A movie filmed in the Royal Cinema in Limerick had its premiere in the iconic venue in the city last night.
The premiere of 'Once Upon a Time in a Cinema' by Limerick filmmaker David Gleeson was projected onto the silver screen of the former cinema on Cecil Street.
The Royal Cinema, which has been closed for nearly 20 years, was the location for the new feature which is set over the course of one evening in a cinema in 1980s Ireland.
Irish actor Colin Morgan plays Earl Clancy, the manager of a small-town cinema who is dealing with a particularly difficult Friday night while mulling over the sale of his cinema to a shady politician.
Cinema has been a family affair for Mr Gleeson, whose grandfather and father ran the Regal Cinema in his native Cappamore.
Mr Gleeson said the film is "a love letter to an experience that's been woven into the Irish soul for a hundred years, a film that celebrates the rollercoaster of emotion that has forever bonded us in the company of strangers".
The gala screening was part of the seventh Catalyst International Film Festival.
Dr Susan Liddy, festival founder and director, said: "It’s wonderful to have opened the festival with a screening of Once Upon a Time in A Cinema in the Royal Cinema here in Limerick."
"The Catalyst team was delighted to welcome members of the cast and crew including director David Gleeson and producer Nathalie Lichtenthaeler.
"David hails from Limerick originally and this film was shot in the Royal Cinema which had, until recently, been closed for many years," she said.
She said it has been hugely nostalgic and heart-warming for a Limerick audience, many of whom were extras in the film, to have had the opportunity to see the film screen in the Royal Cinema.
