We are delighted to announce that the May Film Tour, organised by access>CINEMA and the Irish Film Institute to coincide with the Bealtaine Festival, will again take place in 2024.
This year the theme of the Bealtaine is Lust for Life, based on Iggy Pop’s iconic punk-era song celebrating life’s dreams and ambitions
The May Film Tour titles are The Great Escaper and Birdsong.
The Great Escaper is based on a true story, led by Michael Caines impassioned performance, it tells the story of Bernard Jordan who escaped from his care home to attend the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings in France.
Birdsong is an inspiring, enlightening and engaging documentary about ornithologist Seán Ronayne and his mission to record the sound of every bird species in Ireland, nearly 200 birds.
We would like to thank GFD Communications for supporting the screenings of The Great Escaper and True Films for supporting the screenings of Birdsong and .
The screenings are also possible because of the support of The Arts Council of Ireland.
The Great Escaper
Dir: Oliver Parker / UK / 2023 / 96 mins / Cert: 12A
Language: English
Starring: Glenda Jackson, Michael Caine, John Standing
In the summer of 2014, Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine) made global headlines.He had staged a “great escape” from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the D-Day Landings 70th anniversary. It was a story that captured the imagination of the world as Bernie embodied the defiant, “can-do” spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing. But of course, it wasn’t the whole story.It was an inspirational but sanitised retelling of one man’s need to come to terms with the lasting trauma of war. Bernie’s adventure, spanning a mere 48 hours, also marked the culmination of his 60-year marriage to Rene (Glenda Jackson) –THE GREAT ESCAPER celebrates their enduring love but always with an eye to the lessons we might learn from the Greatest Generation
May Film Tour Screenings of The Great Escaper can be seen in the following locations:
May 8th @ Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny
May 9th @ Cloughjordan Cine Club, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary
May 14th @ Brewery Lane Theatre & Arts Centre, Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary
May 23rd @ Esker Arts Centre, Tullamore, Co Offaly
May 28th @ Tuar Ard Arts Centre, Moate, Co Westmeath
May 29th @ Athy Film Club, Athy Community College, Co Kildare
Birdsong
Dir: Kathleen Harris / Ireland / 2023 / 52 mins / Cert: CLUB
Language: English
Featuring: Seán Ronayne
Ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, Co. Cork is on a mission to record the sound of every bird species in Ireland – that’s nearly 200 birds. Often joined by his partner Alba, he travels to some of the country’s most beautiful and remote locations to capture its most elusive species and soundscapes: the busy seabird colony of Skellig Michael; a native woodland free from road noise in the Burren; the corncrake stronghold of Tory Island; a solitary nest in the Donegal uplands. Along the way we get to know Seán, whose hypersensitivity to sound has proven both a struggle and a strength. At once inspiring and cautionary, Seán’s journey illustrates the beauty and importance of sound, and what listening can tell us about the state of our natural world.
May Film Tour Screenings of Birdsong can be seen in the following locations:
May 9th @ Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny
May 16th @ Cloughjordan Cine Club, Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary
May 17th @ Terryglass Film Club, Terryglass, Co Tipperary
May 17th @ Kilmallock Library, Kilmallock, Co Limerick
May 18th @ Dunamaise Art Centre, Portloaise, Co Loais
May 30th @ Esker Arts Centre, Tullamore, Co Offaly
