WE'RE ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET AT LIGHT HOUSE & PÁLÁS!

Award's season is officially upon us and we are so excited! It is a massive year for Ireland; we have a record breaking 14 Oscar Nominations, the first ever nomination for a film as Gaeilge, and 25% of all actors nominated are Irish. It's a great day for the parish!

Even when you put aside the Irish connection, a whole host of wonderful, wide ranging films will be celebrated. With that in mind, we know that everyone can't see every film (all at once) and so we're bringing back this year's 10 Best Picture nominees, as well as the other Irish contenders and the nominees in other categories that are upcoming as part of our regular programme, ahead of the Academy Awards ceremony on March 12th.

And the nominees are:

Now Showing

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (Best Picture/International Feature)

Light House HERE

*Coming Soon to Pálás

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (Best Picture)

Light House HERE

Pálás HERE

ELVIS (Best Picture)

*Coming Soon to Light House

Pálás HERE

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (Best Picture)

Light House HERE

Pálás HERE

THE FABELMANS (Best Picture)

Light House HERE

Pálás HERE

TÁR (Best Picture)

Light House HERE

Pálás HERE

AN CAILÍN CIÚIN (Best International Feature)

Light House HERE

Pálás HERE

AFTERSUN (Best Actor In A Leading Role - Paul Mescal)

Light House HERE

Pálás HERE

ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (Best Documentary Feature)

Light House HERE

Pálás HERE

Coming Soon

*AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (Best Picture)

*TOP GUN: MAVERICK (Best Picture)

*TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (Best Picture)

WOMEN TALKING (Best Picture)

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (Best Animated Feature)

EO (Best International Feature)

*Films that are returning to our screens that are not currently on sale, will be shortly. Films that are scheduled for release at a later date will screening from that date - all nominees will be screening in advance of the Oscars on March 12th.

HAPPY 2023!

It's a new year and with it comes a whole host of new films making their way to the big screen. When deciding what will be shown in Pálás and Light House, our Programmers are always keeping an eye on release schedules and are lucky enough to see films early. With that in mind, we asked them what films they are most excited about in the coming year.

Alice Black - Head of Film Programming

Straight out of the blocks, the film I cannot wait to see again (and again) is Todd Field's Tár which is coming out mid-January. Cate Blanchett is surely on track for an Oscar nom for her performance as the talented but troubled conductor and as wonderful as she is, the film as a whole is an absolute marvel. It's complex and dark but absolutely gripping from the beginning (those opening credits!) to the final frame. We watch a lot of films as we make our decisions about what goes on our screens and what doesn't, and this is one which is seared on my memory. I'm almost always looking for the next exciting watch so it is a rare thing indeed for me to be eagerly awaiting the chance to see a film again. That speaks volumes about how much I loved it.

I am also desperate to share my favourite film from Cannes, Close, with our audience. Directed by Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont (Girl), this is a wonderful film about friendship and the devastating impact of peer pressure. It feels very much like a companion piece to Aftersun or An Cailín Ciúin in the way it puts two young actors at the centre and quietly, but powerfully, tells a heart-breaking coming-of-age story. 

And lastly, in terms of films I haven't seen yet, the one I'm most excited about is .... Barbie! Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Margot Robbie and (Canada's own) Ryan Gosling? Sign me up!

David Kelly - Light House Programmer

There are way too many films to mention as 2023 is shaping up to be an incredible year for cinema, but personally I can't wait for the long-awaited Irish release of Ti West's Pearl in March. Hirokazu Kore-eda returns in February with Broker and it's an absolute beauty, filled with richly drawn characters, as we've come to expect. Also out in February is Sarah Polley's Women Talking. It's a deeply moving experience filled with incredible performances. We have the 30th anniversary re-release of Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence to look forward to and hope to see Killers of the Flower Moon released this year too. Ben Wheatley has directed a sequel to The Meg so count me in for that! Not to mention Dune Part II and Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things...and Barbie and Oppenheimer are still scheduled to open on the same day! What a time to be alive!

Will Fitzgerald - Pálás Programmer

Coming to the Pálás/Lighthouse Group from the Galway Film Fleadh, my roots are firmly in indigenous Irish cinema, and I can’t wait for audiences to see Robert Higgins’ and Patrick McGivney’s midlands GAA drama Lakelands when it comes to cinemas this year. It’s an Irish Friday Night Lights (or midlands Normal People) that will really resonate with domestic audiences while telling a universal story of searching for identity and coming-of-age. Éanna Harwicke (Vivarium) and Danielle Galligan (Shadow and Bone) light up the screen as bona-fide movie stars in a truly independent feature made with passion and wonderful craft. On the documentary side, we’ve also got Frankie Fenton’s Atomic Hope to look forward to in February, which is a cinematic exploration of a timely, vital and controversial question. And while we’re talking about independent film from this side of the Atlantic, I’m also really looking forward to playing Blue Jean, the debut feature from UK director Georgia Oakley and a striking portrait of queerness in Thatcher-era Britain.

Alice's first pick TÁR is now showing at Light House (book tickets HERE) and hits the big screen at Pálás on January 20th (book tickets HERE).

When Akira Kurosawa made Rashomon (1950), he was a forty-year-old director working near the beginning of a career that would span 50 years, produce some of the greatest films ever made, and exert a lasting influence on filmmaking throughout the world.

Rashomon is unconventional, radical even, and when it played in Venice and went into international distribution, it stunned audiences. No one had ever seen a film quite like this one. Its daring, non-linear approach to the plot shows the details of the crime as they are related through the flashbacks of those involved. In Rashomon, we get four versions of the same series of events through the eyes of the woodcutter, the thief, the woman, and the husband's spirit, each retelling different from the other.

Kurosawa’s visionary approach would have enormous cinematic and cultural influence. Even today, when a filmmaker incorporates contradictory flashbacks or viewpoints of unreliable or multiple narrators, we call it the “Rashomon effect”.

Here are some of our favourite examples, back on the big screen where they belong: 

Reservoir Dogs – There’s hardly a Tarantino film that doesn’t have an unreliable narrator, but we decided to go back to where it all began at the very start of his career and a bank heist gone wrong.

Light House: January 1 HERE

Pálás: January 4 & 6 HERE

Snake Eyes – You must watch carefully to solve the riddle of De Palma’s pulpy thriller. When the Secretary of Defence is shot during a boxing title fight, Atlantic City cop Rick Santoro (Nic Cage) discovers a conspiracy that rocks him to the core.

Light House: January 3 HERE

Pálás: January 5 & 7 HERE

Magnolia – Paul Thomas Anderson focuses less on unreliability and more on revealing connections, as he brings together random characters whose lives are all interwoven. On a single day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male carer, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host, and an estranged daughter will each become part of dazzling multiple of plots, but one story.

Light House: January 2 HERE

Pálás: January 4 & 7 HERE

Hero – Zhang Yimou’s sumptuous Wuxian follows Jet Li, a nameless mercenary who gains an audience with China’s emperor to share a tale of three famed assassins who posed a significant threats to the ruler. We hear his version of the story, only for the emperor to reinterpret events and share his hypothetical thoughts on what actually happened, before a twist in the third act pulls everything together.

Light House: January 4 HERE

Pálás: January 5 & 8 HERE

Run Lola Run - Tom Twyker's energetic Run Lola run burst onto the scene with frenetic energy and remains a cult classic. Playing with time and the butterfly effect, this high octane adventure sees Lola’s run three different times, with three different outcomes, focusing on how even the smallest details can have a huge effect: in this case, whether the love of her life, Manni, lives or dies. 

Light House: January 5 HERE
Pálás: January 6 & 8 HERE

Gone Girl - David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s bestselling thriller sees Ben Affleck as a doting husband who gradually becomes suspect number one in his wife's disappearance. Wrongly accused or just plain wrong? It depends on which version of events you believe.

Light House only: January 1 HERE

You can experience Kurosawa’s original classic Rashomon in all its complex glory from Friday Jan 6th.

Light House HERE

Pálás HERE

It's Christmastime and this weekend, both Light House and Pálás will be closed as we all take a well earned rest!

But fear not film fans, it's only for a few days. We will be closed on the 24th, 25th, and 26th and will be reopening on the 27th with CORSAGE opening in both sites!

Before the New Year, Light House will be doing a Best of 2022 (HERE) and Pálás will be showing THE WIZARD OF OZ (HERE).

Dublin Bowie Festival returns this January and to celebrate MOONAGE DAYDREAM, LABYRINTH, and THE HUNGER will be screening at Light House. MOONAGE DAYDREAM is Brett Morgen's (Montage of Heck) "not-really-documentary" exploring David Bowie's creative, spiritual and musical journey while LABYRINTH and THE HUNGER remind us of Bowie's prolific acting career. No matter if he was on stage or screen it is impossible to take your eyes off of the one, the only, David Bowie.

SCREENINGS:

THE HUNGER on January 12 - Tickets HERE

MOONAGE DAYDREAM on January 14 - Tickets HERE

LABYRINTH on January 15 - Tickets HERE

We're going Mach 10 through the Multiverse to show some of our favourite, and frankly, the best films of the year.

It was tough picking out the best of the best in a brilliant year so we've chosen from all corners; mainstream block busters like TOP GUN: MAVERICK and THE BATMAN, arthouse blockbusters like EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE and BANSHEES, sleeper hits like AN CAILÍN CIÚIN and DECISION TO LEAVE, and gems like THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, ELVIS, and YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER. We're bringing all these gems (and maybe even more) back to the big screen between December 27th and 31st to see out 2022!

Check out the full line up and book your tickets:

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE HERE

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD HERE

ELVIS HERE

DECISION TO LEAVE HERE

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT HERE

THE BATMAN HERE

YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER HERE

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN HERE

NOTHING COMPARES HERE

AN CAILÍN CIÚIN HERE

It’s time to start making a list (of films to see) and make sure to check it twice, as Light House Cinema announces this year’s Naughty or Nice Christmas programme.

For the entire month of December, Light House and Pálás are dedicated to spreading Christmas cheer and giving audiences a fun & festive space to celebrate with their friends and family with a selection of the seasons most beloved films and some cult classics.

It simply isn’t Christmas-time without cheering on Kevin McCallister’s hijinks in a HOME ALONE movie, getting lost watching Jimmy Stewart running around Bedford Falls in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE or witnessing John McClane singlehandedly taking on Hans Gruber in DIE HARD.

Both cinemas offer their own festive one-off events; including Light House's ELF SING ALONG SOCIAL Christmas Party and a DIE HARD Nakotomi Plaza Office Christmas Party at Pálás! Take a look at all the seasonal joys on offer at the links below!

Light House Line Up HERE

Pálás Line Up HERE

Return to Pandora for James Cameron's long awaited sequel to AVATAR.

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure.

Tickets for opening weekend are on sale now:

Light House: HERE

Pálás: HERE

Sebastián Lelio's THE WONDER is now showing at Light House and Pálás. The film, starring Florence Pugh, Tom Burke, Elaine Cassidy, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Niamh Algar, Toby Jones, and Ciarán Hinds, had it's Irish Premiere at Light House on October 26th with the director and several cast members in attendance. Some of the films props and costumes were on display and the stars hit the red carpet in Smithfield.

The film centres on an English Nurse Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) who is called to the Irish Midlands by a devout community to conduct a 15-day examination over Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy), an 11-year-old girl who claims not to have eaten for four months, surviving miraculously on “manna from heaven”. As Anna's health rapidly deteriorates, Lib is determined to unearth the truth, challenging the faith of a community that would prefer to stay believing.

The film screens from Nov 2

Book for Light House HERE

Book for Pálás HERE

“To a new world of gods and monsters!”

This Halloween, from October 15th – 31st, there’s a reign of terror taking over Light House as a whole host of cinema’s most iconic Movie Monsters return to the big screen. The Silver Scream season will feature horror classics from Hollywood’s golden era including DRACULA, THE MUMMY, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, and many more.

A note from Light House Programmer, David Kelly:

“These are the originals, or at least the quintessential versions of these characters – the movies that inspired so many others and had such a lasting impact on popular culture. These iconic portrayals by Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney and Elsa Lanchester, are the ones still immortalised every Halloween in costumes, in imagery, and in our imaginations.”

Pálás Programmer, Will Fitzgerald added:

"It’s also interesting to revisit the film era’s preoccupation with monsters that come from foreign lands at a time when it feels like xenophobia is on the rise again. But most importantly, these early monster movies can be enjoyed by horror fans and more faint-hearted cinephiles, alike."

View the full season lineup and book tickets here:

Light House

Pálás

Cinephile Paradiso is a monthly event that celebrates classic cinema on the big screen. Join your hosts, Mikey and Holly, here at Pálás Cinema for a screening with discussion to follow.

Kicking Cinephile Paradiso off September 22nd @6:30pm is a screening of one of the most renowned thrillers ever made… Rear Window!

Jimmy Stewart plays L.B Jefferies, a recuperating photographer confined to his apartment due to a broken leg. To pass time, he begins to spy on his neighbours from his rear window. Along with his fashion model girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and visiting nurse (Thelma Ritter), he soon becomes convinced that a murder has taken place…

Purchase your tickets here

It’s looking like a long, hot summer at Light House and Pálás with a celebration of the filmic right of passage that is the teen movie that will carry you all the way to autumn.

Taking you on a journey through the very best the genre has to offer and right across the decades including 1973’s AMERICAN GRAFFITI, an ode to Queen of the 80’s Molly Ringwald with both PRETTY IN PINK and THE BREAKFAST CLUB, 1996’s supernatural horror THE CRAFT, and of course the classic genre satire NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE from 2001. Also included are more recent titles such as GIRLHOOD, EIGHTH GRADE and David Freyne’s 2020 queer coming of age tale DATING AMBER.

There will be some one-off events which include a big finale CARRIE Prom Party, a homage to the era with a TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU 90’s theme night, you can sink your teeth into a TWILIGHT Marathon, Cinema Book Club will present EASY A in Light House and look out for plenty of surprises throughout.

On planning the season, Element Cinema programmer Charlene Lydon commented:

“It was a lot of fun putting this season together, teen movies encapsulate so much from the giddy highs of first loves, the queasy lows of heartbreak, and the overarching theme of finding yourself and your tribe. They shape pop culture, and when done right as seen from some of the classic picks such as THE BREAKFAST CLUB, CLUELESS and MEAN GIRLS influence and remain relevant for generations to come. I’m most excited about the season finale with our CARRIE Prom Party, as always fancy dress throughout the season but especially for the parties is very much encouraged.”

The films that will feature in this season between July 3rd – September 10th are:

• American Graffiti
• Carrie + Prom Party
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High
• Footloose
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• The Breakfast Club
• Back To The Future
• Pretty In Pink
• Hairspray (1988)
• Heathers
• Society
• Clueless
• The Craft
• Romeo + Juliet
• Rushmore
• The Faculty
• 10 Things I Hate About You + 90’s Party
• Battle Royale
• Not Another Teen Movie
• Donnie Darko
• Save The Last Dance
• Mean Girls
• Hairspray (2007)
• Persepolis
• Twilight marathon
• Easy A
• Girlhood
• Eighth Grade
• Dating Amber

Designer Meg Hyland has brought this season to life through specially commissioned artwork. Tickets are available to purchase now on www.lighthousecinema.ie and www.palas.ie

Our online shop is the perfect place to pick up gifts and cards for the film lover in your life www.lighthousecinemashop.ie. For information, please contact aisling@elementpictures.ie - 0867908601

Twitter/Facebook: @LightHouseD7

Instagram: @lighthousecinema

Twitter/Facebook: @PalasGalway

Instagram: PalasCinema

#NotAnotherTeenSeason

Watch out for the Doghouse Pop-Up at Pálás Cinema!

The team behind Birdhouse are excited to announce they are expanding as they are set to take over the kitchen at Pálás with a new offering under the guise of Doghouse @ Pálás. 

From Friday June 3^rd, you can get your hands on custom gourmet Hot Dogs with a choice of sauces and an abundance of colourful garnishes along with delectable sides. 

Husband and wife team Fraser and Orla Scott have an extensive background in hospitality and innovative menu creation, specialising in authentic recipes that incorporate the best of local ingredients. Commenting on the new venture they said “we believe we have brought new ideas to the food scene in Galway, born and bred in the lockdown years and can’t wait to serve a wider audience at Pálás. It’s perfect casual food for the bar and a pre or post cinema treat.” 

Birdhouse @ Carroll’s Bar has proved to be a huge hit over the last year with the “stars of the show” being the delicious range of homemade sauces which will feature on the new menu.  

“We’re thrilled to be working with the Doghouse team, it’s a match made in cinema heaven and an exciting addition to our offering here at Pálás.”  said Ruta Vitosiene, General Manager of Pálás.   

The menu will comprise of custom Hot Dogs, the sausages sourced from Connemarra’s finest McGeoughs as well as a vegan option, and as ever using the very best local suppliers including Corks cheddar from Hegarty’s and mustard from The Lodge Barna. Fraser hopes to expand the offering over the coming weeks, but for now whether yours is a Buckie BBQ, Teeling Whiskey Bacon or a Bum Burner – there’s something for every taste on the menu.  

Opening hours will be:

• Wednesday: 5pm-10pm 
• Thursday: 5pm-10pm 
• Friday: 3pm-10pm 
• Saturday: 1pm-10pm 
• Sunday: 1pm-10pm 

To celebrate the arrival of Doghouse @ Pálás, cinema tickets will be €5 all day long on Friday 3^rd of June. Follow our social channels for updates on hours, menus and special offers and events.

The long awaited sequel to the iconic TOP GUN opens on May 25th and tickets are now on sale. Book HERE

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”.Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

We've been eagerly anticipating news of the Irish release of Daniels' EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE and we finally have confirmation. It will open on Friday May 13th and tickets are now on sale. Book HERE

Alex Garland follows up Ex Machina and Annihilation with MEN starring Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnears. Opens June 1st. Tickets on sale soon.