This week the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival kicked off, and what a line up of films they’re bringing us this year. JDIFF will be showing an array of great films and sprinkled among them are films that cater not only for the bi and lesbian community here in Ireland but for women in general.

Cloudburst

Last night, in the Savoy cinema on Parnell Street, Cloudburst had its Gala showing at 7:30pm. The film will also feature as part of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Cloudburst is a film about Stella (Olympia Dukakis) and Dot (Brenda Fricker) a lesbian couple who decide to escape from their nursing home and go to Canada so they can marry, while unexpectedly picking up a male hitchhiker on the way.

Elles

Friday, 17th Feb, Cineworld 9, 6:15pm

Juliette Binoche of Chocolat, stars as Anne, an investigative journalist for ELLE. When she delves in to her research for an article about student prostitution , she meets Alicja (Joanna Kulig) and Charlotte (Anais Demoustier) who turn her world upside down when their profoundness unsettles Anne, causing her to question everything she knows about sex, family and money.

Damsels In Distress

17th Friday, Cineworld 17, 9pm

Three American girls make it their objective to rid Seven Oaks college of its male dominated campus and also save other students from low standards, depression and grunge. A film that stems from its popular predecessors Clueless and Heathers, in a look at the privileged American teen society and mind-set.

Yellow

Saturday, 18th Feb, Light House 4, 2pm

Amanda Coogan is an Irish contemporary visual artist who has taken her work to the Irish and international stage. It is her mysterious six part piece, Yellow, which lasts four hours, that is sure to be a film like no other you will see this year. She says the audience can come and go as they please.

Albert Nobbs

Saturday, 18th Feb, Savoy, 7:30pm

Glenn Close stars in Albert Nobbs a story about a woman posing as a male butler in 19th century Ireland. The film shows what women had to do to survive in desperate times, how women find comfort in each other and ultimately how one, shy, quiet man changed the lives of everyone he touched. Albert Nobbs has received three Oscar nominations.

Turn Me On, Goddammit!

Sunday, 19th Feb, Cineworld 9, 4:15pm

A film about a Norwegian teenage girl and her chronic masturbation problems. Of course teenage adolescence is not as straight forward as that. Alma (Helene Bergsholm) lives in a small town where the teens will get their kicks wherever possible. For Alma, she gets her kicks from fantasizing about anyone that crosess her path and pleasuring herself. This leads to some awkward sexual moment between Alma and Artur (her crush). The film is not only about teenage adolescence but female eroticism, libido and rebellion.

Invisible

Sunday, 19th Feb, Light House 2, 9pm

When two women meet coincidentally, they both realise they were the victims of a serial rapist 20 years previously. The two women must face their traumatic experiences that they are both haunted by despite being strong and independent. They must discover how their getting to know each other over a horrible event will benefit the future for both of them.

Where Do We Go Now

Monday, 20th Feb, Cineworld 17, 6:15pm

The women of a war torn Middle Eastern village have had enough violence to last them a lifetime. They join together to prevent any more sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims and will do anything to prevent their men from causing it.

Return

Monday, 20th Feb, Cineworld 9, 8:30pm

Returns takes a look at a woman who has just returned home from her military tour of duty in the Middle East and expects her life to return to normal and be waiting for her intact. When she gets home she finds that the bonds between her, her friends and family, have suffered in her absence. She can’t adjust to giving her children the attention they seek, she finds out her husband has cheated, her boring factory job is no longer enough for her and she has a breakdown but refuses to give up and tries her best to restore some normality to her life.

The Far Side of Revenge

Tuesday, 21st Feb, IFI, 6:30pm

Teya Sepinuck has created a documentary that delves in to the lives of a range of Northern Irish women with different backgrounds and stories that go beyond their painful histories. They explore emotions and the bond that forms between these women joined by cultural violence and tragedy in the North.