2020’s Movie Takeaways: From Kerry's new  superstar to the rise of streaming 

As the pandemic made its presence felt, the film production industry was hit hard, while cinemas continue to struggle. But here and internationally the movies still delighted and entertained us when we never needed it more

Jessie Buckley in I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

1. Our movie industry survived in crazy times: In March, film and TV productions all over the world dramatically shut down as the first wave hit. For the Irish industry it initially looked to pose a great threat to a business that has doubled in the last six years. Matt Damon decided to pack his Super Valu bag and hunker down in Dalkey with his family when production on Ridley Scott’s period epic The Last Duel was halted just days before going into production. But by autumn, the industry had figured out various measures to resume filming safely. Damon returned and The Last Duel was wrapped. Other major productions that have resumed include Vikings spin-off Valhalla, filming in Wicklow for Netflix, and Apple TV’s new sci-fi series Foundation, filming in Limerick’s Troy Studios as one of the biggest-ever projects to shoot here. 

2. A year like no other, but there were plenty of great films: It all started so well with a theatrical release for Bong Joon-ho’s terrific social satire Parasite, which went on to become the first foreign language Best Picture winner at the Oscars. Sam Mendes’ excellent WW1 drama 1917 also made the most of the big screen. As restrictions took hold, we found our streamers and rentals online and there were gems there too. Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks for Apple TV turned out to be one of her finest and sweetest, with great performances from leads Bill Murray and Rashida Jones. Killarney’s Jessie Buckley showed us what a star she has become in Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things for Netflix. Hugh Jackman and Alison Janney were great in Bad Education, a black comedy about a school scandal.