of fame and the impact it has on their relationship. The Swell Season is as moving and disarming as the film that first bought Hansard and Irglová to the attention of the world.

Notes by Michael Hayden

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