Sci-fi classics set for special season at IFI - 2001 Silent Running Gattaca and more

The Irish Film Institute has teamed up with the Science Gallery Dublin to present a series called Futures Past - taking classic sci-fi films and examining how they spoke about their present and reached forward to the future.

10 films will be screened from the 6th to the 27th of April, with accompanying talks by scientists and educators, looking at the importance of the themes the films raise, and how they're often still relevant today. Seminal sci-fi 2001 will be part of the list (screened in a new 70mm print) alongside Silent Running, George Lucas' THX 1138, Soylent Green, Metropolis and the more recent classic Gattaca.

David O’Mahony, Head of IFI Cinema Programming, said: “Since the early days of cinema, filmmakers have looked to scientific achievements as inspiration for their speculative fictions. The films in the FUTURES PAST season, intended by their makers as social commentary on their own time, are visionary glimpses of where the human race might ultimately end up. We’re thrilled to partner with Science Gallery Dublin to explore the issues raised by these filmmakers, the accuracy of their predictions and their relevance today.”

The full list of screenings and dates are below, tickets are available from the IFI box office.

THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE – Apr 6th (18.30)

Guest Speakers: Oisin Coughlan (Friends of?the Earth) and Diarmuid Torney (Lecturer in International Relations at DCU).

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (70MM) – Opens Apr 8th. Screening with intro Apr 10th (14.00)

Tickets: €12 (€10 Concessions).

Guest Speakers: Joseph Roche (former Mars One Candidate/Professor of Education, TCD) and Peter Gallagher (Professor of Astrophysics, TCD).

Also showing as part of IFI Explorers on April 13th (16.00) – tickets €3 for 15-18 year olds.

SILENT RUNNING – Apr 13th (18.30)

Guest Speakers: Ella McSweeney (Presenter, RTÉ’s Ear to the Ground) and Yvonne Buckley (Chair of Zoology, Head of Biodiversity, TCD).

SOYLENT GREEN – Apr 16th (14.00)

Guest Speaker: Claire Anne O’Keefe (chef/food blogger/scientist).

GATTACA – Apr 17th (14.00)

Guest speakers: Shaun O’Boyle (Research Officer, Science Gallery Dublin and podcast producer) and Aoife McLysaght (Professor of Genetics, TCD).

THE BIGGER PICTURE: METROPOLIS – Apr 18th (18.30)

Guest Speaker: Lynn Scarff, Director of Science Gallery Dublin.

FANTASTIC VOYAGE – Apr 23rd (14.00)

Guest Speakers: Claire O’Connell (The Irish Times) and Fergal O’Brien (Professor of Biomaterials, AMBER and RCSI).

IFI FAMILY: WALL-E – Apr 24th (11.00)

Tickets: €4.80 per person, €14.40 family ticket (2 adults + 2 children, 1 adult + 3 children).

THE HANGOVER LOUNGE: THINGS TO COME – Apr 24th (14.00)

Brunch + film €16; film only is normal IFI pricing. Sunday brunch is served 12pm – 4pm.

THX 1138 – Apr 27th (18.30)