
World Tour
The universal appeal of these films is irresistible. Whether they are newcomers or household names, these filmmakers are in full control of their artform’s superpowers.
2024 Programme
ALL SHALL BE WELL (CONG JIN YIHOU)
Subtitled, Fiction
Angie and Pat are a couple in their 60s who have been together for decades and enjoy a fun social life with both friends and family. But when Pat suddenly dies without leaving a will, Angie is left without any legal rights over the house and life they had shared. Director Ray Yeung’s gentle, naturalistic approach really brings so much warmth to this tale, whilst bringing to the fore issues that face many couples in Hong Kong, where same-sex marriages are still not allowed. Add to this a superb central performance from Patra Au Ga Man as Angie, which will grab your heart from the off and never let go.
THU 14 | ARC CINEMA | 18:15

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
Subtitled, Fiction
In today’s Mumbai, Nurse Prabha’s routine is disrupted by the delivery of a gift sent from Germany by her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, is in love with a Muslim boy and tries in vain to find a spot in the city where they could be intimate.
When Prabha’s colleague, Parvaty, she suggests a trip to her birth village by the sea, the three women may finally find a space where they can fully express their desires.
Filming her three female protagonists like Hollywood stars despite the fact that they are anonymous and poor, Payal Kapadia uses a melodramatic approach anchored in the constraints of the daily lives. A warmth, an emotion, swell up and wrap you in their embrace.
One of the most delightful recent revelations of the cinema world, All We Imagine as Light was the first Indian film to be selected in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 30 years and went on to win the prestigious Grand Prix (second only to the Palme d’Or).
THU 14 | ARC CINEMA | 20:30
SUN 17 | ARC CINEMA | 16:00

BIRD
Fiction
Bailey lives with her brother Hunter and her father Bug (Barry Keoghan), who raises them alone in a squat in the North of Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time to devote to them, so Bailey looks for attention and adventure elsewhere. She meets a strange man who calls himself Bird. Could he help bring hope when she most feels stuck? Andrea Arnold’s signature fusion of the real and the cinematic is the ideal nest for Bird’s magic realism. Everything in her work, and in this film, is about adapting and merging, concretely (for example, professional actors work alongside non-professionals) but also in more poetic terms. Poetry is, in fact, promoted as a possible response to the hardships life keeps sending your way. Robbie Ryan’s work to illuminate Arnold’s ambitious ideas is beautiful.
FRI 8 | ARC CINEMA | 14:30

THE BRUTALIST
Fiction
Bremerhaven, post-war Europe. László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian Jew who survived the Buchenwald concentration camp, finds passage to America. He has been separated from his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), a survivor of Dachau and herself trying to find her way out of the old continent, but they manage to correspond through letters. László’s talents as an architect come to the forefront when he and his counsin get hired to remodel a study into a library by the son of mysterious billionaire Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). This first job turns into a more significant commission, and the hesitant relationship into a decades-long tug of war between a powerful, egotistic man and a tormented visionary.
Dedicated film lover and actor-turned-director Brady Corbet (The Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux) returns with this epic saga and love story that won him the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. Carefully crafted with some of cinema’s best technicians and actors, The Brutalist is, indeed, the kind of awe-inspiring experience that only cinema can offer.
SUN 17 | EVERYMAN | 14:00

DANGEROUSLY CLOSE
Subtitled, Fiction
Europe’s largest bear rewilding project was successful in resettling brown bears in the Italian Alps. While most locals supported the conservation project in the beginning, fear and anger prevail after a series of attacks on humans. Interweaving breathtaking and rarely seen footage of wild bears and interviews with rangers and locals, the film taps into the heated debate over what the return of the bears means for rural communities. Can humans and bears truly coexist? How do we balance conservation with human safety?
FRI 15 | ARC CINEMA | 17:30

DOG ON TRIAL (LE PROCÈS DU CHIEN)
Subtitled, Fiction
To those who think that all stories have been told, or who associate trial movies with procedural stiffness, French-Swiss actor and first-time director Laetitia Dosch’s response is this highly original, reality-inspired comedy featuring a dog who faces trial for a bite that disfigured a woman. Dosch believes in the dog’s right for a defense, and so does the protagonist that she plays herself, a self-described lost-causes lawyer who decides to take on the case. The film’s main tonal angle, eccentricity, is a quality that has often been associated with Dosch’s roles as an actress, and it presents the advantage, contrary to irony for example, to allow for both exuberant comedic effects and profound, sometimes almost lyrical flights.
SUN 10 | ARC CINEMA | 14:00

THE FABLE + Q&A
Subtitled, Fiction
Spring 1989 in the Indian Himalayas. The soft-spoken Dev owns a sprawling estate of several orchards and lives in a colonial-style house with his family. He spends a lot of his time building human-sized wings which he puts on to take a quick morning flight over his land. One day, while walking through the estate, he discovers a single burnt apple tree. A few days later, more trees are burnt. A group of nomads comes under suspicion and a corrupt police officer gets involved, while loyal men camp out in the orchards to keep a vigilant watch at night. Despite all these measures, a massive fire breaks out a week later and engulfs an entire mountainside of trees. Dev is forced to face the truth about himself and his family.
Ram Reddy’s 2015 film Thithi took the festival world by surprise and was showered in awards. The quality of its screenplay, of its non-professional ensemble cast, its humour and sincerity: Reddy was one to keep an eye on.
With this new, fabulously imaginative film, both political and ecological fairytale, he demonstrates again an indomitable artistic freedom and ambition, which we applaud and thank him for. The Fable‘s magical realism had to be shot on 16mm film, of course, and it looks beautiful.
The filmmaker will attend both screenings of the film.
SAT 9 | ARC CINEMA | 14:30
MON 11 | ARC CINEMA | 13:15

THE END
Fiction
Some of the world’s best living actors – Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, George MacKay – lend voice and features to the last family on Earth, who survive in a vast, luxurious bunker. Their 20 year old son was born in the bunker and has never seen the outside world. A friend, a doctor and a butler complete this small group of survivors, whose daily life follows a choreography that revolves around making this life seem not only acceptable but… pleasant. When an unlikely survivor finds a way to their shelter, exhausted by the horrors that she went through, the careful façade of the bunker billionaires threatens to crack.
It makes perfect sense that the narrative debut of documentary filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer is inspired by the harshest reality of our time: the threat that climate change poses to humanity. His survivors’ call reaches us through ravishing songs written by Oppenheimer and composed by Joshua Schmidt. Whether powerful or shaky, their singing voices do say who they truly are.
Director Joshua Oppenheimer and producer Conor Barry will attend the screening and participate in a post-screening Q&A.
SAT 16 | EVERYMAN | 14:00

THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE (PIGEN MED NÅLEN)
Subtitled, Fiction
Denmark, post-WWI. Sewing factory worker Karoline (a tremendous Victoria Carmen Sonne) struggles to survive on her own, her husband having not returned from the war. When circumstances force her out of her job, she gains employment as a wet nurse for Dagmar (the great Trine Dryholm), who runs an illegal adoption agency from the back of her sweet shop. Gradually a bond forms between the two women, but a disturbing discovery upends Karolyn’s new-found stability. Filmed in striking monochrome, and with a story based on factual events, director Magnus von Horn delivers a thriller which The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw described as a “horribly effective grand guignol, made with enormous technical flair”.
TUE 12 | ARC CINEMA | 20:45

HARD TRUTHS
Fiction
Pansy is a woman tormented by anger and depression, hypersensitive to the slightest possible offence and ever ready to fly off the handle. She relentlessly criticises her husband and their adult son, picks fights with strangers and sales clerks and enumerates the world’s countless flaws to anyone who will listen. Her cheerful sister may be the only person still capable of sympathising with her. Is Pansy’s family heading towards a breaking point?
Veteran filmmaker Mike Leigh returns with brio to his signature tightly-framed, character-driven drama. His 23rd film is at the same time tough and compassionate, darkly funny and genuinely touching. It is a joy to be reminded of the unique chemistry and memorable performances seen in so many of his films, including the critically acclaimed Secrets and Lies, which first brought fame to Marianne Jean-Baptiste. It was back in 1996. We are delighted with this fruitful reunion.
SAT 9 | ARC CINEMA | 18:00

LOVE ALONE CAN’T MAKE A CHILD (DER WUNSCH)
Subtitled, Documentary
Like many couples, Maria and Christiane share a dream of having a child of their own. But physical limitations, medical issues and a discriminatory system that raises legal matters make this a far more challenging undertaking. The fact that this documentary is impossible not to love owes a lot to its director, Judith Beuth. She filmed the couple over 10 years, with the candor allowed by friendship but also with respect and lucidity, including about her own relation to the subject matter. A winning combination rewarded with the capture of special moments and the rare observation of the balance of dependency in a relationship under tremendous stress. Again and again they must ask themselves: how far are we willing to go?
THU 14 | ARC CINEMA | 14:45
SAT 16 | ARC CINEMA | 16:15

MISERICORDIA (MISERICORDE)
Subtitled, Fiction
In this exhilarating dark comedy that rocked the Cannes festival, death is everywhere and yet a vital impetus defines all relations, gradually elevating scenes to stunning highs of comic outburst and philosophical shrewdness. Jérémie comes back to the village where he used to live because a man he loved has just died. His presence disturbs a balance within the small community, with people reacting to him in intensely physical ways. Unearthing guilty secrets seems to come more easily to those ready to explore the dark corners of a forest to find the most delicious mushrooms. The intimate bond between comedic culmination and a deep understanding of mankind’s common fatal destiny was never expressed so clearly. Misericordia is the crowning masterwork of French auteur Alain Guiraudie.
Also screening as part of Super Cine Saturday at Cinemax Bantry, Gate Midleton & Mallow, and the Regal Cinema Youghal on Saturday 16th November.
SUN 10 | ARC CINEMA | 20:15

MOON (MOND)
Subtitled, Fiction
In a bid to escape her small-town Austrian home, Sarah, a former mixed martial arts cage fighter, accepts a temporary position training three sisters from a wealthy family in the Middle East. But after arriving in Jordan, the sisters’ complete disinterest in training, their seclusion, and the constant surveillance causes Sarah to question why she is even there. The second feature from Iraqi-Austrian director Kurdwin Ayub, following her award winning debut Sonne, Moon is a slow-burning thriller, unafraid to push the audience outside of their comfort zone. Ayub’s singular vision and brave incursions were again rewarded when the film received both the Special Jury Award and the Europe Cinemas Label prize at this year’s Locarno FIlm Festival.
SUN 10 | ARC CINEMA | 15:30
SAT 16 | ARC CINEMA | 18:45

SEPTEMBER 5
Fiction
September 5 unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. Set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, the film follows an American Sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage.
Through this lens, September 5 provides a fresh perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time. At the heart of the story is Geoff (John Magaro), a young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). Together with German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch) and his mentor Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage. As narratives shift, time ticks away, and conflicting rumors spread, with the hostages’ lives hanging in the balance, Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass.
SAT 16 | ARC CINEMA | 17:00

SEX
Subtitled, Fiction
Two chimney sweepers living in monogamous, heterosexual marriages both end up in situations that challenge their views on sexuality and gender roles. One has a sexual encounter with another man, without himself seeing it either as an expression of homosexual longings or infidelity. The other suddenly experiences nocturnal dreams in which he is seen as a woman. This confuses and disturbs him. He begins to wonder to what extent the gaze of others shapes his personality and whether there are aspects of himself that he has suppressed, thereby limiting himself.
With this first entry in a triptych of films entitled Sex, Love and Dream, Dag Johan Haugerud impresses and captivates us, after welcoming us in his world with humour: the chimney is swept, and then we get down to business! Whether hetero or homo, witty wordplay challenges normative images of men and society in modern urban Norway.
SAT 9 | ARC CINEMA | 20:30
FRI 15 | ARC CINEMA | 14:30

SHAMBHALA
Subtitled, Fiction
In the heart of the Nepalese Himalayas, the spirited Pema (a magnetic Thinley Lhamo) embraces a polyandrous marriage with Tashi and his two younger brothers. They initially lead a harmonious life, but when Tashi fails to return from a trading trip to Lhasa, the legitimacy of Pema’s unborn child is questioned by her community.
Determined to prove her love and purity, she embarks on a quest to find Tashi. As she navigates the harsh Himalayan terrain, her quest transcends the search for her missing husband. Pema becomes increasingly immersed in a spiritual search for meaning in which every step brings her closer to self-discovery and liberation. Visually magnificent and surprisingly gripping, Pema’s odyssey must be seen on a big screen.
SUN 10 | ARC CINEMA | 16:30

SISTERS (MANAS)
Subtitled, Fiction
In the depths of the lush Amazon rainforest, Marcielle (13) grows up with dreams inspired by her older sister’s escape. But her illusions begin to crumble, revealing a dark abyss of silence held by her own family. For her feature debut, Marianna Brennand does more than realistically depict the obstacles that come when attempting to break a cycle of abuse by speaking up. A decade-long collection of testimonies does allow her to incorporate a certain thoroughness that may recall her work as a documentarian. But Sisters does this and much more: it’s engaging, impactful, heartfelt. Beautiful, too.
A shrewdly coherent approach to cinematography makes the point of view of her formidable young protagonist both central and decisive. And it’s an extraordinary performance by newcomer Jamilli Correa. A poignant exploration of resilience and resistance, Sisters won the Director’s Award in the Venice Film Festival’s side section Venice Days.
FRI 8 | ARC CINEMA | 20:30

THE STORY OF SOULEYMANE (L'HISTOIRE DE SOULEYMANE)
Subtitled, Fiction
Two days in the life of Souleymane, an undocumented Guinean delivery man. As he pedals through the Paris streets, he rehearses for his upcoming asylum interview a story that isn’t his own… Belying the innocuous title and unassuming premise, the film is actually a hear-wrenching, fast-paced thriller, the (immense) power of which is duplicated by its immediate echoes in real life: Abou Sangare, who won an acting award in the Cannes Un Certain Regard section, was denied asylum by the French authorities after the film’s world premiere. For the third time.
To this day and despite an unstoppable festival run and unanimous appreciation from both audience and critics, all he is granted by the blind administrative apparatus is to try, one more time, to be designated as deserving of that elusive stamp that says: yes, you can stay.
FRI 8 | ARC CINEMA | 17:45
FRI 15 | ARC CINEMA | 18:15

SONS (VOGTER)
Subtitled, Fiction
Eva, a prison officer (the great Sidse Babett Knudsen, of Borgen), is faced with the dilemma of her life when a young man from her past gets transferred to the prison where she works. Eva asks to be moved to his ward – the toughest and most violent in the prison. Here begins an unsettling psychological thriller coupled with a moral tale of crime and punishment, where Eva’s sense of justice puts both her morality and future at stake.
The muscles, the tatoos, the impulsive reactions of anger: these are familiar features of a “prison film”. What is more unusual here and very interesting, is how this rather short woman, beyond the fact that she “holds her own” in this testosterone-heavy environment, becomes the main source of our anxiety, both because of our spontaneous connection with her experience and feelings, but because of the possible threat that she poses. The filmmaker’s handling of his uncomfortable set-up is nuanced in a way that it keeps bearing unexpected fruit.
FRI 15 | EVERYMAN | 17:00

THIS LIFE OF MINE (MA VIE MA GUEULE)
Subtitled, Fiction
Barbie was once an attractive woman, a devoted mother and perhaps even a good lover. But she faces newfound challenges as she now turns 55 and she grapples with her identity, relationships and life’s absurdities. There is a violence to the strange phenomena that conspire to suffocate her.
Agnes Jaoui is filmmaker Sophie Fillieres’ alter ego in this funny and touching portrait of female midlife crisis. The late writer-director’s talent for quirky situations and sharp dialogue is at its apex here, nimbly weaving on the universal theme of the anguish of aging. It’s appealing, it’s scary and even violent. But, like Barbie, we must come to terms with it, somehow.
In partnership with the French Embassy in Ireland and Alliance Française
FRI 8 | ARC CINEMA | 20:15

A TRAVELER’S NEEDS (YEOHAENGJAUI PILYO)
Subtitled, Fiction
Cinema great Isabelle Huppert might be best known for her dramatic roles, but she is in fact the queen of comedic timing and screen awkwardness. In A Traveler’s Needs, she plays a woman who appears out of nowhere in a Korean park, toying with a child’s recorder on a bench. Nobody knows who she is. She says she is from France. With no money or means of supporting herself, she has been advised to teach French. This is how she comes to have two Korean women as her pupils.
The French woman likes to walk barefoot and to lie down on rocks. And when she is feeling up to it, she tries to see each instant in a non-verbal way and to live life as rationally as she can. But things remain as hard as ever, so she relies on the Korean alcoholic drink of makgeolli to bring a bit of comfort to her days. One of Hong Sang Soo’s most ostensibly funny films, it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Berlinale.
SAT 16 | ARC CINEMA | 20:30

WE LIVE IN TIME
Fiction
The surprise first encounter between Almut, an up-and-coming chef (Florence Pugh), and Tobias, a recent divorcée (Andrew Garfield), is quite literally, a car crash. The unconventional route of their love story is revealed over a decade of time-hopping snapshots – flirting and falling for each other, becoming a family, and facing a devastating diagnosis that rocks their foundation. Skillfully directed by Cork’s own John Crowley (Brooklyn), Pugh and Garfield bring incredible chemistry, creating a fresh, funny and deeply moving romance that is a meaningful reminder of how precious it is to live in the moment and love fully in the time that we have.
Courtesy of STUDIOCANAL
Contains nudity, sexual scenes and flashing images.
Director John Crowley will introduce the film, and also participate in an ‘In Conversation’ career interview on Sunday 10 Nov, 11.45, Triskel.
SAT 9 | EVERYMAN | 20:30
