Birr Theatre & Arts Centre Film Club
Birr Theatre and Arts Centre Film Club season runs from October to March screening on Tuesday nights. Scroll down to see list of current programme.
Terms of membership
- Over 18’s
- Full membership - €25 (couple €40)
- Members - €3 per film
- Friends of Members - €5 per film
- Members advised to book in advance – In final hour before viewing seats cannot be guaranteed as non-members will be enrolled from that time on
- Non-members – become member for the night for €4 (15 minutes before film starts) then pay €3 member rate to view for the night
- Non-members cannot book in advance and advised to check possible availability the day before to avoid disappointment
Jan - April 2012 Programme
Film Club
Incendies
Tuesday 10 January
Dir: Denis Villeneuve Canada, France 2010 130 mins Cert: CLUB
Starring: Lubna Azabal, Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Remy Girard
Language: French, Arabic A striking adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad’s stage play, this intimate epic interweaves the personal, the political and the mythical to gripping effect. Following the death of their Arabic mother, Nawal (Lubna Azabal), adult Canadian twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) find themselves in her homeland, searching for a father they presumed was dead. Expertly shifting between present and past , writer-director Denis Villeneuve displays an impressive command of his material, patiently building up to an emotionally explosive climax. - Tom Dawson / Total Film
€7/5/3 8pm
Starring: Lubna Azabal, Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Remy Girard
Language: French, Arabic A striking adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad’s stage play, this intimate epic interweaves the personal, the political and the mythical to gripping effect. Following the death of their Arabic mother, Nawal (Lubna Azabal), adult Canadian twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) find themselves in her homeland, searching for a father they presumed was dead. Expertly shifting between present and past , writer-director Denis Villeneuve displays an impressive command of his material, patiently building up to an emotionally explosive climax. - Tom Dawson / Total Film
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
Tuesday 17 January
The Tree
Dir: Julie Bertuccelli France/Australia 2010 100 mins Cert: CLUB
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas, Morgana Davies, Aden Young, Gillian Jones, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Christian Bayers, Tom Russell, Gabriel Gotting, Zoe Boe
Language: English After the sudden death of her father, 8-year-old Simone shares a secret with her mother Dawn. She’s convinced her father speaks to her through the leaves of her favorite tree and he’s come back to protect them. But the new bond between mother and daughter is threatened when Dawn starts a relationship with George, the plumber, called in to remove the tree’s troublesome roots. As the branches of the tree start to infiltrate the house, the family is forced to make an agonizing decision. But have they left it too late?
€7/5/3 8pm
Starring: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas, Morgana Davies, Aden Young, Gillian Jones, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Christian Bayers, Tom Russell, Gabriel Gotting, Zoe Boe
Language: English After the sudden death of her father, 8-year-old Simone shares a secret with her mother Dawn. She’s convinced her father speaks to her through the leaves of her favorite tree and he’s come back to protect them. But the new bond between mother and daughter is threatened when Dawn starts a relationship with George, the plumber, called in to remove the tree’s troublesome roots. As the branches of the tree start to infiltrate the house, the family is forced to make an agonizing decision. But have they left it too late?
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
Tuesday 24 January
The Light Thief
Dir: Aktan Arym Kubat Kyrgyzstan 2010 80 mins Cert: CLUB
Starring: Aktan Arym Kubat, Taalaikan Abazova, Askat Sulaimanov, Asan Amanov, Stanbek Toichubaev Language: Kyrgyz They call him Svet-Ake (Mr. Light), an electrician with a far greater effect on the people around him than his job defines. He is the last link in a huge energetic system and he becomes the binding bridge between the geopolitical problems of post-soviet union and the common people. The economic devastation of the country had an enormous impact on the industrial workers and yet despite the upheaval, these people did not seize to love and suffer, to have and be friends and to enjoy their lives. Svet-Ake not only brings electric light (which is often out) to the lives of the inhabitants of this small city, but he also spreads the light of love, loyalty, life and mainly laughter. - Locarno Film Festival 2010
€7/5/3 8pm
Starring: Aktan Arym Kubat, Taalaikan Abazova, Askat Sulaimanov, Asan Amanov, Stanbek Toichubaev Language: Kyrgyz They call him Svet-Ake (Mr. Light), an electrician with a far greater effect on the people around him than his job defines. He is the last link in a huge energetic system and he becomes the binding bridge between the geopolitical problems of post-soviet union and the common people. The economic devastation of the country had an enormous impact on the industrial workers and yet despite the upheaval, these people did not seize to love and suffer, to have and be friends and to enjoy their lives. Svet-Ake not only brings electric light (which is often out) to the lives of the inhabitants of this small city, but he also spreads the light of love, loyalty, life and mainly laughter. - Locarno Film Festival 2010
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
Mammuth
Tuesday 31 January
Dir: Benoît Delépine & Gustave Kervern France 2010 87 mins Cert: 15A
Starring: Gerard Depardieu, Yolande Moreau, Isabelle Adjani, Benoit Poelvoorde, Miss Ming, Blutch, Philippe Nahon, Bouli Lanners, Anna Mouglalis, Albert Delpy, Bruno Lochet Language: French Anchored by the kind of tour-de-force performance that has made Gérard Depardieu an icon, Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern’s offbeat, affectionate, and frequently very funny road movie provides the hulking actor with his best role in years. He plays Serge (known as “Mammuth” to friends, after his rusting old motorcycle), first seen attending his retirement party at the local pork slaughterhouse. An honest and genuine guy—if not exactly an intellectual heavyweight—Serge finds himself at loose ends now that his working life is over, and it is his wife Catherine (the superb Yolande Moreau) who suggests he seek out his old employers in order to get all his pension-application paperwork in order. Out comes the motorbike, and off scoots Serge on an adventure that will see him cross paths with con artists, his kooky relatives, some hilariously officious bureaucrats—and the ghost of his first love, as embodied by Isabelle Adjani. Delépine and de Kervern underscore the laughs with an unsentimental thread of genuine emotion throughout and then they do the smart thing: they let Depardieu take over. His Serge is one of the most unforgettable characters ever on film. - Seattle International Film Festival
€7/5/3 8pm
Starring: Gerard Depardieu, Yolande Moreau, Isabelle Adjani, Benoit Poelvoorde, Miss Ming, Blutch, Philippe Nahon, Bouli Lanners, Anna Mouglalis, Albert Delpy, Bruno Lochet Language: French Anchored by the kind of tour-de-force performance that has made Gérard Depardieu an icon, Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern’s offbeat, affectionate, and frequently very funny road movie provides the hulking actor with his best role in years. He plays Serge (known as “Mammuth” to friends, after his rusting old motorcycle), first seen attending his retirement party at the local pork slaughterhouse. An honest and genuine guy—if not exactly an intellectual heavyweight—Serge finds himself at loose ends now that his working life is over, and it is his wife Catherine (the superb Yolande Moreau) who suggests he seek out his old employers in order to get all his pension-application paperwork in order. Out comes the motorbike, and off scoots Serge on an adventure that will see him cross paths with con artists, his kooky relatives, some hilariously officious bureaucrats—and the ghost of his first love, as embodied by Isabelle Adjani. Delépine and de Kervern underscore the laughs with an unsentimental thread of genuine emotion throughout and then they do the smart thing: they let Depardieu take over. His Serge is one of the most unforgettable characters ever on film. - Seattle International Film Festival
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
Tuesday 7 February
Poetry
Dir: Lee Chang-dong South Korea 2010 139mins Cert: CLUB
Starring: Yun Jung-hee, Lee David and Kim Hira
Language: Korean
Mija lives with her middle-schooler grandson in a small suburban city located along the Han River. She is a dandy old lady who likes
to dress up in flower-decorated hats and fashionable outfits, but she is also an unpredictable character with an inquisitive mind. By
chance she takes a poetry class at a neighborhood cultural center and is challenged to write a poem for the first time in her life.
Her quest for poetic inspiration begins with observing the everyday life she never intentionally took notice of before to find beauty
within it. And with this, Mija is delightfully surprised with newfound trepidation, as if she were a little girl discovering things
for the first time in her life. But when she is suddenly faced with a reality harsh beyond her imagination, she realizes perhaps life
is not as beautiful as she had thought it is... - Moscow International Film Festival 2010.
€7/5/3 8pm
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
Potiche
Tuesday 14 February
Dir: François Ozon France 2010 103 mins Cert: 15A
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini, Karin Viard, Jeremie Renier, Judith Godreche
Language: French
Sainte-Gudule, northern France, 1977: Suzanne is the submissive, housebound wife of wealthy industrialist Robert Pujol, who oversees
his umbrella factory with an iron fist and is equally tyrannical with his children and “trophy wife”. When the workers go on strike
and take Robert hostage, Suzanne steps in to manage the factory. To everyone’s surprise, she proves herself a competent and assertive
woman of action. But when Robert returns from a restful cruise in top form, things get complicated... - Venice International Film Festival
2010
€7/5/3 8pm
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
The Skin I Live In
Tuesday 21 February
Dir: Pedro Almodovar Spain 2011 117 mins Cert: 16
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes
Language: Spanish
Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard, an eminent plastic surgeon, has been interested in creating a new skin
with which he could have saved her. After twelve years, he manages to cultivate a skin that is a real shield against every assault.
In addition to years of study and experimentation, Robert needed a further three things: no scruples, an accomplice and a human guinea pig.
Scruples were never a problem. Marilia, the woman who looked after him from the day he was born, is his most faithful accomplice.
And as for the human guinea pig... - Cannes Film Festival 2011.
€7/5/3 8pm
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
The Salt of Life
Tuesday 28 February
Dir: Gianni Di Gregorio Italy 2010 90mins Cert: CLUB
Starring: Gianni Di Gregorio, Valeria de Franciscis Bendoni, Alfonso Santagata, Elisabetta Piccolomini, Teresa Di Gregorio, Aylin Prandi, Kristina Cepraga, Michelangelo Criminale, Valeria Cavalli
Language: Italian Breaking no new ground but delighting its audience nevertheless, Gianni Di Gregorio's follow-up to his surprise hit Mid-August Lunch sees the writer-director reprising the mild-mannered ageing Roman mamma's boy character from that film. This time round he's required not to look after four old ladies but to prove he's still got what it takes by finding himself a lover. Though it at first feels a little inconsequential, this humane comedy is given depth by the vein of melancholy and poetic longing that runs through its gentle comic sketch structure... Like Nanni Moretti or Woody Allen, Di Gregorio mines his own long-suffering face and character for comedy, and he has such sympathetic presence and charm that he can probably run for a couple more films at least before we start demanding more of a story... It's the everyday realism and quietness of the comedy that wins us round in the end... - Lee Marshall / Screen International.
€7/5/3 8pm
Starring: Gianni Di Gregorio, Valeria de Franciscis Bendoni, Alfonso Santagata, Elisabetta Piccolomini, Teresa Di Gregorio, Aylin Prandi, Kristina Cepraga, Michelangelo Criminale, Valeria Cavalli
Language: Italian Breaking no new ground but delighting its audience nevertheless, Gianni Di Gregorio's follow-up to his surprise hit Mid-August Lunch sees the writer-director reprising the mild-mannered ageing Roman mamma's boy character from that film. This time round he's required not to look after four old ladies but to prove he's still got what it takes by finding himself a lover. Though it at first feels a little inconsequential, this humane comedy is given depth by the vein of melancholy and poetic longing that runs through its gentle comic sketch structure... Like Nanni Moretti or Woody Allen, Di Gregorio mines his own long-suffering face and character for comedy, and he has such sympathetic presence and charm that he can probably run for a couple more films at least before we start demanding more of a story... It's the everyday realism and quietness of the comedy that wins us round in the end... - Lee Marshall / Screen International.
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
Tomboy
Tuesday 6 March
Dir Celine Sciamma France 2011 81 mins Cert: CLUB
Starring: Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Sophie Cattani and Mathieu Demy
Language: French Tomboy tells the story of ten years-old Laure, who moves to a new Paris suburb with her family. It's the summer holidays, and all the local kids are running riot around the neighbourhood. Boyish Laure, when first meeting with the gang, introduces herself as Michael. The other kids don't even blink. Michael it is. And so the summer fun begins, with Laure, now Michael, doing everything she can to keep her new identity secret. But as the holidays draw to an end, and the threat of school looms, things start to get complicated. - GAZE Film Festival 2011
€7/5/3 8pm
Starring: Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Sophie Cattani and Mathieu Demy
Language: French Tomboy tells the story of ten years-old Laure, who moves to a new Paris suburb with her family. It's the summer holidays, and all the local kids are running riot around the neighbourhood. Boyish Laure, when first meeting with the gang, introduces herself as Michael. The other kids don't even blink. Michael it is. And so the summer fun begins, with Laure, now Michael, doing everything she can to keep her new identity secret. But as the holidays draw to an end, and the threat of school looms, things start to get complicated. - GAZE Film Festival 2011
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
Cell 211
Tuesday 27 March
Dir: Daniel Monzon Spain 2009 112 mins Cert:CLUB
Starring: Carlos Bardem, Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Marta Etura, Felix Cubero, Antonio Resines, Luis Zahera, Monolo Solo, Joxean Bengoetxea Language: Spanish Juan Oliver is knocked unconscious during the prison tour on the day before he begins his new job as prison officer. He is rushed to the empty cell 211 and left to come around. Meanwhile, inmates of the high security wing break free and riots break out. When he awakes he realizes he's trapped and has to pretend to be a new prisoner in order to survive... Engaging and intense, with striking performances by the cast, the film won several Goya Awards from the Spanish Academy, including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Supporting Actress. - London Spanish Film Festival 2010
€7/5/3 8pm
Starring: Carlos Bardem, Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Marta Etura, Felix Cubero, Antonio Resines, Luis Zahera, Monolo Solo, Joxean Bengoetxea Language: Spanish Juan Oliver is knocked unconscious during the prison tour on the day before he begins his new job as prison officer. He is rushed to the empty cell 211 and left to come around. Meanwhile, inmates of the high security wing break free and riots break out. When he awakes he realizes he's trapped and has to pretend to be a new prisoner in order to survive... Engaging and intense, with striking performances by the cast, the film won several Goya Awards from the Spanish Academy, including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Supporting Actress. - London Spanish Film Festival 2010
€7/5/3 8pm
Film Club
Midnight in Paris
Tuesday 3 April
Dir: Woody Allen USA 2011 94mins Cert: 12A
Starring: Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Owen Wilson, Kurt Fuller, Mimi Kennedy, Yves Heck, Alison Pill, Corey Stoll, Tom Hiddleston, Léa Seydoux Language: English Two young Americans, who have been together since their school days and are to be married in the fall, head for a few days to Paris where Gil’s fiancée’s father has a business meeting. While Inez and her mother are overjoyed by a chance meeting with another couple, and together they discover the tourist gems of the city and its luxury stores, Gil soaks up the mysterious magic of places where his most admired authors once experienced “a movable feast.” He feels that in Paris he will find the inspiration that will help him exchange his success as a Hollywood screenwriter for the courage to be a novelist. But his road to discovery comes with an unexpected twist, and at the journey’s end Gil discovers what he truly wants from life. In his new romantic comedy, the American filmmaker expresses his love for a city that he considers, after New York, the most beautiful in the world. “Of course I’m partial to New York because I was born there and grew up there, but if I didn’t live in New York, Paris is the place I would live,” Allen says. “Somebody else could come and shoot Paris in a completely different way. I want to present it my way, projecting my own feelings about it.” - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2011
€7/5/3 8pm
Starring: Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Owen Wilson, Kurt Fuller, Mimi Kennedy, Yves Heck, Alison Pill, Corey Stoll, Tom Hiddleston, Léa Seydoux Language: English Two young Americans, who have been together since their school days and are to be married in the fall, head for a few days to Paris where Gil’s fiancée’s father has a business meeting. While Inez and her mother are overjoyed by a chance meeting with another couple, and together they discover the tourist gems of the city and its luxury stores, Gil soaks up the mysterious magic of places where his most admired authors once experienced “a movable feast.” He feels that in Paris he will find the inspiration that will help him exchange his success as a Hollywood screenwriter for the courage to be a novelist. But his road to discovery comes with an unexpected twist, and at the journey’s end Gil discovers what he truly wants from life. In his new romantic comedy, the American filmmaker expresses his love for a city that he considers, after New York, the most beautiful in the world. “Of course I’m partial to New York because I was born there and grew up there, but if I didn’t live in New York, Paris is the place I would live,” Allen says. “Somebody else could come and shoot Paris in a completely different way. I want to present it my way, projecting my own feelings about it.” - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2011
€7/5/3 8pm