As its cast and crew prepare for their night at the Oscars, it’s worth remembering that An Cailín Ciúin picked up a Best Irish Film award a year ago at the Dublin International Film Festival, which kicks its 2023 programme off on February 23 with another homegrown movie that’s being tipped for future Oscars success, God’s Creatures.

Finding time in his impossibly hectic schedule to attend will be man of the moment Paul Mescal who co-stars in the familial west coast of Ireland drama with Emily Watson, Aisling Franciosi, Declan Conlon and Toni O’Rourke.

Running until March 4, DIFF will also be flying the Irish flag with its screenings of director Andrew Legge’s debut feature, LOLA, which zooms in on two sisters who’ve constructed a machine that intercepts radio and TV broadcasts from the future; Sunlight, the Barry Ward, Liam Carney and Ericka Roe co-starring tale of a recovering addict determined to care for his terminally ill sponsor; Ann, the true story of how teenager Ann Lovett died in 1984 giving birth to her son beside a Co. Longford grotto; and Future Tense, Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy’s powerful documentary exploration of aging, parenting and mental health struggles.

LOLA

And that really is just the tip of the DIFF iceberg!

Whether you’re into outlaw westerns (Dead For A Dollar); bizarre French superhero flicks (Smoking Causes Coughing); dystopian Korean dramas (New Normal); Polish coming of age tales (Bread And Salt); prejudice challenging documentaries (Mincéir); globe-trotting Irish/Swedish/Chilean co-productions (I Must Away); UK murder mysteries set in the world of competitive hairdressing (Medusa Deluxe); sexposé’s of Oslo’s cultural elite (Sick Of Myself); or films that unfortunately don’t go squelch in the night (The End Of Sex), DIFF has you covered – and then some!

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