(L-R): Geoff Thompson, BIFS Organiser; John Marshall, British Ambassador; Peadar Carpenter, Irish Ambassador; Credit: Jazmin Campbell

G-Media sarl, with the support of the Irish Club of Luxembourg, today announced the launch of the 9th annual British and Irish Film Season (BIFS) to be held over two weeks from Wednesday 19 September until Saturday 29 September 2018.

The film season provides a unique opportunity for viewers to experience a wide selection of new films from Britain and Ireland. The 11-days event will screen 16 feature-length films, from a cross-section of genres and representing mainly independent cinema.

Geoff Thompson, BIFS festival organiser, explained the fun but challenging task of creating the festival programme, including ensuring an even geographic spread and also addressing the mix of genres. He was please to announce that many of the films address topical issues such as homelessness, Brexit, Peace and inclusion / diversity, which he put down, not to his choice, but to the fact that many filmmakers are now addressing these issues.

The British & Irish Film Season will have screenings across three venues, Ciné Utopia in Limpertsberg, Kinepolis in Kirchberg and the Cinémathèque in Luxembourg-ville and will kick off with the screening of “Swimming with Men” a comedy drama with the tag-line “The Fully Monty in speedos” and featuring a host of top English actors, and will close with “The Drummer and the Keeper”, a period drama about the origins of golf. Two Luxembourg co-productions will be featured, “Black 47” by Samsa Films, and “Richard the Stork” by Melusine Productions – in English. All other films will be receiving their Luxembourg premiers during the 11 days of the festival.

The audience will also have the privilege of meeting actors, directors and producers at a number of the events, including intimate Q&A sessions post-screenings – see below for guests confirmed to date.

For cinema-enthusiast to film-making students alike, this is a rare opportunity to learn more about the world of film production and meet some of the interesting players in British and Irish cinema today. For more detailed information on the programme, see www.bifilmseason.lu.

As in previous years, BIFS 2018 will include another component to the festival programme, with a film quiz being held on the penultimate evening. This will be open to teams of four who will compete for exciting prizes!

This year the Awards will feature both an Audience Award with one entry winning 2 Luxair flights to Dublin / LondonCity as well as an Audience Prize, and also a Critics’ Award, with the involvement of members of the Association Luxembourgeoise de la Presse Cinématographique (ALPC).

The popular Season Special Ticket will be available for purchase online, enabling festival-goers to see five films for approximately the price of three standard cinema tickets (€30). For more information on ticket pricing and purchase of tickets for individual screenings, please visit www.bifilmseason.lu, with tickets being sold this year from www.luxembourg-ticket.lu. Ticketing will also be available at the venues prior to screenings, depending on availability.

The BIFS has been wonderfully supported again by both the Edinburgh International Film Festival and the Galway Film Fleadh, where many all of the films of this year’s BIFS line-up were premiered. The BIFS is also grateful for the support of the Irish Film Institute and the Luxembourg Film Fund, as well as the patronage of the British Embassy and the Embassy of Ireland in Luxembourg, including Ambassador John Marshall and Ambassador Peadar Carpenter.

The British & Irish Film Season also enjoys support from its Silver Sponsors Orange Luxembourg, NNIP, Sunflower Montessori, with Bronze Sponsors: Banque Havilland and BGL BNP Paribas, and many partners including Luxair, DHL, the Accor Group, Bernard Massard, Kathy's Cupcakery and Home from Home, and its media partners: AraCityRadio, Chronicle.lu, Delano, City Savvy and Radio 100,7.

PROGRAMME
• Wed 19 Sep @ Ciné Utopia #2 @ 19:00: Opening & Swimming with Men (EN, 97 mins), by Oliver Parker
• Thu 20 Sep @ Cinémathèque @ 18:30: Shelter Me: Apollo House (IE, 64 mins) by Zahara Moufid & Gra & Eagla (IE, 15 mins) by Aine Gallagher
• Thu 20 Sep @ Cinémathèque @ 20:30: Camino Voyage (IE, 98 mins) by Donal O'Céilleachair
• Fri 21 Sep @ Cinémathèque @ 18:30: The Flag (IE, 84 mins) by Declan Recks
• Fri 21 Sep @ Cinémathèque @ 20:30: Black 47 (LU & IE, 96 mins) by Lance Daly
• Sat 22 Sep @ Ciné Utopia #2 @ 19:00: Zoo (NI, 97 mins) by Colin McIvor
• Sat 22 Sep @ Ciné Utopia #3 @ 21:30: The Journeyman (EN, 92 mins) by Paddy Considine
• Sun 23 Sep @ Ciné Utopia #2 @ 14:00: Richard the Stork (LU / DE / BE / No / US, 85 mins)
• Sun 23 Sep @ Ciné Utopia #2 @ 17:00: Good Favour (IE & BE & NL, 101 mins) by Rebecca Daly
• Mon 24 Sep @ Ciné Utopia #3 @ 19:00: Steel Country (EN & US, 89 mins) by Simon Fellows
• Tue 25 Sep @ Kinepolis Kirchberg #3 @ 19:00: Eaten by Lions (EN, 94 mins) by Jason Wingard
• Wed 26 Sep @ Ciné Utopia #3 @ 19:00: Old Boys (EN, 96 mins) by Toby MacDonald
• Thurs 27 Sep @ Cinémathèque @ 18:30: In The Name of Peace: John Hume in America (IE & NI, 90 mins) by Maurice Fitzpatrick
• Thurs 27 Sep @ Cinémathèque @ 20:30: Postcards from the 48% (EN, 114 mins) by David Wilkinson
• Fri 28 Sep @ Cinémathèque @ 19:30: FILM QUIZ
• Fri 28 Sep @ Cinémathèque @ 21:30: In Darkness (EN, 100 mins) by Anthony Byrne
• Sat 29 Sep @ Ciné Utopia #2 @ 19:00: Awards & The Drummer and the Keeper (IE, 92 mins) by Nick Kelly & Inside I’m Racing (18 mins) by Aleksander Szeser

SPECIAL GUESTS

• Confirmed:
o Camino Voyage: Donal O'Céilleachair, director
o Black 47: Lance Daly, director
o Good Favour: Rebecca Daly, director
o Old Boys: Pauline Etienne, actor
o In The Name of Peace: John Hume in America: Maurice Fitzpatrick, director
o Postcards from the 48%: David Wilkinson, director
• To be confirmed:
o Shelter Me: Apollo House: Zahara Moufid, director
o Steel Country: Simon Fellows, director
o Eaten by Lions: Hanna Stevenson, producer & Jack Carroll, actor