KERRY FILM FESTIVAL CONTINUES CLASSIC SCREENINGS AT SIAMSA TIRE

Rose O Connor, Margaret Sheehan, Nora Rooney and Aishling Hayes get ready to take their seats at the KFF Active Retired screening of NATIONAL VELVET

Lovers of classic cinema are in for a treat next Wednesday at 2pm as Kerry Film Festival continues its programme of Active Retired Screenings with CASABLANCA at Siamsa Tire.

Winner of the Oscar for best picture in 1943, CASABLANCA is consistently voted as one of the top-ten movies of all time. Directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, the film is set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II. It is an excellent example of Bogart at his best, playing an American expatriate who meets a former lover (Bergman) with unforeseen complications.

Last month the KFF Active Retired screening featured Clarence Brown’s NATIONAL VELVET, a full colour feature dating back to 1944. Leaving the auditorium, much of the conversation focussed on the quality of the performances of both Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney, and how the film had kept patrons on the edge of their seats.

Kerry Film Festival holds active retired screenings on the first Wednesday of each month in Siamsa Tire, Tralee. Aimed at the seasoned film enthusiast, admission to the screenings is just €2 for anyone over the age of sixty-five, and refreshments are provided free of charge by Kerry Film Festival. Recent screenings have included, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER starring Robert Mitchum, and the previously mentioned 1944 Oscar winner NATIONAL VELVET.

“When we get a bit older we’re probably not too pushed about going to see a computer-generated vision of the apocalypse, or a teenage flesh-fest, or to take a three-dimensional trip to the intergalactic jungle home of extra-terrestrial smurf-like creatures,” said KFF Coordinator Niall Burman-Roy. “So the KFF Active Retired screenings at Siamsa Tíre are a great opportunity for seasoned film enthusiasts to see a classic movie on a big screen.”

In addition to featuring movies which are rarely seen on a big screen, Kerry Film Festival’s Active Retired Screenings are also a great social occasion offering an opportunity to chat with other film-lovers and catch up with friends. There is always a friendly atmosphere reminiscent of the golden age of cinema-going, from the plush red seats in Siamsa to the tangible sense of anticipation before the feature begins to the appreciative round of applause when the credits roll.

Screenings will continue throughout the summer, taking place on the first Wednesday of each month, and all are welcome to attend.

Upcoming KFF Active Retired Screenings:

July 6^th CASABLANCA (1942)

August 3^rd ARSENIC & OLD LACE (1944)

September 7^th ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953)

For more information on the Kerry Film Festival Active Retired Screenings contact 066 7129934 or email info@kerryfilmfestival.com