January at the IFI

Happy New Year and welcome to the IFI’s January programme. We are starting 2011 with a bang with the release of some of the most anticipated films of the year.

The King's Speech

Colin Firth captivated audiences last year in A Single Man, and his performance in The King’s Speech, portraying a shy and stutturing future King George VI preparing himself for monarchy, is already tipped to win him the Oscar he missed out on last year. Natalie Portman also delivers a stand-out performance in Black Swan, a film that is being talked about in Oscar-winning terms. Directed by The Wrestler’s Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan brings us into the world of ballet and a production of Swan Lake, focusing on the dichotomy demanded from the prima ballerina to portray both innocence and evil in the combined role of the white and black swan.

Black Swan

January also sees the release of one of the hits of our 2009 IFI French Film Festival, The Thorn in the Heart, an intimate family portrait from dynamic French director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and Scottish director Peter Mullan follows up the brave and harrowing The Magdalene Sisters with Neds, a powerful and equally unflinching portrayal of growing up in ‘70s Glasgow.

Brighton Rock

Our season this month takes a literary slant with a focus on the writer Graham Greene, whose work inspired some of the greatest films of the 20th century and, with a new adaptation of Brighton Rock due out, continues to be relevant to this generation of filmmakers. Greene on the Screen is a chance for us to bring you some simply great films during January.

Talking of great films, when asked to choose the film he would most like to show as part of the IFI Open Day last February, Peter Walsh, IFI Cinemas Manager, chose Make Way for Tomorrow. We could only fit 60 people into that single screening last February – all of whom were in agreement with Peter having seen the film – so we are delighted that its recent re-release means that more of you can enjoy it during January. It is, by all accounts, not to be missed!

Make Way for Tomorrow

And, finally, don’t forget that the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival launch their programme on January 25th. So if you don’t want to miss out on tickets for the big films keep in touch via their website. Following the great success of our Kenneth Anger retrospective last year, and a memorable visit from the great man, the IFI is delighted to be working with JDIFF again on a special programme. So watch this space for further details!

We hope you enjoy this month’s programme (you can view it all here) and that you find plenty here to distract you from the January blues!

Sarah Glennie
Director