This is the 13th year of the Dublin Film Festival, but the hordes of film fans that crowded into Planet Hollywood for the programme launch didn't seem to find it in the slightest bit unlucky. It was the first year in the director's chair for Aine O'Halloran but she didn't seem unnerved in the slightest, simply expressing a hope that the festival would offer something for everyone. Certainly, there was a wide array of festival-goers there on Tuesday night.
Director Paddy Breathnach, who is also a festival director, came along with writer Conor McPherson, who was heading over to London the next day for the transferral of his play The Weir to the West End.
People who will be seeing their work at the festival included young film-makers John Carney and Tom Hall whose film, Just In Time will be showing on March 11th; Zachary Harpur who designed the elegant brochure, and unusually, The Dubliners' Ronnie Drew. Ronnie, who was accompanied by some members of his family, will be doing a star turn in O'Donoghue's Opera which will receive its premiere at the festival despite being made in 1965. Styled as a mixture of Brecht's The Threepenny Opera, a Dublin pub session and a who's who of the Irish music scene of the 1960s, it was directed by the late Kevin Sheldon.
As The Rhino Room is the official festival restaurant, owner Johnny Cooke came along to the reception. He agreed that he did indeed have expansion plans but not for Dublin - the mention of Cork and Galway raised a smile if not a complete confirmation. Johnny and the team at Cookes were also hard at work on a very high falutin' order - supplying the bread to Dublin Castle for the duration of the peace talks.
Apparently tomato and fennel, Finnish rye bread and traditional Irish soda bread are going down particularly well. Jack Gilligan from Dublin Corporation was there and had some rather exciting news. The Corporation is teaming up with Poetry Ireland and the Irish Writers Centre to create a new Dublin Writer's Festival this year. It will be a four-day affair finishing up on Bloomsday, and will feature both Irish and international writers giving readings, talks and masterclasses. Write on.