Now in its 11th edition, the 9-day event will showcase 14 feature-length films from Britain and Ireland as well as a few shorts.
The festival kicks off on 18 September with “The High Note”, a British-American comdy-drama starring Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross, and revolves on the music industry.
Closing the festival on 26 September is the Ireland-Luxembourg-Belgium coproduction, “The Racer”, which follows Belgian rider Dom Chambol during the summer 1998 Tour de France, as he secretly pines to move up from a support rider. Following the screening, director Kieron J. Walsh and co-producer Jesus Gonzalez will take questions from the audience.
Other films in the lineup include psychological thriller “I See You”; “Arracht (Monster)”, which takes place in 1845 Ireland during the great famine; coming-of-age film, “The Castle”, which follows a Lithuanian teen in Ireland as she dreams of a singing career; “The Keeper”, a love story between an English woman and German prisoner-of-war; and sports documentary “Breaking Ice”, about the first Irish bobsleigh team to participate in the Olympics on a shoestring budget. But there are plenty of others for a wide range of tastes, with the full programme available on the festival website.
In a press release, festival organiser Geoff Thompson stated, “The cinemas are currently open but operating at just 25% capacity, with a reduced number of screenings, as they ensure physical distancing and increased hygiene cleaning of screening rooms between performances.” In light of this, two of the events will be held virtually (a shorts seminar and a film quiz), and the popular documentary double bill and vintage evening will not take place this year. Although screening receptions will not be taking place, several films will be screened in the presence of directors and/or cast members, and Thompson has promised the distribution of a few gifts at some of the screenings and the availability of hand sanitisers.
Screenings take place at Kinepolis on Kirchberg, Ciné Utopia and the Cinémathèque. Tickets are available for €9 per film, or a festival pass may be purchased for €35. Ticketing bundles are also available. Given the reduced capacity at theatres, it’s best to reserve spaces early. For more information visit the festival page.