BEALTAINE FILM SEASON – WILD STRAWBERRIES FILM CLUB.

THE ANNUAL BEALTAINE FILM SEASON RETURNS WITH A DIFFERENT FILM SCREENED AT THE WILD STRAWBERRIES FILM CLUB EVERY FRIDAY IN MAY. ALL THE FILMS IN THE SEASON HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO INSPIRE AUDIENCES TO TRY SOMETHING NEW AND STRIKE THEIR OWN NOTE.

Grow Your Own will open the Film Season on Friday 2nd May at the IFI with an introduction by Helen Dillon and a Q&A on gardening afterwards. access > CINEMA will then tour the film to over 35 venues across Ireland. This gentle comedy concerns a group of enthusiasts who grow vegetables on a quiet plot of land. When three refugee families are given plots on the same allotment, the locals initially meet them with hostility and suspicion, but through shared experience they come to realise that they’re not so different after all. The season will continue at the IFI on Friday 9th May with O’ Donoghue’s Opera & Flea Ceoil, a hilarious film that features Ronnie Drew and The Dubliners. This will be followed by Orchestra Seats (Fauteuils d’orchestre) on Friday 16th May, a light hearted comedy set in Paris about a young woman working as a waitress on the swish Avenue Montaigne that sees her mixing with actors, musicians and backstage hands. Ballets Russes will be screened the following Friday 23rd May. This is an enthralling documentary that gives an intimate portrait of a group of pioneering artists – now in their 70s, 80s and 90s – who gave birth to modern ballet. A juicy tale of jealousy, rivalries and clashing egos, Ballets Russes is sure to be of interest even to those with no previous interest in ballet! Finally, there will be two screenings of Me and My Gal, a classic in which Gene Kelly made his debut collaborating with director Busby Berkeley and producer Arthur Freed. It will be screened on both Wednesday 28th and Friday 30th May. Screenings at the IFI are free to anyone over 50 but tickets must be booked in advance through the IFI box office 01 679 3477.The Irish Film Institute is very proud to announce that the Wild Strawberries Film Club continues to grow. We would like to be able to welcome as many members as possible and are now looking for volunteers who might be available to help us administer the smooth running of the screening. Would you be interested in helping us run the film club? If you think you would be able to commit to three hours three times a year, please let us know at wildstrawberries@irishfilm.ie or 01 612 9407. We would love to have you as part of our Wild Strawberries team! Bealtaine is the national arts festival celebrating creativity in older age. The festival encourages greater participation in the arts by older people as artists and performers, as event organisers and audience, everywhere from national institutions to local parish halls. The ethos is one of fun, empowerment and exploration. access>CINEMA is the resource organisation for regional cultural cinema exhibition in Ireland. For further information on the film tour please visit www.accesscinema.ie