The 14th Dublin Film Festival

The 14th Dublin Film Festival will be underway by the time you read this, and will remain in full swing till 25th April. Admission to all screenings is restricted to Festival members, but since the membership fee is a mere £3, it's certainly more than worth your while taking the trouble. Here's a brief rundown of ten of the expected highlights.

Apt Pupil, Bryan Singer's follow-up to the much-loved Usual Suspects, is based on a Stephen King novel and tells the story of a Holocaust-obsessed sixteen-year-old who discovers a Nazi war criminal living in his midst.

Claire Dolan showcases the excellent Katlin Cartridge (Career Girls) as an Irish-born prostitute striving to pay off her debts to mobster Colm Meaney.

A Simple Plan, the brainchild of Evil Dead director Sam Raimi, is a hugely acclaimed psychological thriller in the Shallow Grave/Fargo vein.

Black Cat White Cat marks the return of Emir Kusturica, Yugoslavia's answer to Fellini. It is set among a group of Austrian gypsies, and is reputedly one of the most visually arresting films in recent memory

In Dreams marks Neil Jordan's return to the dark and foreboding style that has characterised his best work - it's the story of a woman whose dreams are portentous auguries of real-life nightmares.

Goran Paskaljevic's The Powder Keg assumes a whole new topicality in light of current events: his film is a studied insight into the Serbian national character, with each of its characters representing an aspect of the Serb personality.

Night Train marks John Lynch's first stab at directing, and with John Hurt and Brenda Blethyn on board, the result should be well worth a look.

The Lost Son is a dark thriller starring Daniel Auteuil, which apparently descends into the blackest corners of human existence.

EXISTENZ, the new Cronenberg fix, returns to the more whimsical style of Naked Lunch, but is still stuffed with his trademark sadistic humour.

Orson Welles' Touch Of Evil gets a re-release: many consider it one of the gretest movies ever made. To my eternal shame, I've never seen it, a fact I intend to put to rights on the evening of Sunday 18th - and if none of these take your fancy, a full programme is available from the Dublin Film festival office at 1 Suffolk Street (Tel: 6792937. Fax: 6792939. E-mail [email protected])

Happy viewing! n