Visions Of An Otherworld
Visions of an Otherworld allows viewers to see spiritual and mythical stories using the Irish language, telling contemporary and compelling stories that offer another world of Irish Film and Identity.
Irish culture has recently taken on a resurgence through literature, TV shows and particularly film, with Claire Keegan’s Small Things like These, Sally Rooney’s Normal People and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin. These stories offer a view of Ireland’s filmic identity currently, but they are still being spoken in English and not Irish. In a 2023 interview during the BAFTA Awards, Irish actor Paul Mescal stated, "Broken Irish is better than clever English," as he and many other young people have become advocates for reclaiming their language through films. My season offers a unique blend of films, all in Irish language from the last decade, from young directors, which offer unique but universal stories which hope to question what it means to be Irish in our current times.
In Ireland’s distant past, there were seanchaí (travelling storytellers) who ventured from village to village, sharing stories around a campfire, orally presenting Ireland’s strong storytelling heritage to bring communities together around a shared passion for their unique cultural identity. This passion for stories and language, when combined with the medium of film, blends together in current directors who are crafting stories that are trying to redefine what it means to be Irish. Colm Bairéad’s 2022 fiction film The Quiet Girl, Ciara Nic Chormaic’s 2022 documentary Clouded Reveries, Pat Collins’s 2017 biographic feature Song of Granite and Tomm Moore’s 2014 animation Song of the Sea all offer unique views of what it means to be Irish, as this new filmic identity comes of age.
Curated and programmed by Joseph Pidgeon, as part of the Film Studies, Programming and Curation MA at the NFTS.
These films will be screened at the Lexi Cinema in London.
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- Wednesday November 5th | The Quiet Girl | 6.15pm
The Quiet GirlDir: Colm Bairéad | Ireland | 2022 | 91 mins
Based on Irish Author Claire Keegan’s short story Foster, Director Colm Bairéad’s 2022 film ‘The Quiet Girl’ explores a coming-of-age story. As 9-year-old Cait (played by Catherine Clinch) leaves her neglectful family to live with her aunt and uncle for the summer. Witness a poignant but subdued performance as Cait begins to open up through her reconnection with her extended family and the Irish language they use to communicate with each other.
The film is rustic, poetic and gentle in its approach to the character of Ireland and the family that inhabits this land, as their relationship blossoms under the summer sun in a reasonable 91 minutes. As Cait discovers more about herself and her family, she uncovers a deep-rooted secret which threatens to break the bucolic bliss she resides in as summer nears its end. Witness a Quiet Girl come of age on screen.
- Thursday November 13th | Clouded Reveries | 6.15pm
Clouded ReveriesDir: Ciara Nic Chromaic | Ireland | 2022 | 72 mins
Clouded Reveries is a 2022 documentary that follows the creative process of poet and essayist Doireann Ní Ghríofa, a contemporary Irish poet and author who has written a variety of poetic works in short collections, and in 2020, she won the Irish Literature Prize with her book, A Ghost in my Throat. Both Ciara Nic Chromaic’s poetic documentary and the book that inspired it bridge Irish history, contemporary feminism, and lyrical prose to create a unique expression of Irish identity, using a combination of Irish and English language to portray a fractured identity that is poignant, abstract and compelling to see and hear. Explore the mind and heart of Doireann to understand her unique view of Ireland and how she expresses it through the power of language, how it can be crafted both orally and visually to define a new view of being Irish. Enjoy a film that aims to answer what it means to be Irish through the power of language.
- Wednesday November 19th | Song of Granite | 6.15pm
Song of GraniteDir: Pat Collins | Ireland | 2017 | 104 mins
Experience a monochromatic exploration of a poetic, abstract biopic about the career of Joe Heaney, a famous Sean-Nos Singer. Sean-Nos is a cultural tradition hailing from Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, where the art of singing and storytelling blends together as a folkish solo vocal act, capturing the hidden stories of the land through the Irish Language. Joe Heaney is seen as a young boy who collects and absorbs the songs found in Connemara during the early 20th century; his voice ends up travelling all the way to New York’s 1960s Folk Scene, specifically the Newport Folk Festival of 1965. Through the film, try to piece together his enigmatic character or just enjoy the authentic, pure tones of his music. As both his and the film’s voice carries far beyond the screen.
- Wednesday November 26th | Song of the Sea | 6.15pm
Song of the SeaDir: Tomm Moore | Ireland | 2014 | 93 mins
Tomm Moore’s 2014 animated feature seeped in a mythic, fantastical and folkish otherworld of Ireland. Captured in a uniquely Celtic, vibrant and expressive 2D animated style, the film visually explores ideas of language and storytelling through the creative world that Cartoon Saloon crafts.
A mute girl with a mystical connection to seals, called Saoirse's celebrates her 6th birthday, where she mysteriously disappears. Her older brother Ben (aged 10) ventures forth to find her, while he deals with the grief of losing his mother 6 years prior, the same day his sister entered his life. He must learn to understand the strange fantasy world that Saoirse is lost in and learn to accept her as part of his family.Featuring Brendan Gleeson and an exploration of Irish song, story and myth, get ready to enter an emotional and pristine adventure.