Date & Time: Thursday September 2nd / 8.30pm (Opening night film) & Friday September 3rd / 3.30pm

Location: The Gate Cinema

Details: Yamina Benguigui / 2020 / 100 mins

Starring: Isabelle Adjani, Rachida Brakni, Maïwenn

Synopsis: The relationship of three sisters is shaken when Zorah (Isabelle Adjani), decides to write a play based on the events of their Franco-Algerian childhood which have haunted them all their lives. The search for their young brother, kidnapped by their father, takes a turn when they discover their father is dying. Returning to modern day Algeria, they face their own and their family’s past. The sisters have no choice but to put their differences aside. The three stars of French cinema, Adjani, Brakni and Maïwenn deliver towering performances, in this powerful drama. A film about family, relationships and recovery – and also a testament to the power of art to transform.

“Adjani’s return to cinema is a real pleasure. The three actresses deliver impeccable performances in this film that asks questions about identity and culture, and the legacy of family disaster” – Bulles de Culture.

Date & Time: Friday September 3rd / 6.00pm

Location: The Gate Cinema

Details: Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette / Canada / 2020 / 105 mins

Starring: Kelly Depeault, Caroline Néron, Normand D’Amour

Premiere: Irish Premier

Awards: Official Selection Berlin Film Festival, 2021

Synopsis: Growing up in the spectacular chaos of the teenage grunge scene in rural Quebec, sixteen-year-old Catherine is given the book Christiane F and permission to go to the mall. It’s also the day her father deliberately drives her mother’s Jeep into a wall. It’s 1994, Kurt Cobain has left the building, Pulp Fiction has just been released and Catherine’s parents are going through a scorched-earth divorce. Doing her best not to care, Catherine is busy coping with the school bully and climbing the social ladder, eager to learn everything. From one misadventure to the next, she finds her gang and sets off to explore the world with no opportunity left unturned. At the heart of this coming-of-age story is the astounding performance of newcomer Kelly Depeault, who crafts an authentic portrayal of Catherine in all her tender misadventure.

“What Barbeau-Lavalette puts on-screen, is a truth beyond cause and effect. It’s our youthful desire to be free.” – Film Stage.

Date & Time: Friday September 3rd / 8.30pm

Location: The Gate Cinema

Details: Christophe Blanc / France / 2020 / 109 mins

Starring: Kacey Mottet, Andrea Maggiulli, Anna Maria Vartolomei

Synopsis: In a Grenoble courthouse, three siblings are facing the consequences of the loss of their parents. At the heart of the story is ten year old Mathis, a unique character who acts as the touchstone for his siblings life journeys, as he figures out how this new world looks. His sister heads to the South to escape the family ghosts, but Mathis and his older brother Jack are going to see this one out together. With terrific energy and verve, the film unfolds their adventures, their father’s dark past, their trip to Spain and ultimately both the excitement of freedom, and the emotional reconfiguration needed for this family. The real star is young Andrea Maggiulli , depicting Mathis’ emotional turmoil throughout the chaos, the heavy metal, the parties and a notable visit to Grandad.

‘‘Just Kids is a moving, dynamic film. Christophe Blanc explores with great psychological accuracy and formal inventiveness the journey of grieving siblings left to their own devices” – Cineuropa.