The 2020 Dublin International Film Festival has a strong representation of LGBT+ films including Australian Samuel Van Grinsven’s Lynchian-style feature Sequin in a Blue Room, Oliver Hermanus’ critically acclaimed conflict drama Moffie and Jacqueline Audry’s classic tale of a love triangle at a French finishing school, Olivia, amongst just some of the highlights.

Sequin in a Blue Room

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0PcEiVCoy0

Following a chance encounter at a sex party, a teenage boy aims to track down the man he is fixated with Samuel Van Grinsven’s Lynchian-style feature. Until now, Sequin has favoured no-ties hook-ups over relationships – and this decision sets him on a thrilling but dangerous path.

Thurs February 27 / Light House 1 / 18:15

Rialto

Directed by Peter Mackie Burns and adapted by Mark O’Halloran from his stage play Trade, early reviews have been strong for this acclaimed drama. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor plays Colm, a man struggling with the death of his destructive father and other personal crises. Unable to confide in loved ones, he seeks solace in the arms of a young male prostitute, putting family life at even greater risk.

Fri March 6 / Light House 1 / 20:15

Two of Us (Deux)

For decades, two retirement-age women living in the same apartment building have been keeping a huge secret – they are passionately in love. Nina (Martine Chevallier) is a free spirit but Madeleine (Barbara Sukowa) has been hiding her relationship from her adult children. Their love is truly tested when dramatic events change their lives.

Saturday March 7 / Light House 1 / 16:00

Moffie

A gay teenager is conscripted to war in 1980s South Africa in Oliver Hermanus’s critically acclaimed conflict drama. Nicholas is terrified of standing out when he’s signed up for war on the Angolan border, where being labelled a “moffie” is the ultimate slur and could lead to brutal bullying and punishment.

Saturday March 7 / Cineworld 4 / 20:40

Olivia

French filmmaker Jacqueline Audry’s classic tells of three women in a dramatic love triangle at a French finishing school. Adapted from Dorothy Bussy’s novel, it centres on one girl’s intense crush on a teacher, to the chagrin of one of her peers. The LA Times called it: “dense with the swoonworthy perfume of desire”.

Monday March 2 / Light House 1 / 16:00

Saint Maud

Described by Collider as “riveting” and “a carnal crisis of faith,” this award-winning psychological horror marks an impressive debut from writer/director Rose Glass. It tells of a young, extremely religious carer who becomes obsessed with saving the soul of her charge in a tale of trauma and control.

Monday March 2 / Light House 2 / 18:15

Make Up

A passionate romance unfolds in a Cornish holiday park in Claire Oakley’s genre-shifting tale. Part romantic drama, part psychological thriller, it tells of Ruth, who moves into the remote park with her boyfriend, only to make a startling discovery. Sight & Sound called it “gorgeous and inventive” and Screen International “an arresting debut”.

Thur 05 Mar / Cineworld 3 / 20:45

Beyond the Horizon

Set over the long, scorching-hot days of a 1970s summer, a teenage boy suspects the heat is impacting on the animals on his family farm but also the people around him. He doesn’t know it yet, but a great deal will change over the course of the sun-soaked summer. Top actors Laetitia Casta and Clémence Poésy are joined by newcomer Luc Bruchez.

Fri February 28 / Light House 3 / 20:30

When Women Won

Anna Rodgers’ documentary goes behind the emotional story of the Together for Yes campaign to repeal the eighth amendment and transform Irish society forever. It tells how, following the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar, three Irish feminists set about establishing a grassroots, women-led social movement. What followed next was one of the most historic and seismic shifts in Irish society in the past 35 years.

Thur 05 Mar / Light House 1 / 16:00

Our Ladies

A group of Catholic schoolgirls take a walk on the wild side in a raucous comedy of gals behaving badly. The students are in Edinburgh for a choir competition, but they’re more interested in hooking up, drinking and partying. The Times’ Kevin Maher said it features five of “the most compelling, neatly drawn and slightly terrifying female protagonists committed to film”

Info: Fri 06 Mar / Cineworld 4 / 20:00 / 1hr 45m

Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival 2020 runs in various locations across Dublin from Wednesday February 26 – Sunday March 8. For more see diff.ie