Why Irish eyes are smiling in Dinard

Rock on: Jury president Arielle Dombasle welcomes her 'amazing family' of cohorts at the Dinard Festival of British and Irish Film Photo: Richard Mowe

With a new title to reflect the upsurge in prominence of Irish cinema the 35th edition of the Dinard Festival of British and Irish Film in the Brittany resort on the Emerald Coast, launched last night with a glittering ceremony at the Palais des Arts overlooking the beach where such film-makers as Eric Rohmer and Claude Chabrol have been seduced by its picturesque charms.

One of the highlights of the opening marathon was the presence of Arielle Dombasle, French icon (model, actor, singer, director and many other guises) who embraced her fellow jurors as “my amazing family” - at least for the next two days. The jury comprises Julie Depardieu, Stanislas Mehrar, Phoebe Campbell, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Colm Bairéad, Charlotte Colbert and Alba Gaia Bellugi.

Dombasle who had a beach cabin named after her earlier in the day, exuded a rock ’n’ roll spirit as she sashayed into the auditorium to rumbustious applause and burst into a song in capella style about “beating hearts being gathered together”.

Festival director Dominique Green said that the name change was to give Ireland equalling billing with Britain. “Previously we didn’t give enough credit to what Irish films are. Irish production is really thriving and I am happy we can now have Irish films in the Competition. The hip-hop biopic Kneecap in the Irish mother tongue is just one of the titles set to send the Dinard crowds scurrying for tickets while the documentary The Irish Question examines the potential reunification of Ireland “in all its complexity.”

Timestalker, Alice Lowe’s comedy romance mixed with fantasy was the opening choice in the Competition which unfurls over the next two days with the prize-giving scheduled later tomorrow. The closing film is Matt Brown’s Freud’s Last Session with Anthony Hopkins.

Competition

• Bring Them Down (UK-Ire-Belg) - Dir. Christopher Andrews
• The Convert (Australia-NZ) - Dir. Lee Tamahori
• Poison (Lux-Neth-Ger-UK) - Dir. Désirée Nosbusch
• September Says (Ire-UK-Ger) - Dir. Ariane Labed
• That They May Face The Rising Sun (Ire-UK) - Dir. Pat Collins
• Unicorns (UK) - Dirs. Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd

First Feature Competition

• 7 Keys (UK) - Dir. Joy Wilkinson
• Edge Of Summer (UK) - Dir. Lucy Cohen
• Last Swim (UK) - Dir. Sasha Nathwani
• Paul & Paulette Take A Bath (UK-Fr) - Dir. Jethro Massey

Opening night - Timestalker (UK) - Dir. Alice Lowe Gala screening - Bird (UK-Fr) - Dir. Andrea Arnold Closing night - Freud’s Last Session (US-UK) Dir. Matt Brown