News

Escape the interruptions. Escape to the cinema.

Screen Ireland continues campaign to support new Irish film coming to cinemas this Autumn

Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to launch Escape to the Cinema, a campaign across digital and radio to support Irish film on the big screen – showcasing new and upcoming Irish films in cinemas over the coming weeks and months, from critically acclaimed dramas Wildfire and Herself to dark comedies Redemption of a Rogue and Deadly Cuts.

This week, from September 6th, cinema venues in Ireland increased capacity to 60% for fully vaccinated cinemagoers. Escape to the Cinema welcomes back the big screen experience – one that lets audiences switch off and immerse ourselves in stories that make us laugh, cry or take us on a journey somewhere completely different.

Watch the trailer to discover a rich collection of the Irish films in and arriving to cinemas soon, including Cathy Brady’s critically acclaimed Wildfire, raucous hairdressing comedy Deadly Cuts, and Sundance debut Herself from Mamma Mia director Phyllida Lloyd – which is in cinemas today.

Louise Ryan, Marketing and Communications Manager at Screen Ireland, commented: “Screen Ireland is proud to present our new Escape to the Cinema Campaign. Watching films on the big screen at the cinema is a magic experience that has been sorely missed by so many during the pandemic. We have long been amongst Europe’s highest going cinema goers with cinemas playing an important cultural and entertainment role in towns right across Ireland.

We hope that audiences will return to the cinema to safely enjoy the wide range of new Irish films and documentary, which showcase some incredible Irish storytelling and creative talent on screen.”

Ireland has a unique screen density of regional cinema by comparison to its European counterparts and in 2019, Ireland had the highest cinema admissions per capita in Europe. Last year, with the support of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media, Screen Ireland launched Building Back Audiences: the Cinema Stimulus Fund, a special initiative to support the exhibition sector in recovering from the severe impact of COVID-19 closures. 123 cinema venues from all over Ireland benefited from the fund, in recognition of the immense challenges that Irish independent cinemas faced as they reopen their doors and rebuild their businesses.

For more information about the films showcased in the Escape to the Cinema trailer, please see below.

In Cinemas Now

Following its strong reception at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020, Phyllida Lloyd’s Herself stars Clare Dunne as Sandra, a single mother who sets out to build her own home and, in the process, rebuilds her life.

Cathy Brady’s critically acclaimed debut feature Wildfire is the blazing, hypnotic story of two sisters who grew up on the fractious Irish border.

A bible black comedy about salvation, prodigal sons and a funeral that can’t take place on a rainy day. Redemption of a Rogue is the feature debut from writer/director Philip Doherty.

In Cinemas 17th September

Rose Plays Julie, from filmmakers Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, is “edge-of-the-seat suspense” (The Guardian). The story of a young woman searching for her biological mother, set against a backdrop of misogyny, revenge and longing.

In Cinemas 24th September

David Burke’s documentary Father of the Cyborgs looks at the fascinating life and career of pioneering Irish neuroscientist, Dr Phil Kennedy – examining the ethics of self-experimentation and the unintended consequences of a future where technology and human brains combine.

In Cinemas 8th October

Deadly Cuts, the black comedy from writer/director Rachel Carey, takes hairdressing in Dublin to murderous new heights when a group of stylists become accidental vigilantes and heroes as they take on the gang members and gentrifiers threatening their community.

In Cinemas 15th October

Selected as Ireland’s official 2020 entry to the Academy Awards, Tom Sullivan’s Arracht is the critically acclaimed Irish-language thriller set against the backdrop of the famine.