A NEW collaboration between the London Irish Centre (LIC) and the Irish Film Institute (IFI) will bring films documenting all aspects of Ireland’s history to viewers across Britain.
Announced on June 18, the Reels From Home: Irish Film Heritage at Your Fingertips initiative brings together a wide range of content from the IFI Irish Film Archive into one specially curated collection.
Categorised under the headings Ireland of Yesterday, Watch Irish History Unfold, and Rediscover Television Adverts, the collection includes materials which date as far back as the early 1900s.
It features both professional and amateur films, documenting various aspects of Irish life including tourism, industry, sport and entertainment.
“The films have been selected to engage with the London Irish Centre's objectives to promote and advance education in Irish art, language, culture and heritage,” a spokesperson for the LIC confirmed.
Gary Dunne, Director of Culture at LIC, added: ”The London Irish Centre is delighted to partner with the Irish Film Institute on the Reels From Home initiative.
“For over 65 years, the Centre has been a cultural bridge between London and Ireland, and strategic and programming partnerships like these play a key part in connecting our audiences with high quality Irish culture.”
He added: “The Reels From Home collection is bespoke, dynamic and engaging, and we look forward to sharing it with audiences in the UK through a series of co-watching screenings.”
Commenting on the project, Kasandra O'Connell, Head of the IFI Irish Film Archive, explained: “We are delighted to be able to bring the collections of the IFI Irish Film Archive to a new audience in the UK , particularly at a time where people may be feeling more isolated than usual.”
The Reels from Home collection includes The Bord Fáilte Film Collection, The Irish Adverts Project, The Father Delaney Collection, The Loopline Collection Vol. 1, and The Irish Independence Film Collection.
It is now available free-to-view on the IFI Player here.
