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festival schedule:

december 2nd 8:00pm e street cinema my brothers comedy

december 3rd 7:30pm goethe institut zonad comedy

december 4th 2:00pm goethe institut the secret of kells animation

december 4th 4:30pm goethe institut perrier’s bounty thriller

december 4th 7:30pm goethe institut savage thriller

december 4th 9:30pm goethe institut between the canals thriller

december 5th 2:00pm goethe institut shorts programme one shorts

december 5th 4:00pm goethe institut the alarms comedy

december 6th 7:00pm renaissance dupont hotel seaview documentary

december 7th 7:00pm goethe institut 32a drama

december 8th 7:00pm goethe institut horses documentary

december 9th 8:00pm goethe institut his & hers documentary

december 10th 7:00pm goethe institut darklight heroes: dc edition shorts

december 10th 9:00pm goethe institut darklight: state of the nation shorts

december 11th 2:00pm goethe institut shorts programme two shorts

december 11th 4:00pm goethe institut pyjama girls documentary

december 11th 8:00pm goethe institut snap drama

festival sponsors:

venues:

e street cinema, 555 11th street nw, washington, dc, 20004

goethe institut, 812 7th street nw, washington, dc, 20001

the renaissance dupont circle hotel, 1143 new hampshire avenue nw, washington, dc, 20037

irishfilmdc.org | 1-800-494-TIXS (8497)

the capital irish film festival is produced by solas nua. solas nua is the only orginization in theunited states dedicated exclusively to contemporary irish arts. solasnua.org

my brothers

directed by paul fraser. run time: 90 minutes.

thursday, 2nd december 2010. 8pm at e street cinema.

over the halloween weekend of 1987 three young brothers embark on an epic quest: to win and bring back to their dying father a replacement for his beloved watch.

using a battered unreliable bread van, the brothers set out on a journey across the irish countryside fighting with each other and encountering wild characters to get to an amusement arcade in the small irish seaside town of ballybunnion where all their family holidays together were spent.

FEATURE the dc premiere ofmy brothers

opening night film

zonad

written and directed by john carney & kieran carney. run time: 80 minutes.

friday, 3rd december 2010. 7.30pm at the goethe institut.

from beyond the very limits of our imagination comes a stranger. who is he? where is he from? and why is he so fond of our black beer? zonad is from space probably. or so the cassidy family assume when they discover an apparent alien in a shiny red space suit and helmet passed out on the living room floor beside the drinks cabinet. the cassidys and the people of ballymoran make the intriguing visitor feel very welcome (and in the case of mother mary and teenage minx jenny they make him feel very welcome indeed).

zonad FEATURE

the secret of kells

directed by tomm moore. run time: 75 minutes.

saturday, 4th december 2010. 2pm at the goethe institut.

twelve hundred years ago an orphan named brendan met brother aidan, the keeper of an extraordinary, but unfinished, book of illuminations. aidan sets brendan a great task, to complete the book of kells, which sees him called to a new life of creativity and imagination where adventure, danger and action await him. with the threat of invading vikings all around and the help of aisling, a mysterious young girl, brendan faces his deepest fears to complete the task.

the secret of kellsFEATURE

perrier’s bountypart of dublin noir

directed by ian fitzgibbon. run time: 88 minutes.

saturday, 4th december 2010. 4.30pm at the goethe institut.

michael owes money to dublin’s meanest gangster, darren perrier. when the debt is called in brenda, michael’s recently “dumped” and suicidal best friend, accidentally shoots dead one of his goons. to make matters worse michael’s estranged father, jim, arrives just in time to witness the scene. with a bounty on their heads michael, jim and brenda flee to the mountains. on the run with his eccentric father, who’s convinced he’ll die the next time he sleeps, and an increasingly morose brenda, michael is about to lose his mind. but as the net tightens and the helter-skelter chase reaches its climax he is forced to forgive his father and confront his true feelings for brenda.

perrier’s bounty part of dublin noir

FEATURE

directed by brendan muldowney. run time: 84 minutes.

saturday, 4th december 2010. 7.30pm at the goethe institut.

finding himself the victim of an attack on the wrong side of the tracks of a crime-ridden city, paul graynor, a press photographer who works exploiting the tabloid news, finds himself the focus of it. he tries to come to terms with his attack, though the scars, both psychological and physical, prove impossible to heal. finally he can focus on only one thing, finding the criminal who turned his life into this horrid mess and so begins his journey to the dark side of his soul where he finds only his savage instincts. unable to come to terms and tormented by fear, paul changes from a helpless victim to an aggressor obsessed with revenge.

the american premiere ofsavage

part of dublin noir

FEATURE

between the canals

directed by mark o’ connor. run time: 74 minutes.

saturday, 4th december 2010. 9.30pm at the goethe institut.

between the canals follows three small time criminals from dublin’s north inner city as they each aspire to be somebody in a fast changing society: liam a small time dealer who wants to quit his life of crime to become an electrician and provide for his girlfriend and son; dots, a crazy, irresponsible thug with ambitions to become a big time dealer and scratchcard, a drug user with no ambitions but to stay on social welfare and watch the world go by. liam is torn between life in the flats and his responsibility to be a good father to his son. he has to just get through this one day and maybe things will look brighter on the other side. but it’s saint patrick’s day and, in dublin city, this means trouble everywhere.

the american premiere ofbetween the canals part of dublin noir

FEATURE

directed by mark cantan & damian farrell. run time: 96 minutes.

sunday, 5th december 2010. 4pm at the goethe institut.

the alarms is a mock rock doc about a fictitious irish rock band from themid-nineties who only existed for 2 months, played 1 gig and never released a single single but thanks to a devious manager and their own gullibility became one of the most famous bands in the world for all the wrong reasons. through interviews with the band, their manager and others who were involved the thoroughly biased truth of what happened is told here in this smart and funny comedy with heart, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll. the alarms is a film with an original approach to storytelling that embraces the world of low budget film making with open arms and shallow pockets.

the american premiere of the alarms

screening followed by a session on how to make your first film with the film’s directors.

FEATURE

32a

directed by marian quinn. run time: 95 minutes.

tuesday, 7th december 2010. 7pm at the goethe institut.

32a is set in the “in-between” time of a girl’s life, when she is no longer a child and not yet a woman. we open with our heroine, maeve, putting on her new snow white bra, and stepping out into the world as a young woman. she has an obsession with breasts and bras and can’t help but stare at other girls and women, even the head nun doesn’t escape her gaze. otherwise, her world revolves around her three friends, ruth, claire and orla, who are more experienced in the ways of the world. what no one expects, least of all maeve, is that she should snare the local sixteen-year old heartthrob, brian power...

the american premiere of32a screening followed by a q&a with director, marian quinn.

FEATURE

horses

directed by liz mermin. run time: 87 minutes.

wednesday, 8th december 2010. 7pm at the goethe institut.

what might life look like from the perspective of a horse? not just any horse, but a top-end racehorse in ireland? this is the challenge horses takes up, following three promising, charismatic horses over the course of one rather difficult racing year. beautiful, unusual, and highly entertaining, the film combines the drama of a sports movie with theexploration of an ancient human obsession, offering a subtle critique ofhumanity’s quirks on the side.

the dc premiere ofhorses

FEATURE

directed by ken wardrop. run time: 80 minutes.

thursday, 9th december 2010. 8pm at the goethe institut.

a 90-year-old love story told through the collective voice of 70 ladies at different stages of their lives. his & hers is a creative documentary that combines observation and imagination to illustrate a universal love story. the film explores woman’s relationship with man by visiting moments from the lives of 70 female characters. shot in the hallways, living rooms and kitchens across the irish midlands, the story moves sequentially from young to old to deliver a uniquely charming perspective into sharing life’s journey.

his&hers FEATURE

the american premiere of

pyjama girls q&a with director, maya derrington

directed by maya derrington. run time: 70 minutes.

saturday, 10th december 2010. 4pm at the goethe institut.

pyjama girls presents the chaotic friendship of teenagers lauren and tara as they navigate the trials of life, dressed all the while in their uniform of rebellion: pyjamas. lauren’s future hangs in the balance as she takes part in street violence with rival teen gangs and faces expulsion from school. balancing tenderness with hilarity, the film reveals the challenges that life throws her - from her addict mother to the disruptive world of the flats - and uncovers the crucial importance of her friendship with tara.

FEATURE

snap

the dc premiere ofsnap closing night film

director: carmel winters. run time: 90 minutes.

saturday, 10th december 2010. 8pm at the goethe institut.

fifteen-year-old stephen snatched a toddler from the park and held him captive for five days in his grandfather’s house. three years later, his mother sandra is forced to piece together what happened and why. while she tells their story to a documentary camera; her estranged son tells an altogether different story with the camera. snap presents us, as well as its characters, with a compelling mystery. we begin to assemble an unsettling portrait of three generations of a family trapped in recreating a past that each one denies. it is only when the image of sandra and stephen’s likeness is captured and reflected back to them that - SNAP! - a fleeting moment of recognition, and of choice, can occur.

FEATURE

the capital irish film festival is excited to partner with dublin’s darklight festival which celebrates the very best in independent, diy and artist films.

darklight heroes: dc edition! - friday, 10th december 2010. 7pm at the goethe institut.

darklight: state of the nation - friday, 10th december 2010. 9pm at the goethe institut.

the darklight festival

darklight heroes invites artists from any field to curate screenings leading to alternate conversations about film-making and cinema. for dc darklight has chosen to invite berlin-based animator, david o’reily. o’reilly has decided to title his selection as MIXTAPE OF DOOM.

MIXTAPE OF DOOM is a collection of logic bending neuro-masochistic short films from the past, present and future. early animation, modern rarities, lost television shows and other slices of meat from the media’s most surreal and succulent tenderloins.

in session two, darklight: state of the nation, darklight’s festival director, nicky gogan, will hand pick films that she thinks reflects the state of independent irish film-making today as well as the state of ireland itself. in an interactive session that will include live video link ups with artists in ireland, nicky will lead us through her perspective on what constitutes the definition of irish cinema and where its future lies.

SPECIAL EVENTS

shorts1

shorts programme one

check out the best in up and coming irish cinema.

sunday, 5th december 2010. 2pm at the goethe institut.

the line up: moore street masala (musical) directed by david o’sullivan, the con-saw-tina effect (comedy) directed by steven murray, days like this (animation) directed by joel simon, forty foot (documentary) directed by leticia agudo, aoibheann o’sullivan & paul mcgrath, tog mise leat (irish language drama) directed by aaron o’reilly, if these walls could talk (documentary) directed by anna rodgers, the ottoman empire (comedy) directed by james phelan.

SHORTS

shorts2

shorts programme two

because one programme of shorts just couldn’t contain ireland’s talent.

saturday, 11th december 2010. 2pm at the goethe institut.

the line up: the herd (documentary) directed by ken wardrop, nollaig shona (irish language comedy) directed by orla murphy, lament (animation) directed by damien byrne, the christmas ward (drama) directed by allyn quigley, old fangs (animation) directed by adrien merigeau, new boy (comedy) directed by steph green, donkey (animation) directed by louise bagnall, noreen (comedy) directed by domhnall gleeson.

SHORTS

free screening!seaviewbrought to you by irish popcorn!

directed by paul rowley & nicky gogan. run time: 82 minutes.

monday, 6th december 2010. 7pm at the renaissance dupont hotel.

an hour north of dublin beside the sea is a bizarre looking collection of grey cement buildings with brightly painted doors, and rusting fairground rides. this is mosney, a former holiday camp, once a world fully equipped for entertainment, with arcades, fairground rides, holiday chalets. it was a place where irish families would escape the daily grind of work in order to relax. a visit to mosney today presents a radically different picture, but still a picture of escape. this former holiday camp is now a camp of another kind, a holding center for asylum seekers from all corners of the globe. here new residents wait years for the results of their asylum claims. over three years, the filmmakers lived in mosney, gaining the trust of the residents. intensely close conversations reveal their individual stories, from the epic to the everyday. from congo, kurdistan, nigeria, somalia, sri lanka, we hear why people are forced to leave everything they have and move to a country where they are total strangers. and we learn of the trauma of waiting – living in fear in this bizarre no-mans-land.

special events

2nd december opening night party. after the screening of my brothers. film: 8pm at e street cinema. party: 10pm at coco sala.

4th december dublin noir party (run by the washington film institute). party will take place between screenings from 6-10pm upstairs at goethe.

5th december making your 1st film with mark cantan & james phelan discussion will take place after the screening of the alarms. film: 4pm. discussion: 5:45pm.

6th december irish popcorn!free screening of the film seaview at the renaissance dupont circle hotel at 7pm. 7th december artist talkback with marian quinn.discussion will take place after the screening of 32a. film: 7pm. talkback: 8:30pm.

10th december the darklight festival invades dc!heroes: MIXTAPE OF DOOM: 7pm. state of the nation: 9pm. party: 10.30pm upstairs at goethe.

11th december talkback with director, maya derrington.following the screening of pyjama girls. film: 4pm. talkback: 5:30pm.

11th december closing night partyparty will take place after the screening of snap. film: 8pm. party: 10pm in the art gallery of the goethe institut.

solas nua is a 501(c)3 non-profit and the only organization in the united states dedicated exclusively to contemporary irish arts. our mission is to bring the best new artistic talent from ireland to audiences in america. we achieve this through unique programming which includes visual arts exhibitions, the capital irish film festival, a full theatre season, literary events, including the dc irish writers festival and irish book day, and music programming that includes the solas salon series and the éist podcasts.

put some craic in your life (and ours!)

solas nua is a 501(c)3 non-profit and all contributions are tax deductible.

contribute at solasnua.org or cheques payable to solas nua can be mailed to:solas nua at flashpoint, 916 g street, nw washington, dc 20001

solas nua will send you all the info you need for your taxes and our sincerest thanks.

membership levelssolas beag (under $100) rinceoir ($100 and up) aisteoir ($250 and up)ealaíontóir ($500 and up)stiúrthóir ($1,000 and up)solas nua ($5,000 and up)

benefits of membershipall contributions get a shout out on our website and in our programs but any contribution of $1,000 or greater adds your name to our invite list for one year and any contribution of $5,000 or more earns you a producing credit on one of our upcoming events which includes your name (or business) on promotional material such as postcards and posters.

solas nua at flashpoint916 g street nw, washington dc 20001

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