Brought to you by Virgin Media, the DIFF started with a premiere at Cineworld Dublin, where Irish IFTA award-nominated film director John Butler, along with American actors Matt Bomer and Alejandro Patiño, presented the film Papi Chulo. The comedy drama tells the story of a well-situated, lonely, gay TV weatherman (Bomer) who hires an older straight migrant worker (Patiño), leading eventually to an unlikely friendship. The film deals with empathy, connection, ethnicity, and economic migration.

At the Opening Gala on Wednesday night, Hot Press got to talk to director John Butler about his source of inspiration for Papi Chulo. Having lived in Los Angeles for 15 years himself, he says: “I know what it is like to experience that city as a person without money, who is kind of lonely, looking for things. But I love LA as well, and I always wanted to make a film that was kind of my take on it, my version of it”.

Both Bomer and Patiño were fascinated by the complex storyline of their characters and appreciated collaborating with each other. Previously, Alejandro Patiño has guest starred on American TV series like Desperate Housewives or Roswell. Matt Bomer is known from TV series like White Collar and Will & Grace, or his appearances in films such as Magic Mike and The Magnificent Seven. Both actors indicated that they enjoyed working on an independent film, which offered them the opportunity to present Butler’s film in his country of origin, Ireland.

After standing for photos at the red carpet, the three guests proceeded to the screening of Papi Chulo with the public.

Dublin International Film Festival runs from February 20 - March 3, presenting a large variety of films, exhibitions, and other special events. Make sure to visit https://www.diff.ie/ for more information on times and tickets.