IFI Ireland on Sunday presents the World Premiere of Lorg na gCos – Súil Siar ar Mise Éire, Colm Bairéad’s documentary celebration of George Morrison’s landmark Irish film Mise Éire.
1pm Sunday 12th February 2012
More than fifty years on, Lorg na gCos – Súil Siar ar Mise Éire tells the story of Ireland’s most significant historical documentary film and the first wholly Irish language feature, Mise Éire, through the eyes of its director, George Morrison, key creative personnel behind the production and ordinary Irish people who experienced the film upon its theatrical release in 1960.
Tens of thousands of Irish people, including many who had participated in the Easter Rising, thronged cinemas across the country in the early 1960s to see the Gael Linn film which explored a period of intense political activity in Ireland from the 1890s to 1918. For many, it was the first time they had been presented with their own history in visual form. The film was a roaring success, breaking all previous Irish cinema box office records and becoming a key cultural moment in the history of the Irish State.
Directed by Colm Bairéad and produced by Cleona Ní Chrualaoi, Lorg na gCos follows the film’s director, George Morrison, as he retraces the steps he took in the creation of the film and visits many of the locations where the production took shape. Weaving a rich tapestry of archive and location footage with analysis from a wealth of contributors including the only two other surviving members of the Mise Éire production team, Louis Marcus and Catherine O’Brien; relatives of the Easter Rising leaders executed in 1916; and Gael Linn staff, Lorg na gCos paints a vivid social, cultural and psychological portrait of the country into which Mise Éire was released.
Ireland on Sunday is the IFI’s monthly showcase of new Irish film and includes opportunities to engage with filmmakers and producers. Following this premiere screening Colm Bairéad and George Morrison will take part in a post-screening Q&A.
