We are pleased to announce that during the upcoming 20th edition of Plus Camerimage Festival in Bydgoszcz we will follow the previous years' format by showing a selection of films representing two European countries. This year, one of them is the “Green Isle" - Ireland. Our choice of films produced or co-produced in Ireland over the last decade includes both socially engaged stories and light comedies.

Growing in the shade of the dominant English cinema, Irish productions tend to focus primarily on the bloody, yet at the same time romantic history of national liberation. This trend is followed in Ken Loach's, Palme d'Or awarded The Wind That Shakes the Barley bringing back the topic of the Irish War of Independence. The film features outstanding cinematography by Barry Ackroyd, recognized by the European Film Academy. Set a little closer to our times, the quasi-documentary Bloody Sunday directed by Paul Greengrass tells a shocking story behind the tragic events in Derry. This multi-award winning film is a cinematic record of the massacre that took place on 30 January 1972 in a small town in the north of Ireland, which passed into history as Bloody Sunday. Helmed by Steve McQueen, Hunger is another politically engaged film in our line-up. It recounts the story of a group of imprisoned IRA members who try to acquire the status of political prisoners by going on a devastating hunger strike. An equally dramatic story of the Irish Sunday Independent journalist carrying out a personal crusade against the largest drug gang in Dublin was portrayed by Joel Schumacher in Veronica Guerin. This Irish/British/American production follows a fearless woman whose passionate commitment and determination convinced the Irish government to introduce certain constitutional changes that allowed confiscation of property belonging to drug bosses.

Still from "The Wind That Shakes the Barley"
There is, of course, much more to Irish cinema than socially engaged films set against the backdrop of poignant, often disturbing stories. Irish movies are also full of the light-hearted sense of humour the Islanders are so famous for. A great case in point here would be the amusing story of a surly guardian of the law depicted in The Guard directed by John Michael McDonagh, as well as the romantic comedy Goldfish Memory by Elizabeth Gill, which provides a complicated account of a couple contemporary Dublin locals. Romance is also in the air in the magical narrative showing an Irish fisherman who pulls in his nets from the sea one day to find a mysterious girl entrapped within. In Ondine, the director Neil Jordan introduces the viewer to fairy-tale aesthetics enriched with fabulous views of the Irish countryside. Kirsten Sheridan, on the other hand, weaves an extraordinary story of love and affection shared by two teenagers in her critically acclaimed Disco Pigs, an adaptation of a famous play by Enda Walsh. A slightly quieter tone is maintained in the comedy-drama Garage by Leonard Abrahamson, portraying Josie whose peaceful and orderly life changes dramatically after meeting a certain teenager.

Still from "Goldfish Memory"
When deciding which films to show, we deliberately tried to select both “purely Irish" productions as well as international co-productions with Ireland involved. We strongly believe that the stories told are more important than credits. Each of these films, regardless of whether the protagonist was a common man or a fighter for great cause, shows how exceptionally appealing Ireland and its people are and how the events that took place in this seemingly peaceful country continue to move and shock audiences all around the world.



Selected films:

• Disco Pigs; dir. Kirsten Sheridan, cin. Igor Jadue-Lillo, Peter Robertson, cast: Cillian Murphy, Elanie Cassidy (Ireland, 2001)
• Bloody Sunday; dir. Paul Greengrass, cin. Ivan Strasburg, cast: James Nesbit, Nicholas Farrell (Ireland, Great Britain, 2002)
• Veronica Guerin; dir. Joel Shumacher, cin. Brendan Galvin, cast: Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell (Ireland, Great Britain, USA, 2003)
• Goldfish Memory; dir. Elizabeth Gill, cin. Ken Byrne, cast: Jean Butler, Sean Campion (Ireland, 2003)
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley; dir. Ken Loach, cin. Barry Ackroyd, cast: Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney (Ireland, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Italy, 2006)
• Garage; dir. Leonard Abrahamson, cin. Peter Robertson, cast: Pat Shortt, Conor Ryan (Ireland, 2007)
• Hunger; dir. Steve McQueen, cin. Sean Bobbitt, cast: Michael Fassbender, Stuart Graham (Ireland, Great Britain, 2008)
• Ondine; dir. Neil Jordan, cin. Christopher Doyle, cast: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda-Curuś (USA, Ireland, 2009)
• The Guard; dir. John Michael McDonagh, cin. Larry Smith, cast: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle (Ireland, 2011)