Stranger Than Fiction 2010

The Documentary Film Festival, Stranger than Fiction, kicks off today in the IFI in Dublin, with the première of Pyjama Girls directed by Maya Derrington. The film was produced by Maya and Nicky Gogan for Still Films, who will both be in attendance for a Q&A session afterwards.

Filmbase is hosting a free panel session "The Honest Truth: Ethics in Documentary" in Cinema 3 at 11am Friday 16th April, about how documentary filmmakers deal with the conflicting responsibilities to their subjects, their viewers and their own artistic visions.

Alan Maher, IFB Production Executive will chair this panel which will include Maya Derrington (Pyjama Girls), Dr. Harvey O'Brien (UCD), Ciarín Scott (Waiting for the Light) and Ken O'Shea (RTÉ). The session is a free, ticketed event, and tickets can be collected from the IFI box office.

The discussion is the first of a day-long series of free panel events taking place as part of the festival.

The following two days will features screenings of Irish and International documentaries.

Archive at Lunchtime

A new series of lunchtime screenings of short films from the IFI Irish Film Archive started this week.

The programme will provide new access to the vast collection of its shorter films - professional and amateur, educational and informational, travelogues, sports films and dramas - all of which provide a unique insight into Ireland's social, cultural and film history.

All programmes are free, and under half an hour, so it's a perfect way to spend a lunch hour. January's films were made by members of the Guinness Film Society with producer Mike Lawlor and each offers a fascinating portrait of Dublin life in the '70s.

Information about the dates and times of the screenings are on the web site.

Darklight X Announced

Darklight X: New World Order (October 8 - 11), Ireland's celebration of art, film and technology, is a three-day event involving performances, screenings, workshops, seminars, symposiums, visual art happenings and much more. This year the festival is taking over Dublin's Smithfield district, where the Lighthouse Cinema and other venues will host a feast of events.

Highlights include:

• A public interview and workshop with legendary music video director Mark Romanek. Mark directed the classic video for "Hurt" by Johnny Cash, and has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson and Madonna to Nine Inch Nails and Jay-Z.
• The Irish premier of a major new video instillation, Three Potential Endings, from two-time Turner Prize nominee Willie Doherty, on Smithfield Plaza.
• A celebration of Oscar-nominated Irish animation company Brown Bag.
• Collaborations with cutting-edge Irish companies thisisnotashop, Synth Eastwood, Nartystation and Performance Corporation.
• A discussion with Anna Troberg, the Vice-Chairwoman of Sweden's Pirate Party the political outfit dedicated to radical copyright reform who recently won two seats in the European elections.
• Ten Irish filmmakers conspire to produce a brand new feature film in seven days! It's our latest DIY movie spectacular, Hotel Darklight!
• The World Premiere of Vincent Moon's stunning Irish-lensed concert movie R.E.M. Live At The Olympia.
• The debut of Virtual Cinema 2.0, the Irish Film Board's latest round of cutting-edge on-line short films.
• A screening of Brendan Muldowney's Savage, the most controversial Irish film of 2009.
• A weekend long Performance Lab with acclaimed artist Amanda Coogan.
• The EA Hub Gaming Station, a spectacular outdoor gaming extravaganza.
• O Canada! Screenings celebrating 70 years of the Canadian Film Board.
• Plus: The Straylight visual art trail and unexpected happenings aplenty...

Booking information will be available on the web site from Friday, September 11 2009.

Culture Night 2009

Yesterday the Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) and Lord Mayor Cllr Emer Costello officially launched the programme of events for this year's Culture Night, which will take place on Friday 25th September across the 11 participating towns, cities and counties in Ireland.

Grainne Millar, Head of Cultural Development at TBCT said "Culture Night 2009 is a unique platform that presents the wealth and variety of Irish cultural treasures on a scale that is accessible for everyone. We are delighted to be in a position, in our fourth year, to bring together cultural communities across Ireland to capture the imagination of an estimated 500,000 people as they go out and explore culture on their own doorstep. Culture Night began in 2006 with an attendance of 40,000. The year on year growth and the participation of 11 towns, cities and counties this year is a reflection of the enormous positive contribution culture can make to our society"

"In these times, it is more important than ever for Culture Night to connect with families and strengthen the relationship between culture and the public against the backdrop of current economic difficulty so that we can imagine a different future where culture is recognized as an intrinsic dimension to our development and growth as a society"

A brand new Culture Night logo 'See All Sorts', designed by Maeve Keane from DIT, Mountjoy Square, illustrates the diverse mix of culture that visitors can expect to experience on the night. From live animals in the Dead Zoo in Dublin to a Lord Mayor's Tea Dance in Cork; Theatrical Entertainment in Galway to An Cosán Glas sculpture trail in Letterkenny; a tour of a thousand years of art and antiquities in the Hunt Museum in Limerick to an Altered Images exhibition in Ballina, Mayo; a tour of Artists Studios in Boyle and Roscommon to a bag of culture on the culture trail in Sligo; Dancing In The Green in Tralee to culture in Waterford and An Céilí Mor in Dun Mhuire Theatre, Wexford.

In Dublin a record 124 cultural venues will open their doors for Culture Night including St Stephen's Green Park, the National Museum of Ireland, the Science Gallery Trinity College, The Revenue Museum, Guinness Storehouse, RTÉ Performing Groups, Dublin Castle State Apartments, Gallery Zozimus and a Francis Street Treasure Hunt, The Ark Cultural Centre for Children and much more.

Introduction to Moon

In a surprise visit to Dublin, writer/director Duncan Jones will be introducing his new film, Moon at the IFI this Saturday, August 1st, for the 6.50pm screening. Jones directed the film and came up with the story for the low-budget science fiction film, while Nathan Parker wrote the screenplay.

If you can't make the Saturday screening, Jones will be introducing the 8.50pm screening of Moon at the Light House Cinema on Sunday, August 2nd.

Listen to Cuarón

At 7pm today in the Light House Cinema in Dublin there will be a special preview screening of Año uña (Year of the Nail), which is written and directed by Jonás Cuarón.

The film will be followed by a Q&A session with Cuarón about the process involved in making his first feature.

Kiss Up To Lance

After the 6.45pm screening of Kisses, on Friday 21 November in the IFI in Dublin, there will be a Q&A with Lance Daly, the writer and director, along with the two young cast members who star in this Irish film.

There will also be a showing of Declan Cassidy’s short film "Whatever Turns You On", which won Best Irish Short at the Kerry Film Festival, the Audience Award at Filmstock International UK, and was shortlisted for Best Short at the Boston Irish Film Festival.

Online Screening

In June this year the YouTube Screening Room was set up as a platform for films from around the world to find a new audience.

Every other Friday four new films are featured in the YouTube Screening Room.

These films always appear with the permission and involvement of the filmmakers, so be sure to rate, share and leave comments. This is your chance to not only watch great films from all corners of the globe, but also to converse with the filmmakers behind them.

While the majority of these films have played at international film festivals, occasionally you'll find films that have never before screened for wide audiences.

All films playing in the YouTube Screening Room are displayed within our High Quality player to give you the best viewing experience possible.

Filmmakers can inquire about having their films featured in the YouTube Screening Room, however they must own all the digital rights to their films.

Hogg at Light House

On Wednesday, the 10th of September at 6.45pm, the Light House Cinema in Dublin is showing a special preview of Unrelated, the new film written and directed by Joanna Hogg.

Joanna Hogg will be in attendance at the screening and will introduce the film. Afterward Joanna will participate in a Q&A session with the audience, facilitated by writer and critic Mary Rose Doorly.