Irish cinema is having a moment reminiscent of Australian cinema in the 1970s, with an abundance of talent and self-belief, and a succession of new films making their way into international cinemas and festivals. In recent years the Irish have given us excellent movies such as The Quiet Girl and Small Things Like These, along with spiky, diverting productions such as Kneecap. It’s no surprise that the current Irish Film Festival is a genuinely festive affair, with a growing audience.
Although its screen time in Australian cities is relatively brief, the IFF has made itself the most accessible of all local film events, with a program that allows a range of options for on-line viewing. You can rent any film for $10, while $75 gets you the entire line-up of 19 films.
I’m looking at only two features, both of them superior products. Fran the Man is a mockumentary about the Assistant Manager of a amateur football team in Dublin, who gets caught up in a web of intrigue, trying to bust an international match-fixing scam. Christy is a slice of social realism set in a rundown suburb of Cork, about an estranged teenager struggling to reconnect with his half-brother, friends and family.