Alex Fegan’s heart-warming Irish documentary Older Than Ireland continues its world tour with a stop in the Big Apple. The film will play at the Cinema Village in New York from April 29th to May 6th.
Older Than Ireland, which won Best Irish Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh, is a landmark documentary that covers a hundred years of life in Ireland as seen through the eyes of thirty centenarians. These centenarians, as the title suggests are actually older than the state in which they now live. From the oldest Irish person ever on record, 113-year-old Kathleen Snavely to Ireland’s oldest man, 108-year-old Luke Dolan audiences will meet a colourful cast of characters from all walks of life from the four corners of Ireland.
Director Alex Fegan, who received an IFTA Rising Star nomination for his work, was joined by cameraman Colm Nicell in recording the stories of men and women countrywide, ranging in age from 100 to 109. This remarkable group of centenarians, all born before 1916, are the last generation to have borne witness to Ireland’s bloody transition from a newly formed fledging republic through to its development into a mature European state. These centenarians are our living history and it is through their wit, wisdom and philosophy that the film explores the more universal themes of life.
Cinema Village is the oldest continuously operated cinema in Greenwich Village and one of the oldest continuously operated art cinemas in the city. It specialises in bringing the New York cinema-going audience something different from the usual blockbuster fare.
Older Than Ireland is a Snackbox Films production, with funding from Bord Scannán na hÉireann / Irish Film Board. It is available on DVD and VOD now.