Culture 10 - the week's cultural highlights, plus a hug

Tell you what... we won't ask you how your week has been. Instead, we'll just offer you some choice cultural distractions for the week ahead. Just hold steady, and be kind.

DATING AMBER

Things begin to unravel when best friends Eddie and Amber decide to embark on a fake relationship to avoid questions about their sexuality... We all need a little light relief right now, and writer/director David Freyne's charming romantic comedy features a whip-smart cast that includes Sharon Horgan, Barry Ward, Lola Petticrew and Normal People co-star Fionn O'Shea.

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RTJ4 BY RUN THE JEWELS

RTJ frontman Killer Mike went viral this week with his stunning comments on the death of George Floyd - now he's dropped the latest record from his essential hip-hop duo (with rapper/producer El-P) - it feels like an essential state of the nation address, ripped from the headlines, and Run The Jewels' finest hour to date.

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SLÍ NA MBEAGLAOICH

Missing the highways and byways of Ireland? Binge this delightful series of musical travelogues from TG4, as father and son music legends Breanndán and Cormac Ó Beaglaoich take a journey up the west coast of Ireland in their 40-year-old camper van. The visuals are stunning, and the tunes utterly sublime - catch up here via RTÉ Player.

RUTH MEDJBER'S 100 WINDOWS

Photographer Ruth Medjber is best known for her kinetic music photography - during lockdown, she's been spending her weeks popping out with her camera at twilight. In her words, "I visit neighbours and friends (new and old) and capture their lives at home during this unique moment in time". Watch the results in a short video below:

THE FOREST BY MARK GEARY

That summer feeling is in full effect in the latest video from cult music hero Geary - the song was written and recorded at Mark's home in Pickering Forest, Co. Kildare. Mark is playing an online show in association with Coughlan's Live this Sunday at 9pm - more details here.

JOE PERA

The gentle observational comedy of Joe Pera is definitely an acquired taste, but in these troubled times, his small, perfectly formed series (each episode is only 10 mins) about a choir teacher's passion for the tiny things in life - both series of Joe Pera Talks with You are available via All 4 - provides a welcome calm from the storm. Watch his latest creation, Relaxing Old Footage With Joe Pera, below:

MODERNIST.IE

Our new favourite Instagram page, curated by Matt Retallick, offers daily examples of Irish design modernism from 1916-1996, throwing up constant fascinating gems - support their Patreon and get some very cool swag.

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THE 13th

Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America. Netflix have made this stunning film free to watch via YouTube - watch below:

CORKADORCA'S CONTACT AT CORK MIDSUMMER FESTIVAL

This traveling theatre performance from the Corkonian theatre legends, created in response to the Covid-19 crisis for Cork Midsummer Festival, features Eadaoin O'Donoghue and Lord Of Strut Cormac Mohally and offers 'a live performance that artistically reflects our new reality and the universally shared current challenges around human contact'. Director Pat Kiernan and Eadaoin O'Donoghue chat to Seán Rocks on RTÉ Arena on RTÉ Radio 1:

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DAVID LYNCH READS THE WEATHER

As if you needed a reason to love the filmmaker behind Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive any more, his regular weather reports via YouTube have been essential viewing, in a suitably Lynch-ian fashion...

Culture 10 - the week's cultural highlights, plus a hug

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