2023 was a knockout year for Irish film. The country received a whopping 14 Oscar nominations (nine of which were for The Banshees of Inisherin), An Irish Goodbye won an Oscar for Best Short Film, and actors like Colin Farrell and Paul Mescal painted over Hollywood's red carpet with orange, green and white.
From Derry Girls to Normal People and Bad Sisters, the appetite for Irish storytelling and its craic is insatiable. To showcase the best of Irish film, the ninth edition of the Irish Film Festival (IFF) returns this year to Cinema Nova.
Running between November 2–5, IFF's program includes 16 films. Among the highlights this year is the opening night premiere, Lakelands, an exploration of loneliness, masculinity and the role of sport in rural communities. The Oscar and Bafta-winning short film, An Irish Goodbye, is also being screened and explores themes of tradition, loss and caring for someone with special needs, all with a dose of self-deprecating Northern Irish humour thrown in.
Oscar-winning Olivia Coleman deals with the ambivalence of motherhood in Joyride. The documentary Lyra will delve into the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in Derry while exploring her work in telling stories on intergenerational trauma, suicide and LGBTQIA+ rights.
Directed by Ciaran Creagh, Ann is a dramatised tale of the events that led to the death of teenager Ann Lovett while giving birth in 1984. A death that sparked a movement that led to the end of Ireland's abortion ban. The documentary Pray For Our Sinners also deals with Ireland's murky past by telling the story of the Irish campaigners who took on the church abuse of young pregnant women in a small Irish town.
To book tickets and explore the program for the ninth edition of the IFF, visit the Cinema Nova website here.
