The Irish Film Institute is proud to unveil the first volume of The Loopline Collection, showcasing materials from Loopline Film, one of Ireland’s most influential production companies. In particular, I thought the North East Inner City Programme would be interested in Alive Alive O: A Requiem for Dublin, Essie’s Last Stand and Looking On.
About the titles:
This first volume of the collection documents fascinating moments in recent Irish social history: most timely is Liam McGrath’s Essie’s Last Stand, a look at an elderly woman’s fight to stay in her home as developers look to take over her apartment block for redevelopment.
Alive Alive O: A Requiem for Dublin features original poetry from Paula Meehan, and examines a time when the livelihoods of Dublin’s iconic street traders were under threat and when drugs became a scourge of the inner city; the film, directed by Merry Doyle, includes footage shot by cinematographer Robbie Ryan, Oscar-nominated this year for his work on The Favourite.
Looking On focuses on a vibrant inner city festival in 1982, spearheaded by activist Mick Rafferty and the late politician Tony Gregory, and features the early rooftop appearance by U2.
These titles, plus many other videos from the Loopline Collection, can be viewed free of charge worldwide on the IFI’s online platform, the IFI Player, at www.ifi.ie/loopline, and via the free IFI Player iOS app, developed by Irish tech company Axonista.