If you find yourself at a loose end after the Berlin Film Festival and with Cannes still a long way off, you can now add a new event to your cinematic cultural calendar and bridge that awkward gap with the first Dublin International Film Festival, which runs from March 6th to 13th.
Highlights of the 70 or so films that will run during the festival, which is sponsored by Jameson, were announced at the Old Jameson Distillery this week.
The titles, selected by Irish Times film correspondent and the festival director, Michael Dwyer, include The Life of David Gale, directed by Alan Parker and starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet and Laura Linney; Heartlands, directed by Damien O'Donnell and starring Michael Sheen; The Heart of Me, directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan and starring Helena Bonham Carter and In America, directed by Jim Sheridan, starring Samantha Morton and Paddy Considine.
Sheridan, who grew-up not far from the distillery, took a break from his birthday celebrations to attend the launch. His latest film, In America, a semi-autobiographical tale of a family's move to New York after the death of one of their children, premières at the festival.
"It's about time that Dublin got some of the attention it deserves as a place associated with film. Dublin's theatre festival is second only to Edinburgh, this thing could do the same for film."
Perhaps the festival could eventually even surpass Berlin and Cannes. "People now are more aware of Irish cinema than German, or possibly even French," and, Sheridan says, Dublin could also attract some major stars.
"Salma Hayek and Ed Norton were talking about coming over for it. I can't say if they will but people love coming to Dublin and it's always nice to have a few stars around."
Damien O'Donnell's first film, 35 a Side, got its first showing at a film festival. These types of events are essential for young directors, he says.
"Any platform where you get to show your work is very valuable. Mainstream cinema really only shows commercial films and ignores anything with a more artistic bent. A festival like this could be a great way to kick off a film-maker's career," he says.
Being an international festival, some French cinema is included in the mix. Patrick Thomas and Martine Moreau of the French Embassy were there to highlight the talents of their own. "We're here to promote the artistic, the audiovisual, and the language of French film," Moreau says.
Moira Horgan and Gráinne Humphreys of the Irish Film Board were checking out the competition. The board is holding its own film festival in April to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the reconstitution of the board. It's going to be a showcase of more than 80 films including every film the board has funded in the last 10 years, Horgan says.
See www.dubliniff.com