In celebration of Ireland’s Presidency of the EU, Irish Film Institute (IFI) National, presents a programme of short films exploring impressions of Ireland and Europe in collections at the IFI Irish Film Archive.
With Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union running until the end of June 2013 and at a time when our relationship with Europe is at the forefront of much local debate, this programme will spark discussion on our relationship with Europe, looking to the past, present and indeed to the future.
This programme of rare footage, which will be visiting The Source Arts Centre here in Thurles on Wednesday June 26th at 8.00pm, will be introduced by Sunniva O’Flynn, Head of the Irish Film Programming Department and Curator, IFI.
The promised programme will include a rare chance to see some of the first films made in Ireland from 1897, captured by the pioneering French company Les frères Lumière. This selection of short glimpses of 19th Century Ireland includes scenes of Dublin’s O’Connell Street, (then Sackville Street).
The programme will also feature work by German travel writer Heinrich Böll. Böll was known in his own country as an authority on Ireland and this film indeed displays his affection for Ireland and its people, as well as his dismay at the freedoms that our children enjoyed, such as late bedtimes and unrestricted cinema access. The film was shown in Germany and later in Ireland as part of the series “As Others See Us,” where it caused great controversy at the time, even leading to one critic demanding an apology from the German government.
It will be interesting to see if, today, Böll’s criticisms still has this same power to provoke our people.
Admission to this event will cost €5.00.
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