9 films to catch at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival

FILM FESTIVALS ARE a great chance to catch movies before they make it to the big screen here – and ones that will never make it to the big screen.

The Audi Dublin International Film Festival will run from 16 – 26 February and is set to bring a rake of Irish and international films to the capital.

Alongside the films, the festival will also bring international stars to the red carpet, like Vanessa Redgrave, Nathalie Baye, Ben Wheatley, and Anna Friel, alongside our own Cillian Murphy and Aiden Gillen.

Grainne Humphreys, festival director, said that they’re particularly happy to be bringing new Irish films to audiences.

“To be able to include new Irish films from Aisling Walsh, Jim Sheridan, Emer Reynolds, Aiden Gillen, John Butler, Neasa Ní Chianán, Juanita Wilson and Ken Wardrop as just some of the Irish filmmakers in the festival is an extraordinary testament to the current strength and depth of the Irish film industry,” she commented.

To help you make your choices (don’t forget we’ve already told you about films like Handsome Devil and Maudie), we have taken a look through the programme for some of the best picks. There’s plenty more in the programme itself.

The Secret Scripture

There’s been a lot of talk about Jim Sheridan’s adaptation of The Secret Scripture (based on the award-winning Sebastian Barry book), but now we’ll get to make up our own minds. The film will receive a Gala Irish Premiere at ADIFF, and during the event a Volta Award will be presented to one of its stars, Vanessa Redgrave.

Tanna

Selected by Australia to be its entry for the Oscars’ Best Foreign Language award, this is about a young couple who fall in love but have to go on the run – as the young woman is due to be married to a man from an enemy tribe. Starring non-professional actors, it was filmed on the island of Vanuatu and is based on a true story.

Tomato Red

In a refreshing change, the trailer for Juanita Wilson’s Tomato Red (which stars Anna Friel) tells us enough about the story of a young girl and her yearning to escape a dead-end life – but doesn’t spoil the plot entirely. Based on the Daniel Woodrell novel.

Moka

Fans of psychological thrillers will be interested in this Swiss-French production about, according to Variety, a “grieving mother Emmanuelle Devos [who] finds herself torn between impetuous fury and more calculated psychological warfare in tracking down those responsible for her teenage son’s death”. Cheery.

 The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki

Directed by Juho Kuosmanen, this is set in 1962 and is about a featherweight boxer who’s headed to win the world championship… but then he falls in love.

Hounds of Love

The trailer and teasers for Ben Young’s movie have us chilled to the bone, so if you love nothing better than a creepy kidnap thriller, this is for you. It’s about a couple who have a rather unsavoury interest in young girls – a lot of the reviews of this spoil the story somewhat, so perhaps read as little as possible.

Wùlu

Described by the Hollywood Reporter as “a West African take on Scarface”, this is about a young man who gets involved in the drug trade to try to help his sister escape prostitution. Things, of course, don’t go as planned.

A Woman, A Part

Elisabeth Subrin directs this film about an actress who returns to New York to try to reinvent herself, but finds the process difficult. One for those interested in the lives of women in the modern world.

I Am Not A Negro

The work of activist James Baldwin is explored in this documentary that examines how the treatment of Black people in the USA has changed throughout the decades. An incredibly timely watch.

Tickets are on sale online at www.diff.ie. 

Read: These are the next Irish films we’re all going to be talking about>