A disparate bunch of volunteers has assembled a series of films to be shown in Dublin's Docklands. Angela Long reports

Drive-in movies are an American, not an Irish, phenomenon. But that hasn't stopped Jesse Jones from becoming obsessed by them.

"I did a lot of research, I read everything I could about them," says the young blonde woman from Tallaght. "I like the twin aspects of being public and private at the same time. At their peak in the 1950s, drive-ins were synonymous with youth culture - Elvis, rock and roll, the emergence of the [ economic] boom, and whatever went on in the back seat of the car. It was the art form of the poor, and yet also the most culturally diverse, because anybody could go to the drive-in. And they did."

Jones had an idea to recreate that egalitarianism as art, mass public art. With the support of the Fire Station studios in Buckingham Street, Dublin 1, and the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, the word is made motor for three consecutive nights in November, starting Friday 10th. A tract of unused property in the southside Docklands will become a free drive-in for the "12 Angry Films" mini-series, showing classics of sub-Hollywood, as well as six short films specially made by Jones and a team of 30 volunteers.

"It's going to be down by the Pigeon House in Ringsend, for about 30 cars at a time. We're showing major films such as Peter Lennon's The Rocky Road to Dublin, and The Take, by Naomi Klein." Klein is the activist and writer who became famous for her book No Logo, about the injustices to workers wrought by hugely profitable multinational companies.

The project, which also has the support of Dublin City Council and the Dublin Port Authority, took off with an energy of its own early this year, and the lack of experience of the crew proved no handicap.

"Peter Hussey from the Crooked House theatre company ran a series of workshops, which were tremendously helpful. We also had Peter Lennon come and talk to the group, and that was fantastic," Jones says. "It was great for us, because he had not been a professional when he made The Rocky Road, and yet it has become a classic. He told us that anyone can make a film, it's not just the preserve of the few, or Hollywood."

Jones's own background is in sculpture rather than film. The daughter of a family with great sympathy for the arts - "Dad did posters for his work, Mum was a kind of hippie" - she studied sculpture at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, and followed that with an MA in arts practice at IADT in DúLaoghaire.

Always keenly aware of social inequality, the obsessions of her spirit led her into performance art. "I had the Artane Boys' Band play the soundtrack of On the Waterfront, by Leonard Bernstein, at a docks site. It was just a few of them, but it was very effective. I've always loved that music, and have thought a lot about the relationship between class and cinema. I just knew I wanted to do something around drive-ins, but I wasn't sure what. Even when we started I didn't have a firm idea."

It was true democratic art-making. Jones assembled her team the only way she knew, from her background in radical politics and anti-globalisation protests. "I contacted the trade unions, community groups and activists' networks, with a call for participants. A SIPTU circular went out nationally. The response was great. I wanted only 12 people but I got 30!"

The work started about six months ago. The volunteers were split into two groups and started watching and thinking about films. They were a socially rich and varied group, with people from Poland, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Italy as well as Ireland. "Some were from a refugee or asylum-seeker background, and this was a great thing for them to be involved in," Jones says, reflecting on the isolation from integrated community activities that can afflict new arrivals.

They watched films such as On the Waterfront and Salt of the Earth, the 1954 classic of working-class cinema by Herbert J Biberman. They saw the work of Brazilian artist and activist Augusto Boal, who developed a type of social theatre to legislate for change, and whose mantra was "Theatre is the rehearsal for revolution".

Discussions were lively as the group thought about the issues - and about the practicalities of film-making. For Jones had set them an awkward challenge. In line with her automobile obsession and the drive-in setting, all the action of the films they were to make would take place within the confines of a car. The running time could be no longer than three minutes.

"And it also became clear to me, with the group, that it would be better to have none in English." So the short films are in Polish, French or mime, with subtitles. The soundtrack requirement for a drive-in meant the film-makers had to apply for a radio licence for the duration of the show. So, to use up the capacity when the films weren't being shown, they also made some radio programmes. The audience will have speakers in their cars, and will tune in to the radio station before the film for a bit of consciousness-raising.

The project is an apt one for the Fire Station to support, as one of Jones's themes is the changing nature of industrial labour. Fire Station, in the heart of north inner-city Dublin, is surrounded by the homes of those who have felt the shock of the new and supposedly prosperous Ireland. As well as providing living and working space for artists, the venue hosts many youth training projects and this has helped its good reception by the locals. "Some people are very positive about the Fire House, a lot couldn't really care," Jones says. "But the training side has won a lot of people over. "

The 12 Angry Films project was made possible by the Fire Station and DDDA, with support from Dublin City Council and Dublin Port Company. "Jesse manages the sensitive negotiation of different viewpoints with clarity and confidence, and without compromising her artistic vision," says Clodagh Kenny, director of the Fire Station.

• The 12 Angry Films screenings will take place on Nov 10, 11 and 12 at 7.30pm at the Pigeon House, Ringsend, Dublin 4. Admission is free but booking is essential. For bookings, contact Liz Burns at Fire Station Studios (01-8069012)