David Prendeville
The Souvenir Part 2
Local company Element Pictures has joined forces with BBC Films to bring to life Joanna Hogg’s follow-up to the sumptuous autobiographical original. The film was honoured with being named best film of 2021 (where it was released in some territories) in the prestigious Sight and Sound poll of experts. Real life mother and daughter Honor Swinton Byrne and Tilda Swinton reprise their roles. Release Date: Feb 4th
The Batman
Robert Pattinson makes his bow as the caped crusader in Matt Reeves’ highly anticipated DC blockbuster, the first solo Batman film since Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, a decade ago. Colin Farrell, Zoe Kravitz and Barry Keoghan make up the impressive looking cast. Release Date: March 4th.
Red Rocket
Sean Baker follows up the hugely acclaimed, Oscar nominated The Florida Project with an outrageous black comedy starring Simon Rex. Release Date: March 11th.
Benedetta
The great Paul Verhoven returns with a typically satirical and provocative film about a 17th-century nun in Italy who suffers from disturbing religious visions. The film premiered at Cannes last year and has stoked a considerable amount of controversy and acclaim in the interim. Release Date: March 25th.
Happening
Winner of the Golden Lion at Venice, Audrey Diwan’s hugely acclaimed drama is an adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s eponymous novel, looking back on her experience with abortion when it was still illegal in France in the 1960s. Release Date: April 1st.
The Northman
Robert Eggers follows up the highly acclaimed The Witch and The Lighthouse with what looks set to be his biggest budgeted film to date. This Viking actioner boasts an extraordinary cast that includes Alexander Skarsgard, Anya-Taylor Joy, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke and Bjork. Release Date: April 22nd.
Vortex
Gaspar Noe’s new film has been hailed as his most mature to date. It follows an elderly couple in the late stages of dementia and is presented entirely in split-screen. It stars legendary director Dario Argento alongside iconic French actress Françoise Lebrun. Release Date: May 20th.
Top Gun: Maverick
Delayed from an initial forecast release in 2020, the already much-belated sequel to the 80s smash finally arrives 36 years after its predecessor. Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connolly and Val Kilmer reprise their roles in the original. Release Date: May 27th.
Nope
Little is known about Jordan Peele’s much anticipated follow up to Get Out and Us. He reteams with his Get Out lead Daniel Kaluuya. Release Date: July.
Nitram
Caleb Landry Jones won Best Actor at Cannes last year for his portrayal of the shooter at the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in Justin Kurtzel’s true crime drama. Judy Davis, Anthony LaPaglia and Essie Davis make up the impressive cast. Release Date: July 1st.
Don’t Worry Darling
Actress turned director Olivia Wilde follows up her directorial debut Booksmart with this satirical comedy about a 1950’s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community who begins to worry that his glamorous company may be hiding disturbing secrets. Release Date: September 23rd.
The Banshees of Inisherin
Martin McDonagh returns with this black comedy about a pair of lifelong friends on a remote Irish island who find themselves at an awkward time in their relationship when one of them no longer wants to be friends. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon star. Release Date: TBC, most likely later in the year.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese is back with this highly anticipated historical drama that revolves around Members of the Osage tribe in the United States, who are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover. Jesse Plemons, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro star. Release Date: TBC.
The Eternal Daughter
Joanna Hogg reteams with local company Element Pictures for what’s described as a ghost story in which a middle-aged daughter and her elderly mother must confront long-buried secrets when they return to their former family home, a once-grand manor that has become a nearly vacant hotel brimming with mystery. Tilda Swinton once again stars. Release Date: TBC.
The Wonder
Another Irish co-production involving Element Pictures. Sebastian Lelio, whose A Fantastic Woman won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2017, directs this period drama described as “a psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.” The film is based on the novel by Irish author Emma Donoghue (Room) and stars Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Niamh Algar, Ciaran Hinds and David Wilmot. Release Date: TBC, likely Winter 2022.
Disappointment Blvd.
Ari Aster moves away from horror with this intriguing sounding drama starring Joaquin Phoenix. The film is described as a decades-spanning portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time. Release Date: TBC.
Flux Gourmet
The great Peter Strickland makes a welcome return to our screens with what’s sure to be another delightfully singular vision. The film is set at an institute devoted to culinary and alimentary performance and revolves around a collective who find themselves embroiled in power struggles, artistic vendettas and gastrointestinal disorders. The film has its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this month. Release Date: TBC.
Crimes of the Future
David Cronenberg makes his first film in nearly a decade with this remake of an early student film of his. The film is described as a deep dive into the not-so-distant future in which humankind is learning to adapt to its synthetic surroundings. This evolution moves humans beyond their natural state and into a metamorphosis, which alters their biological makeup. Cronenberg regular Viggo Mortenson stars alongside Kristen Stewart and Lea Seydoux. Release Date: TBC.
Poor Things
Element Pictures strike once more in another collaboration with Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos. The film is an adaptation of the Alisdair Gray novel and is said to be a Frankenstein-esque tale focusing on a young woman brought back to life by a brilliant but eccentric scientist. Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbot head up the impressive cast. Could be in line to make its bow in Cannes in May. Release Date: TBC.
Blonde
Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe biopic has attracted lots of buzz and controversy, with rumours swirling at one point that Netflix had demanded the Australian director tone down some of the more hard-hitting elements. Netflix have since reportedly backed the uncut version of the film, which stars Ana De Armas as the iconic actress. Release Date: TBC
