To lovers of musical theatre around the world Colm Wilkinson definitely needs no introduction. On stages in London, New York, Toronto and beyond he has firmly established himself as one of theatre's greatest performers. His definitive portrayal of such leading characters as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" and the Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera" have brought the Irish born singer huge critical acclaim, a trophy case crammed with awards and the adoration of millions of theatre goers. Wilkinson achieved international fame when he created the role of Jean Valjean with The Royal Shakespeare Company in the hit musical "Les Miserables". After appearing in London's West End and on Broadway, …

 

Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945, Washington, County Durham, UK) is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in the United Kingdom. Ferry began his solo career in 1973, while still a member of Roxy Music, which continues to the present day.

 

Il Divo ("divine male performer" in Italian) is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are also signed to Cowells record label, Syco Music. Il Divo is a group of four male singers: Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, Swiss tenor Urs Bühler, American tenor David Miller, and French pop singer Sébastien Izambard.

 

With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. They say: "This film by a great Swedish master, who here acts and directs, is an epic masterpiece, beautifully realised and stunning in its sophistication, particularly considering its 1913 production date. The film set in motion what has now become known as 'the first golden age' of Swedish cinema and tells the often heartbreaking story of a widowed woman seperated from her children by an unjust social system, a complex psychological drama, made shortly after the first arrival of the feature film. Bergman himself, described it as "one of the most remarkable films ever made". The film was selected for the programme and will be introduced by the celebrated film writer Charles Barr."

 

Kevin Brownlow will present an illustrated lecture on undiscovered and unknown Chaplin. The lecture comes out of Kevin’s own extensive research on the subject and incorporates exclusive footage that has never before been seen. This talk is free to all ticket holders but must be booked in advance.

 

Followed by live performance by Roger Doyle. They say: "Budawanny is a contemporary silent film, made in 1987 and acknowledged by many as perhaps Bob Quinn’s greatest achievement. This fascinating and rarely seen film tells the story of a young priest, played by the great Donal Mc Cann, who becomes romantically entangled with his housekeeper. Quinn’s employment of silent film techniques and Roger Doyle’s beautiful score combine to transform what in other hands would be a formal exercise into a captivating masterpiece."

 

With live musical accompaniment by Josh Johnston. Presented by Kevin Brownlow, they say: "A wonderfully witty silent film by one of the great masters of American cinema. It stars Marion Davies, a natural comedienne who was rarely allowed to do comedy by her controlling husband William Randolph Hearst (a relationship later parodied in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane). The film is a real delight, brimming with smarts and full of memorable one-liners that will stick in your head long after you have left the cinema."

 

With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. They said: "Put simply this is one of the most ambitious and well realised silent films ever made. This, our closing film of this year’s festival, is another Sjostrom classic, hugely ambitious in its execution, with a visual poetry rarely seen again on screen. The film stars the great Lillian Gish who specifically chose Sjostrom for the project. The film is certainly one of the highlights of the programme, it is enormously difficult to see and should not be missed, I recommend booking early."

 

With live musical accompaniment by Josh Johnston. They say: "Duvivier is one of the great lost French filmmakers, although popular in his day he was unfairly ignored after the rise of the nouvelle vague. Poil de Carotte is one of the filmmaker’s greatest achievements, an extraordinarily naturalistic story of a put upon redheaded boy that is now acknowledged as an early masterpiece of ‘poetic realism’. For anyone who enjoyed Visages des Enfants, a movie we have screened twice before to rapturous response, or Truffaut’s 400 Blows, this is a sensitive and subtle evocation of childhood with an extraordinary central performance by the bravest of child actors."

 

With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. They say: "The documentary Grass was one of the first films to sell out at last year’s festival and certainly one of the highlights of the programme. This year we have Chang by the same adventurous film-making team of Cooper and Schoedsack, that would later go on to make King Kong. This film was to all extensive purposes lost for the best part of forty five years and was only rediscovered relatively recently. Shot on location in Siam, it traces the story of a small family living on the outskirts of a wild jungle. The film is an early documentary classic with all the thrills of a blockbuster, watch out for those elephants!"

 

With live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. They say: "Sunrise was one of the highlights of last year’s programme (for those that managed to get tickets) and this film has a similar poetry and humanism to that seen in the latter half of Murnau’s masterpiece. This film is a more naturalistic romance, though no less captivating, full of tiny miracles, it will be sure to grab audiences by the heartstrings. With wonderful central performances by Charles Farrel and Janet Gaynor, their last appearance together on screen and arguably their finest."

 

With live musical accompaniment by Josh Johnston. They say: "Sunniva O' Flynn Sunniva O' Flynn (IFI’s curator) will repeat last year’s archive programme. Sunniva uncovered some absolute gems from the Irish Film Archive for us last year compiling a fascinating selection of short films, all made in and around Wicklow in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The programme includes rarely seen amateur and professional footage of Bray and Wicklow including promotional films, advertisements and documentary footage. This is a fascinating and rare insight into Wicklow’s history and last year’s screening sold out in record time so please book early."

 

Live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne. They say: "We are delighted to open this year’s festival with what is arguably the great British filmmaker Anthony Asquith’s masterpiece. We are particularly lucky to have the pianist Stephen Horne accompany the film. Stephen worked with the film frequently, including creating the fine score that accompanied BFI’s recent release of the film. The film itself is a real treat, a moody, expressionistic tale of unbridled jealousy and illicit passions, it marks Asquith as a director of the highest calibre."