4 days ago
Bloomsday Film Festival 2025 celebrates James Joyce and cinema
The 2025 Bloomsday Film Festival will take place across Dublin from Wednesday 11th to Sunday 16th June, offering a programme that celebrates the legacy of James Joyce's life and work.
This year's festival opens on 11th June, with an event at the James Joyce Centre; the programme includes a performance by the Giorgi Aleksidze Tbilisi Contemporary Ballet, music from David Keenan, and a set by Gramophone Dublin Social.
The event is presented in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival and the James Joyce Centre.
From Thursday 12 to Saturday 15 June, the main programme will run at the Belvedere Townhouse - the site of James Joyce's former school, Belvedere College - with screenings of 60 short films and features, ranging from stories about Dublin to films with Joycean, literary, poetic and experimental themes.
Festival highlights include Ulysses: A Magic Lantern Show, a theatrical presentation of scenes from Joyce's Ulysses using a restored Victorian-era magic lantern; devised by Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker, the performance features live narration and musical accompaniment.
A poetry film showcase titled Joyce's Universal City, features new poetry films with performances by Éanna Hardwicke and Olwen Fouéré, and a live performance from poet Stephen James Smith.
In collaboration with the Irish Film Institute, the festival will present A Volta CineConcert, a screening of seven short films originally shown at Joyce's own Volta Cinema in 1909. The programme is introduced by Joycean scholar Dr Keith Williams and early cinema historian Dr Denis Condon, with musician Morgan Cooke will provide live piano accompaniment.
Two feature films will be screened during the festival. Horrible Creature, directed by Áine Stapleton, explores the life of Lucia Joyce and challenges traditional narratives about her mental health. Songs of Blood and Destiny, directed by Trish McAdam, is based on Marina Carr's poem iGirl and stars Cathy Belton, Eileen Walsh and Brian Gleeson. Both films will be followed by Q&A sessions with the filmmakers.
Short films include The Secret Life of James Joyce, which revisits Joyce's life through imagined diary entries by Nora Barnacle, and 6.14, which explores creative life in Paris through the work of legendary photographer John Minihan.
