Introduction to Contemporary Irish Film

Kursbeschreibung / -kommentar

In tandem with the rapid economic, social and cultural transformations in Ireland, labelled as the “Celtic Tiger”, Irish cinema and television also entered a particularly productive phase during the 1990s. While some films and television series set out to celebrate the new found freedoms of the fast-moving, well-to-do, young , urban, secular and global Ireland, others take a more critical stance by examining the ugly underbelly of progress and prosperity. More often than not, however, celebration and critical commentary are competing side by side, thereby highlighting the complexities and instabilities of the contemporary Irish experience.
After a brief introduction to the history of Irish cinema, the seminar will set out to investigate some of these more recent cinematic imaginings of Irish society and culture. By situating the material within broader cultural debates, we will come to see how film and television take part in negotiating and formulating Irish identity and Irishness at the turn of the century.
Literatur Suggested Reading:
Barton, Ruth. Irish National Cinema. London: Routledge, 2004.
Coulter, Colin/ Steve Coleman (eds). The End of Irish History? Critical Reflections on the Celtic Tiger. Manchester: MUP, 2003.
Kirby, Peadar/Luke Gibbons/ Michael Cronin (eds). Reinventing Ireland. Culture, Society and the Global Economy. London: Pluto Press, 2002.
McLoone, Martin. Irish Film. The Emergence of a Contemporary Cinema. London: British Film Institute, 2000.
Pettitt, Lance. Screening Ireland. Film and Television Representation. Manchester: MUP, 2000.
Rockett, Kevin/ Luke Gibbons/ John Hill. Cinema and Ireland. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1988.

Suggested Films (will be made available):
I Went Down (1997), About Adam (2000), Bachelors Walk (TV series, 2001-2003), Last Days in Dublin (2003), A Dublin Story (short, 2003), Goldfish Memory (2003), Intermission (2003), Veronica Guerin (2003), Yu Ming is Aimn Dom (short, 2003), Adam and Paul (2004), Capital Letters (2004), Headrush (2004), The Halo Effect (2004), Garage (2007), Prosperity (TV series, 2007)