Launched last week by Arts Minister John O'Donoghue, Reel Ireland is a touring programme of Irish movies curated by the Irish Film Archive.
One of the first stops on the tour is Lisbon, where the Cinemateca Portuguesa is showing 14 films this week, from John Ford's The Quiet Man and The Rising of the Moon to such landmark productions as My Left Foot and Michael Collins and such recent films as Intermission, Adam & Paul, Cowboys & Angels and Mickybo & Me.
I had the pleasure of introducing the season in Lisbon last weekend, joined on the podium by the Irish ambassador to Portugal, Patrick O'Connor, and Cinemateca director Dr Joao Benard Da Costa, a venerable cineaste who has written several books, including one on Billy Wilder. The season was co-ordinated by Desmond Green and Mary Vermet of the Irish Portuguese Friendship Society, in association with the Cinemateca and the Irish embassy.
The handsomely designed Cinemateca is a dedicated repertory theatre that offers a wonderfully diverse programme. This month also includes seasons devoted to the work of Michael Cimino (who introduced his programme last week), Robert Wise and Joel McCrea, in addition to African cinema and the depiction of Jesus Christ in films.
