Ciné Gael Montréal 2011
19th Annual Series

Season Overview
    & Admission costs for Non-members:

Fri. Feb  4: Opening Film & Wine Reception: $10
Fri. Feb 25: A Surprise from Kevin Tierney: $10
Sat. Mar 26: A Tribute to Cyril Cusack:
   $20 for two films and a reception
   (or $10 per event)
Sat. Apr  9: 2pm:  The Secret of Kells: $10
Fri. Apr 15: Award-winning Irish Short Films: $10
Thu. Apr 28: Closing Film & Reception: $20

Admission for Members: A year long membership includes all of the above, plus a free ticket to bring a young guest (18 or under or young at heart) to the family film The Secret of Kells, and free entrance to the annual Members' Appreciation Evening at Hurley's Irish Pub.
Membership is $60 for the year.

Click here for details on how to become a member

Friday, February
4th:

Opening Night
&
Wine Reception

The Pipe (2012) Dir: Risteard Ó Domhnaill

"Another great Irish documentary...a deserved winner at the Galway Film Fleadh" - Gavin Burke, www.entertainment.ie

"Irish farmers and fisherman rise up in protest when Shell tries to build a pipeline for natural gas through their county. The local confrontation reflects an international concern for how energy companies affect the environment and communities." - Tom Powers, TIFF

For the full description of the film by Tom Powers and to watch the trailer.

Guest Speakers: John Griffin, Film Critic
and Ezra Winton,Director and Programmer of Cinema Politica

Friday, February 25th:

Film: A Surprise from Kevin Tierney.
The Director will be present

Guest Speaker: Kevin Tierney

Saturday, March 26th:

A Tribute to Cyril Cusack

3:15pm:  Screening
    5:15pm:  Reception at McKibbins
7:15pm:  Screening

Guest Spearker:
Antoine Maloney

A Tribute to Cyril Cusack
  Chairman: Patrick Vallely
"Although born in South Africa, Cyril Cusack was brought up in Ireland. He was a child star on the Irish stage, appearing first at the age of 7. He toured Ireland with his own theater company. He was offered the role of the Doctor in "Doctor Who" (1963) in 1963 but turned it down.

He tried to discourage all of his six children from pursuing the entertainment field, going so far as to not keeping a TV inside the house while they were young. Nevertheless, all of them went into some form of entertainment. Sons Paul and Padraig worked behind the scenes as director/producer types and daughters, Sinead, Sorcha, Niamh and Catherine all became actresses. In 1990 Cyril performed in an acclaimed stage production of Chekhov's "The Three Sisters" with daughters Sinead, Sorcha and Niamh at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.

Educated in Newbridge College, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, and University College, Dublin, but left without a degree to join the Abbey Theatre in 1932. He received honorary doctorates in 1977 and 1980 from the NUI and the University of Dublin, respectively.

His parents separated when he was young and his mother took him to England, and then to Ireland. Cusack's mother and her subsequent partner, Breifne O'Rorke, joined the O'Brien and Ireland Players where Cyril made his theater debut at age 6.

Formed his own company and staged productions in Dublin, Paris and New York beginning in 1947.

Became a campaigner for conservative causes in Ireland in his later years, notably in his opposition to abortion, where he became a frequent letter-writer into the main Liberal Irish newspaper, The Irish Times. His conservative credentials came under scrutiny, however, following his death and the revelation that he had not been faithful in his first marriage, with a long-term mistress, Mary Rose Cunningham, who bore him a daughter, Catherine. Cusack married Cunningham following his first wife's death." - Steve Crook, imbd.com

Saturday, April 9th 2PM:

The Secret of Kells

Guest Speaker:
Sara Terreault,
Dept. of Theological Studies, Concordia University 

New York Times Critic's Pick

Children especially welcome.
Special price for children $5.

The Secret of Kells (D: Tomm Moore, 2009)

"Nearly every frame of this 75-minute animated feature is dense with curlicued and cross-hatched patterns and figures. Your eye travels over Celtic crosses and through forest glades, studies architectural schematics and drinks in delicately washed landscapes...Using the vivid colors and delicate lineations of the Book of Kells for inspiration, [the director] establishes a surprising and completely persuasive link between the ancient art of manuscript illumination and the modern practice of animation.." - A. O. Scott, New York Times

To read the full review from the New York Times by A. O. Scott click here.

Friday, April 15th

Film:
An Evening Of Recent
Award-winning
Short Irish Films

Guest Speakers: Heather Macdougall and Kester Dyer

Thursday, April 28 

Closing Film & Reception

Film:
Swansong:
The Story of Occi Byrne

Swansong: The Story of Occi Byrne (Dir: Conor McDermattroe, 2009)

"Deeply moving" - John Griffin, Montreal Gazette
The film is based on the one-man show by actor, now film director, Conor McDermottroe.

"Swansong, Story of Occi Byrne portrays the life of Austin ‘Occi' Byrne who is brought up in Sligo by his alcoholic mother and who suffers traumatic bullying at the hands of a local gang because he has no father.  Occi grows up plagued by anger, confusion and pain. In the hopes of unlocking his own identity and overcoming the past that haunts him, he sets out to find his father and discover the secret of his birth. Remaining fiercely loyal to his mother, Occi is consistently tested on his journey, but eventually learns the true power that comes with love, friendship and most of all, a sense of belonging....The film premiered at last year's Galway Film Fleadh where it picked up the runner up prize for Best Irish Feature Film and was also nominated for Best First Feature at the Munich Film Festival earlier this year." - www.irishfilmboard.ie

Guest Speaker: Conor McDermottroe, Director (via video-taped intro)