Irish Film Institute -International Film Directory – Film Listing

Once Upon a Time in a Cinema

    • Director

      David Gleeson

    • Credits

      Producers:
      Nathalie Lichtenthaeler,
      Judy Tossell.

      Writer:
      David Gleeson

      Cinematographer:
      Hyun de Grande

    • Principal Cast

      Colin Morgan,
      Calam Lynch,
      Clara Crichton,
      India Mullen,
      Niamh Cusack,
      Stanley Townsend.

  • Category

    Feature

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

90 minutes, Ireland, 2026, Colour


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Arts Council of Ireland