The Dublin Film Festival has announced that Miller Genuine Draft will be the principle sponsor for 1999. The festival will be taking place after Easter in mid-April (15-25 April '99) instead of in its traditional March slot and will run over two weekends which will allow more screenings and will be accessible to a greater number of people.
Lewis Clohessy, the chair of the Festival Board said that "In spite of a number of difficulties the Festival encountered during the 1998 event it achieved record box office figures with the screening of over 170 film from around the world, a membership in excess of 7,000 and admissions topping the 35,000 mark". He added "The festival is clearly set to beat these records in 1999. It will present a new face with many interesting and exciting changes taking place around sponsorship, venues and dates. We are confident that the Festival's extensive and long-standing public will embrace these changes and that the latter will also attract newer audiences".
A new management team is also in place, consisting of Maretta Dillon, co-Director of the Light House Cinema, who has taken up the role of Programme Director, Anne Burke, who has worked in the area of arts administration and production over the last number of years and is now Festival Manager and Aine O'Halloran who is continuing her work in the area of sponsorship.
Miller Genuine Draft has come on board as the principle sponsor this year building on their involvement with the successful "Spirit of America" season last year. The Virgin Cinemas will be the new principle venue and the festival will be returning to the Irish Film Centre and UCI Cinemas in Tallaght, Coolock and Blanchardstown for many of the special programmes and seasons.
The 14th festival will be focusing on European Cinema with Cinema Europa highlighting the exciting and varied cinema traditions throughout Europe. Films selected so far include Theo Angelopoulos's 'Eternity and a Day' - winner of this year's Palme D'Or in Cannes. Nanni Moretti's latest film 'Aprile' also sees him returning to past obsessions after 'Dear Diary'. Not quite a sequel the film is an idiosyncratic take on the directors own life from 1994 to 1997. Emerging film-maker Mario Martone follows 'L'Amour Molesto' with 'Rehearsals for War' (Teatro di Guerra). Set in 1994 Martone follows a young actor and director who begins to rehearse a play that is to be staged in Sarajevo. The play they choose, Aeschylus's 'Seven Against Thebes', deals with a siege and civil war. Using this as a starting point the film is an intelligent and a genuine attempt by the director to respond in a meaningful way to the madness of Yugoslavia.
As part of Cinema Europa the DFF will be profiling first or second features from new and emerging directors. Focus Spain screens some of the best films produced in Spain recently. Spain is currently undergoing a period of cinema growth both creatively and at the box office. Films selected so far include 'Tree of Cherries' - winners of the Critic's Prize at this year's Locamo Film Festival.
Cinema Ireland will screen new features, documentaries and shorts from Ireland as well as the first Irish screening of this year's complete Short Cuts series and the Frameworks animation initiative. The Festival will also once again present the Miller Genuine Draft Spirit of America Season, looking at independent American film. Films confirmed include John Shea's 'Southie' - winner of the American Independent Award at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. The World Premiere of 'Waiting for Harvey' will be part of the Documentary section. Shot during this year's Cannes Film Festival, it follows the fortunes of four young film-makers adrift in the madness of the world's biggest film festival as they try for that elusive meeting with Harvey Weinstein, chief honcho at Miramax.
Already confirmed for the World Cinema strand are Quebec based Robert Lepage's film 'No', something of a change of pace for the director of 'The Confessional' - set in October 1970 the new film is a light farce that oscillates between Quebec and Osaka. Also from Canada, director Don McKellar's debut film 'Last Night' - winner of the Youth Prize in Cannes this year - focuses on a group of people in Toronto on the last night on earth. Australia is represented by director John Ruane's new film 'Dead Letter Office'. Starring Miranda Otto it is a gentle comedy set in the office where lost mail goes to die.
Hollywood Icons will take a look at Hollywood Women once again sponsored by UCI Cinemas. The festival will also host a series of seminars, special events and masterclasses of interest to film practitioners and a more general audience. Gift vouchers for the festival will be available from the Virgin Cinemas and the Virgin Megastore, Aston Quay from December 12, 1998.
Michael McMahon 10/12/98
