Kilkenny set to welcome international stars for Subtitle Film Festival this November
‘One of the lovely things about Subtitle is that these extraordinary people come to Kilkenny from all over the world’
As Kilkenny prepares to welcome international actors and casting directors for the tenth Subtitle European Film Festival, one of its former guests is already back in the city — this time starring in a major international feature film.
Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve, who previously visited Kilkenny for Subtitle, is filming in the city this week. Reinsve, who won Best Actress at Cannes for The Worst Person in the World and received an Academy Award nomination for Sentimental Value, is starring in a new international production.
Her return is a lovely reminder of the connections Subtitle has built between Kilkenny and the wider European film industry over the past decade. And those connections will be very much in evidence when Subtitle returns from November 22–28.
Among the international visitors expected this year are two of the casting directors behind the worldwide hit Barbie: American casting director Allison Jones and Britain's Lucy Bevan.
Jones is renowned for her work on television comedies including The Office, Parks and Recreation, Veep, Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm, alongside films such as Lady Bird, Superbad and Weapons. Bevan's impressive credits include The Batman, Belfast, Cruella, F1 and the forthcoming Harry Potter television series.
Together, the pair were responsible for assembling the extraordinary supporting cast of Greta Gerwig's Barbie, making their visit to Kilkenny a particularly exciting occasion for the European actors attending Subtitle.
Also expected in Kilkenny are actors from across Europe, including Polish star Marcin Dorociński, known internationally for The Queen's Gambit, alongside a new generation of performers from Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Germany, Romania and the Netherlands. Festival co-director Richard Cook says the international gathering is an important part of what makes Subtitle unusual.
"One of the lovely things about Subtitle is that these extraordinary people come to Kilkenny from all over the world, but everything remains very informal. You'll see actors and casting directors chatting in cafés, meeting people in pubs and watching films alongside local audiences.
"And it's wonderful to see someone like Renate Reinsve returning to Kilkenny to make a film, having first come here as a guest of Subtitle."
A growing appetite for European cinema
Meanwhile, organisers have been encouraged by the early response to this year's festival programme. A screening of the Italian classic Cinema Paradiso at Cleere's has already sold out, prompting a second screening at Billy Byrnes on Saturday, November 28.
To celebrate ten years in Kilkenny, regular film tickets are just €10, while a special €95 festival Key offers access to virtually every film screening throughout the week. The Key is also shareable, allowing friends and family members to enjoy different screenings.
The festival concludes on Saturday, November 28 with the Angela Awards at the Watergate Theatre, hosted by Pauline McLynn, with music from the Camembert Quartet.
Screenings take place at the Watergate Theatre, Set Theatre, Billy Byrnes and Cleere's. Subtitle European Film Festival runs from November 22–28. Tickets and festival Keys are available at www.subtitlefest.com.