A question of taste - Grainne Humphreys

Grainne Humphreys is festival director of the Audi Dublin International Film Festival which begins today. 

The 11-day event showcases 140 feature films, alongside public interviews, industry workshops, and masterclasses. Guests at this year’s event include Angela Lansbury, Richard Gere and Claudia Cardinale.

Best recent book:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and really enjoying it. and the workout of carrying all 720 pages around the house.

Best recent film:

Of course, the ADIFF festival selection includes all of my favourite films of recent months... far too many to mention. In terms of recent releases — I would recommend Room.

Best recent show/exhibition/gig you’ve seen:

I was lucky enough to see Cat Power in NYC last year — it was a really amazing gig — stunning performance, spellbinding lyrics and a singer with HUGE charisma.

What formats do you access music?

I buy CDs online and download from iTunes — but still can’t avoid picking up rarities in bargain shops, as well as trying to build up a vinyl collection — which currently stands at six classics.

Best piece of music you’ve been listening to lately:

I’ve been replacing my old cassette collections — so I’ve been listening to old loves — Tom Waits’ Rain Dogs, John Adams’ Nixon in China and The best Of Donna Summer.

First ever piece of music or art or film or gig that really moved you:

It has to be either Strauss’s ‘The Blue Danube’ or Benny Goodman’s ‘Sing Sing Sing’. both songs are guaranteed to make me smile and want to dance.

Your favourite film ever (if you had to pick one!):

Hard to choose — Bonnie and Clyde, Tokyo Story or When Harry Met Sally

Tell us about your TV viewing:

I watch a lot of recorded TV — mostly American series — Scandal, Homeland, The Good Wife, Nashville, Suits, as well as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, House of Cards, Narcos and OITNB on Netflix. I love BBC4 for Danish/Scandinavian dramas like Borgen.

Radio listening:

Radio 1 is where my weekday radio is set but at weekends, I switch to Lyric with Movies and Musicals an essential part of the weekend, while I listen back to Front Row, The Film Programme and Desert Island Discs on BBC4.

Name three of your film heroes:

John Cassavetes, Romy Schneider, and Nora Ephron.

Your best/most famous celebrity encounter:

Dinner with Julie Andrews and tea with Al Pacino.

Most expensive item of clothing you’ve ever bought:

This is not an area I spend a lot of money on... Dr Seuss prints, yes — I have an unhealthy love for Trippen shoes... but clothes is something I try to keep in moderation. Okay, a fantastic Black Joseph coat at €400.

Tech habits: what you use, and what you use it for:

iPhone 4 for calls, texts, and WhatsApp and Macbook Air for work, screening new films and Netflix, and a battered desktop computer which holds my iTunes collection and holiday photos.

Unsung hero — individual, organisation, or group you think don’t get the profile/praise they deserve:

Volunteers. Every year the festival team is joined by over 100 volunteers and I am reminded of the crucial, yet near-invisible, support which thousands of people generously provide to the arts and sports in Ireland each year.