Irish Film Institute

Irish Film Institute review Rate it

The starting point for Irish cinema, the IFI is in a wonderfully converted 17th-century building in Temple Bar and has two screens, a bookshop and a public film archive; there's also a busy bar, which serves decent food and is a popular hangout in its own right. On offer is what you'd expect from a serious, non-commercial film buffs' centre: arthouse, indie, foreign-language, experimental, documentary, classic. The IFI operates a membership system, although in practice this means that only films that have not obtained a censor's certificate (usually those not on release elsewhere) are closed to the general public. Don't let this put you off: at just €20 per year, or €1 per day, the cost of joining is hardly prohibitive. All kinds of special programmes are operated under the IFI umbrella, such as its inspiring itinerary of educational screenings and the annual Reel Ireland run, which is where to catch the very latest work from the country's up-and-coming filmmakers.