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See details of our Abbas Kiarostami retrospective, alongside our full day of screenings for UNMASCED, in partnership with GAZE International LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.
From Adam West’s 1960s television performance to Tim Burton’s gothic look, previous attempts at bringing Batman to the screen had left the character with a distinctly camp air. With this trilogy, Christopher Nolan reset this most mortal of superheroes, grounding him in a grittier reality in which his humanity is most apparent. Seeking to understand the criminal mind after the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) trains physically and mentally, developing the strict moral code that will help him protect the citizens of Gotham City from the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy), the Joker (Heath Ledger), and Bane (Tom Hardy). Saturday, August 3rd Batman Begins Saturday, August 10th The Dark Knight Saturday, August 17th The Dark Knight Rises Beginning Saturday, August 31st - the Skywalker Saga. Tickets on sale now! All films screen at 11am. Tickets are €10. Enjoy all titles for €25 with our multi-film bundles from IFI Box Office, available in-person or over the phone on 01 679 3477. Notes by Kevin Coyne
Following the more commercially-oriented films of the 1980s, the 1990s represented a remarkably fertile time for American independent cinema, with a cohort of directors emerging to rival the Film Brats of the 1970s. Eschewing the lure and lucre of the major studios, these filmmakers presented on their own terms work that was in many ways extremely personal, yet resonated with wider audiences, receiving commercial and critical acclaim to the point of significant box office returns and the winning of major awards, from Sundance to Cannes and ultimately, to the Oscars. The groundwork had been laid by 1980s success stories such as Jim Jarmusch, David Lynch, and Spike Lee, all fiercely independent, but it was really with Steven Soderbergh’s Palme d’Or-winning sex, lies and videotape (1989) that a door was opened. Through it came nuanced, insightful explorations of sex and sexuality, of race and class, as well as wide-ranging humour, and, practically above all else, beautifully written dialogue, and lots of it. Any season of films covering this period is a mere snapshot; there are simply too many films of quality to include them all, and this has led to regrettable omissions. While every effort has been made to make the picture as diverse as possible, it is an inescapable reality that for all its strengths as a golden period of filmmaking whose influence has pervaded American cinema of all stripes and budgets since, it was still a time when opportunities for women and members of sexual and racial minorities were far from plentiful. This season will continue in August. The IFI’s online platform, IFI@Home, will also host a selection of American independent films of the 1990s throughout July and August, many of which are in addition to those screening theatrically. Please see here for details. Season Notes by Kevin Coyne. 3 films for €30 bundles available from IFI Box Office, in-person or over the phone on 01 679 3477.
In the first decades of cinema, serial films such as The Perils Of Pauline (1914), Fantômas (1913-14), and Les Vampires (1915-16) kept audiences returning week after week, eager to see the resolution of the previous episode’s cliffhanger. Later, the form brought heroes such as Flash Gordon and Superman to the big screen for the first time. After serials fell out of favour, the idea of a continuous story with recurring characters was co-opted into the franchise format that currently holds sway. Now, the IFI resurrects the idea with weekly franchise screenings, beginning with the peerless Indiana Jones saga, directly inspired by those classic serials.
June 29 – Raiders Of The Lost Ark
July 6 – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
July 13 – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
July 20 – Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
July 27 – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
For what we believe will be the first time in Ireland, all nine episodes of the Skywalker Saga will return to the big screen at the IFI as part of our Saturday Serial strand, showing in weekly instalments beginning on August 31st. It is hard to overstate the cultural impact of George Lucas’s creation. On release, the original trilogy, at least in part inspired by older cinematic serials such as the Flash Gordon series, set a new standard in the emerging world of ‘blockbuster’ cinema, reinventing the idea of the franchise for the medium, and capturing the imagination of an entire generation in the way that little, if anything, has since. In the close to five decades since the appearance of A New Hope, the prequels and sequels, as well as a raft of spin-off titles for both the big and small screen, have kept the universe Lucas imagined in such detail to the fore of fandom for acolytes both old and new. We look forward to welcoming audiences to enjoy this rare opportunity to see all nine episodes on the big screen, particularly those who will do so for the first time.
August 31 – Episode I: The Phantom Menace
September 7 – Episode II: Attack Of The Clones
September 14 – Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith
September 21 – Episode IV: A New Hope (Special Edition)
September 28 – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition)
EAFFI DISCOVERIES: THE BREAKING ICE + Q&A 18.10
HEART OF AN OAK 13:00, 20:45
KINDS OF KINDNESS 14:55
SLEEP 16:15, 18:30 (OC)
THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN 20:50
THE COMMANDANT’S SHADOW
THE CONVERSATION 50TH ANNIVERSARY 4K RESTORATION 15:40
THE SPARROW 20:50
The IFI is supported by The Arts Council
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