Presented by the Embassy of Ireland, Thailand
Irish Film Festival 2019
4 October 2019 — 6 October 2019
Adults 120 THB
Members/Students/Children 90 THB
All films in English with Thai subtitles
2015, 111 MINS, JOHN CROWLY, DRAMA/ROMANCE 2018, 99 MINS, LANCE DALY, DRAMA It’s 1847 and Ireland is in the grip of the Great Famine that has ravaged the country for two long years. Feeney, a hardened Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, abandons his post to return home and re-unite with his estranged family. Hannah, an ageing British soldier and famed tracker of deserters, is sent to stop Feeney before he can further stoke the fires of revolution. But Hannah and Feeney are old army comrades with a mutual respect forged by their times fighting together. Personal bonds and shifting allegiances cause both men to question their motives, as they are tested to the limit by the hellish landscape of “the Great Hunger”. 2017, 82 MINS, KEN WARDROP, DOCUMENTARY In Ireland piano lessons are generally leading towards one goal, to pass an exam. One of the piano examination systems is governed by the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Founded in 1848 it is Ireland’s oldest musical institution and prides itself on maintaining the highest standards of performance and appreciation of music. For those of us who haven’t experienced the piano exam it appears to be the keyboard equivalent of the driving test. However these tests are genuinely regarded as useful milestones in a musician’s development of both technical and musical skills. The narrative of Making the Grade weaves sequentially through the standards of our piano student, through all eight grades and including some students who learn outside of the examination curriculum. At the heart of each story is the piano lesson. It is a springboard to investigate how this art form touches the lives of the ordinary person. It will provide us with the humour, wisdom and honesty to enrich our musical journey. Each character is introduced separately. We have an opportunity to explore their worlds and hear their story. We meet the teacher that is inspiring their journey and the other people in their musical story. Free Admission. Tickets for each film will be released 30 minutes before the screening. The GAZE 2018 Irish shorts programme reaffirms the quality of LGBT film and filmmaking talent within Ireland, as well as the standard of work being produced internationally by Irish creators. The sheer scope in the exploration in themes, concepts and artistic approaches is proof that queer Irish film has come of age. This curated programme reflects the diverse spectrum of voices, the wide-eyed fantasies and the distinct experiences of the Irish LGBT community. THIRST CAT CALLS WREN BOYS JOHNNY THE RED TREEThe Program
Brooklyn
Adapted from Colm Tóibín’s best-selling novel with a script by Nick Hornby, Brooklyn tells the profoundly moving story of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland for New York City. Her initial homesickness quickly diminishes as a fresh romance sweeps her off her feet. But soon her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
Black '47
He’s seen more than his share of horrors but nothing prepares him for the famine’s hopeless destruction of his homeland. He discovers his mother starved to death and his brother hanged by the brutal hand of the English. With little else to live for, he sets on a destructive path to avenge his family, systematically working his way up the political and social hierarchy of 19th Century Ireland.
Making the Grade
Gaze on Tour 2018
BREAST FRIENDS
2018, 18 MINS, ELEANOR ROGERS
A young driven female relay runner begins to question her sexuality when a new member joins the relay team.
2017, 9 MINS, EOIN MAHER
Drew leaves another disappointing gay hook up and wonders why he feels so alone. His internal monologue delves deep into the mind of a lonely gay man - his desires, his insecurities and his wavering belief he'll find love.
2017, 9 MINS, KATE DOLAN
Dead Men Don't Catcall. A sexual predator gets his comeuppance when he picks the wrong girls to mess with.
2017, 11 MINS, HARRY LIGHTON
On the day after Christmas, a Catholic priest from Cork drives his nephew to prison.
2018, 8 MINS, HUGH RODGERS
Johnny is a young Traveller who has to come to terms with his sexuality, and wants to help his deeply traditional community to do the same.
2018, 22 MINS, PAUL ROWLEY
The Red Tree is a “powerful and poetic” short film that tells the little known history of Italian gay men being arrested and exiled to a remote island during Mussolini’s fascist regime.