Following on from the welcome success of last year’s inaugural event, the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival returns on February 12th for ten heady days of filmic extravagance, including a Julio Medem (Sex And Lucia, Lovers of the Arctic Circle, Red Squirrel) retrospective, and an Ireland showcase featuring Timbuktu, The Halo Effect and Headrush – the hotly anticipated new films from Alan Gilsenan, Lance Daly and Shimmy Marcus, retrospectively. Other intriguing programme strands include a season of European features and a superb season of documentaries. Here’s a run down of MOVIEHOUSE’s recommended highlights.

GRAND THEFT PARSONS – When the angelic tones of Gram Parsons were prematurely taken from us, no-one could have envisaged the bizarre series of events which were to unfold. Parson’s road manager kidnapped the body to burn it in the desert. He said he was fulfilling Gram’s wishes. Everyone else said he was mad. And to emphasise that point, the role will be essayed by one Johnny Knoxville.
21 GRAMS –Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s English-language debut is a showcase for the considerable thespian talents of Sean Penn and a haunting treatment of spiralling grief, which also boasts kick-ass turns from Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts.
THE FOG OF WAR –The latest documentary from the god-like Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, Dr. Death) is a captivating account of Robert S. McNamara, who served as the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
MONSTER – This performance-driven, Oscar-tipped dramatization of the life and death of lesbian-hooker-turned-serial-killer Aileen Wuornos stars an unrecognisably brunette Charlize Theron.
CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS – The moral maze presented by Andrew Jarecki’s unmissable account of paedophilia, family disintegration and witch-hunt style public hysteria is simply one of the most talked about and powerful films in years.
THE STATION AGENT – Tom McCarthy’s much admired whimsical romantic-drama about a dwarf who inherits a train station looks set to be this year’s feelgood breakthrough American indie sleeper.
BLIND SHAFT – For his acclaimed debut feature, writer-director Li Yang infiltrated the illegal coalmines of Northern China. The result is a shocking look at the human exploitation behind China’s economic miracle. After all, as one pit manager puts it, ‘The one thing China isn’t short of is people.’
THE COMPANY – Robert Altman’s detailed study of a Canadian ballet company stars former Canadian ballerina Neve Campbell. And if anyone can name any other Canadian ballerinas featured, we’ll be most impressed.
BATTLE ROYALE II – THE REQUIEM – A second helping of ruthless teenage, Japanese murderous mayhem. You may well be puzzled as to how the filmmakers could have improved on the bloodbath that was the original, and you’ll have fun
finding out.
OSAMA – Siddiq Barmak’s accomplished and acclaimed film isn’t a biopic of the world’s most infamous Arsenal supporting cleric, but an unforgettable portrait of life for a 12-year old Afghan girl under the Taliban regime.

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival; February 12th-22nd, Enquiries;(01 )8721722