The best short films I saw in 2023

I saw some interesting short films in 2023 and these are the ones that impressed me the most. Most of these were shown by the IFI in their Archive at Lunchtime strand of free screenings, while two came up in the Stoneybatter Short Film Festival.

The War Game (Peter Watkins, 1966) Shown as part of the IFI's nuclear season, this was made for the BBC in 1966 but not broadcast for reasons. The most effective parts of the film are the faux documentary scenes looking at the lead-in to and aftermath of nuclear strikes against Britain. As can be imagined, it is pretty intense, with the most troubling scenes for me being the child screaming after being blinded by the flash of a hydrogen bomb exploding 20 miles away or policemen shooting patients a hospital has deemed untreatable.

The Family (Bob Quinn, 1979) This was made for RTÉ but not broadcast until the 1990s. It looks at the Atlantis community in Donegal, who were better known as the Screamers, for reasons that rapidly become apparent. It is fascinating but some of it makes for hard viewing.

The Unusual Inventions of Henry Cavendish (Andrew Legge, 2005) Around the time LOLA was out the IFI showed some earlier shorts by the same director. This one is done in the style of an early 20th century silent film and follows the travails of the titular inventor.

The Chronoscope (Andrew Legge, 2009) In LOLA the heroines invent a device that allows them to see the future. The 1930s inventress in this short creates a device that allows her to see the past, with disastrous consequences. This highly effective faux documentary presents a mix of talking heads, doctored footage, and filmed segments.

Meet the Quare Fella (Fred O’Donovan, 1960) 2023 was the centenary of Brendan Behan's birth and the IFI marked this by showing various films associated with the writer. In this one Eamonn Andrews interviews Behan, in a pub. It's funny and engaging, not least because the two men have a clear rapport. But there is an undercurrent of sadness. At one point Behan talks about how he will be viewed when he is in his 70s; he was dead four years later, just 41 years old.

Brendan Behan's Dublin (Norman Cohen, 1966) Made after Behan's death this presents the writer's Dublin, with a posthumous voiceover purporting to be from Behan himself, delivered by Ray McAnally. Aside from the Behan content is is an interesting look at the city just before I started to become familiar with it.

Flips (Luke Corcoran, 2020) A man gets into an argument with his brother at the funeral of his wife. A two-hander with strong performances.

The Tell-Tale Heart (Max Hendrickson, 2023) An impressive animated adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story, all the more so because the director was only 16 or so when he made the film. I look forward to nominating this for a 2024 Hugo Award.

Great older films I saw for the first time in 2023

Here are the most impressive of the older films I saw for the first time in 2023.

Black Narcissus (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1947) Stunningly beautiful film about nuns having problems operating a convent in a remote Himalayan location.

Don (Chandra Barot, 1978) Classic Bollywood film about badass gang boss who is replaced by a doppelganger as part of a complicated police plot to turn the criminal underworld upside down. Features many twists and turns and amazing musical numbers.

Fail Safe (Sidney Lumet, 1964) Shown in the IFI as part of a season of nuclear themed films, this basically has the same plot as the better known Doctor Strangelove (US nuclear bombers set off by mistake to attack the USSR and cannot be recalled for reasons) but is not played for laughs and is actually pretty grim.

The Hunger (Tony Scott, 1983) Catherine Deneuve is a sexy immortal vampire who wants to recruit Susan Sarandon as her new vampire lover now that David Bowie is starting to rapidly age. Possibly the first film to successfully move the vampire genre from the past into the present; also may have established the idea that real vampires would love hanging out with goths.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Brian Henson, 1992) Michael Caine stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in a surprisingly faithful muppet-featuring adaptation of Charles Dickens' novella. Actually very moving.

The Outcasts (Robert Wynne-Simmons, 1982) Legendary but long lost folk horror film set in Ireland just as the Famine is about to break, centred on a possibly autistic girl discovering magical powers. This restored version might be getting more screenings next year. In the meantime the entire film is on YouTube in not great quality (I couldn't find a trailer).

The Quare Fellow (Arthur Dreifuss, 1962) An adaptation of Brendan Behan's play that apparently takes some liberties with the plot but still struck me as an impressive evocation of Dublin of yore and an indictment of capital punishment. Also features strong early performance by Patrick McGoohan. Another one I could find no trailer for, despite the entire film being on YouTube.

The Red Shoes (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1948) Dark but beautiful film set in the world of ballet, centred on a ballerina and the men seeking to control her.

Serpico (Sidney Lumet, 1973) Al Pacino plays an undercover cop who gets into a lot of trouble when he tries to blow the lid on systemic police corruption. Based on a true story but surprisingly funny thanks to Pacino's ever more bizarre undercover cop outfits.

Three Colours: Blue (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1993) Many years ago I saw White, the second of Kieślowski's Colours trilogy, but I think I was too young for it and didn't get it. I'm old enough for Blue now, a beautiful film about grief and the creative process with some very impressive sound work.

Tommy (Ken Russell, 1975) The plot is nonsensical (kid develops hysterical blindness thanks to childhood trauma before becoming very good at pinball and founding a religion) but the combination of Ken Russell's visual flair and The Who's music makes this a most striking piece of work.

Uptight (Jules Dassin, 1968) The original source material for this was Liam O'Flaherty's novel The Informer, set during the Irish Civil War, but Dassin's film is set among African American radicals in the aftermath of Martin Luther King's assassination. The protagonist grasses up a leading militant, but then finds himself being hunted by the other militants and his own guilt, soundtracked atmospherically by Booker T. & the MG's.

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (D. A. Pennebaker, 1979) Pennebaker's stunning film of David Bowie's last Ziggy Stardust concert, turning the limitations of the technology available to him into a strength. If you've seen Moonlight Daydream you will have seen clips of this, but it was great seeing it in full on the big screen with a big sound system.

My favourite new films of 2023

Hey look, it's my favourite films of 2023. Included here are films that came out in 2022 that I only got round to seeing in 2023, or films that premiered earlier elsewhere and only hit the big screen in Dublin in 2023.

Apocalypse Clown (George Kane, 2023) A group of clowns find themselves stuck in the Irish midlands when society unexpectedly collapses. Will they be able to survive and achieve their personal goals, or will they fall victim to their sworn enemies, the human statues?

Aurora’s Sunrise (Inna Sahakyan, 2022) A beautiful film combining interview footage and rotoscoped animation, but about a terrible subject: the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Turkey around the time of the First World War. I saw it at the IFI's documentary film festival.

Asteroid City (Wes Anderson, 2023) There's a predictable and comforting quality to Wes Anderson films, although his work is definitely something that people either love or hate. I think the sheer beauty of his films should be more remarked upon.

An Cailín Ciúin (Colm Bairéad, 2022) For a quiet girl she does talk a lot, but the film neverthless packs a considerable emotional punch and may single-handedly have rehabilitated the terrible mikado biscuit.

Cairo Conspiracy (also known as Boy from Heaven) (Tarik Saleh, 2022) Tense political thriller set in the Al-Azhar mosque and university in Cairo and the Egyptian government's attempt to rig the election of a new Grand Imam.

Fallen Leaves (Aki Kaurismäki, 2023) A romantic comedy, Finnish style. Funny in a droll way, also moving.

In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 (Toby Amies, 2022) Somewhat niche music documentary about long-running prog band King Crimson, which mainly focuses on the oddness of their only permanent member, Robert Fripp.

Lies We Tell (Lisa Mulcahy, 2023) An at times quite intense adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's heiress-in-danger novel Uncle Silas.

LOLA (Andrew Legge, 2022) Appealing low budget film about two sisters in 1940s Britain who invent a device that allows them to see the future. Initially they are able to use it to help in the war against Nazi Germany, but then things go horribly wrong.

Modelo 77 (also known as Prison 77) (Alberto Rodríguez, 2022) Intense prison drama set during an upsurge of prisoner activism during transition to democracy in 1970s Spain. I saw it at the Dublin Film Festival and am surprised that it has not thus far received a general release as it is a stunning piece of work.

Pray for Our Sinners (Sinead O’Shea, 2023) Documentary about the long period of Catholic dominance of Ireland, centred on one town, but a bit less miserable than these things usually are thanks to its focus on resistance to Church power.

Reality (Tina Satter, 2023) Film reconstructing the interrogation and arrest of Reality Winner, who had leaked confidential documents on Russian interference in US elections, with all the dialogue taken from transcripts of her conversations with the FBI agents. Features a stunning central performance from Sydney Sweeney.

Róise & Frank (Rachael Moriarty & Peter Murphy, 2022) This was the other big Irish language film that came out in 2022 and deals with a bereaved woman who becomes convinced that a stray dog is the reincarnation of her late husband. Poignant and funny.

Rye Lane (Raine Allen-Miller, 2023) Likeable romantic comedy set in south London. Notable for its avoidance of stereotypes about its almost entirely black cast of characters and for moving beyond manic pixie dream girl clichés.

Sick of Myself (Kristoffer Borgli, 2022) Funny but dark Norwegian film about a woman who starts faking ever more bizarre illnesses to upstage her boyfriend, a popular but terrible artist. It feels like it is set in a similar milieu to The Worst Person In The World but is far edgier.

Squaring the Circle: the Story of Hipgnosis (Anton Corbijn, 2022) A documentary about the guys who designed almost all the memorable 1970s rock album covers. Features lots of cool music from the 1970s. Also features Noel Gallagher for no obvious reason.

Readers may notice I have not included either of last year's event films, Barbie or Oppenheimer. I liked them both well enough, but I liked other things more.

My most played music of 2023

Because no one asked for it, here are lists of my most played music from 2023, according to iTunes. Please note these are my most played pieces of music, not my favourites.

First of all, music released in 2023, in reverse order by how often I have played these tunes.

10. Unthank | Smith "Red Wine Promises"

This is from the Nowhere and Everywhere album released by Rachel Unthank (of the Unthanks) and Paul Smith (of Maxïmo Park). The song is a cover of Lal Waterson's song from the criminally unavailable 1972 album Bright Phoebus.

9. Natalia Beylis & Eimear Reidy "Pour upon the Sky"

This is from the album She Came in Through the Window to Stand by the Door, which was recorded in a church in Leitrim, with Beylis on organ and Reidy playing cello.

8. Roger Doyle"This The Way To The Museyroom"

And this comes from Finnegan's Wake | Suites of Affection volume 2, the second of albums on which veteran Irish electronic music star Roger Doyle combines music to actors reading sections of James Joyce's widely read novel. This track features the voice of Dearbhla Crotty.

7. Brìghde Chaimbeul "Banish The Giant of Doubt & Despair"

From Carry Them with Us, Chaimbeul's album of music for the Scottish small pipes.

6. Lankum "Go Dig My Grave"

The opening track on False Lankum, Lankum's wildly successful third album under that name.

5. The Anchoress "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

A cover version of the popular Joy Division tune, downloadable from Bandcamp.

4. Blanca Paloma "Eaea"

Spain's weirdo pop entry for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. It didn't win.

3. Orbital "Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)"

The opening track from Optical Delusion sees the Hartnoll brothers joined by The Mediaeval Baebes, an outfit I had always written off as belonging to the "Lovely Girls" end of folk music.

2. Mombi Yuleman "Fellowship of Heretics"

From the compilation album Music for Abandoned Monasteries.

1. Ursa Major Moving Group "Reverse Invisible"

This is opening track to the self-titled album by Ursa Major Moving Group, the trading name of multi-instrumentalist Ursula Russell. I think it was hearing this or another track from the album being played by John Kelly or Bernard Clarke on Lyric that turned me onto UMMG. As yet their appeal remains selective.

And here are the 10 pre-2023 tunes that I added in that year and I listened to the most in 2023.

10. The Free Music "Free Music I"

From the Habibi Funk album Free Music (Part 1), this is a reissue of funk music originally released at some point in the past in the band's native Libya.

9. Roger Doyle "Chalant"

From his 2014 album Time Machine, on which Doyle combines newly composed music with old answering machine messages.

8. D-Shake "Techno Trance (Paradise is Now)"

A 1992 classic I tracked down after hearing snippets of it in Jeremy Deller's Everybody in the Place documentary. Come on!

7. DEHD "Control"

From their 2022 album Blue Skies. I was impressed by Dehd when I saw them supporting Dry Cleaning, but have been a bit underwhelmed by them on record.

6. Richard Pinhas "Metatron/Shaddaï/Chabbataï"

From the 2006 album Metatron. Not sure how I first of this record… I suspect it was recommended by one of my Frank's APA buds.

5. Desire "Black Latex"

From the Italians Do It Better artists' 2022 album Escape.

4. The Incredible String Band "Chinese White"

From the 1967 album The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion.

3. Pankisi Ensemble "Deli Rezi Khilva Shuna"

From the 2022 Ored Recordings album Music of Kists, Chechens of Georgia. I'm no anthropologist, but I understand the Kists to be a Georgian resident community related to the nearby Chechens. They are particularly associated with the Pankisi Gorge area of Georgia.

2. Weyes Blood "A Lot's Gonna Change"

This is from Ms Blood's 2019 album Titanic Rising.

1. Aoife Wolf "The Woman Who Shot Andy Warhol" The Wetlands

From her 2022 mini-album The Wetlands. Aoife Wolf has the air of someone who might break through into the kind of minor fame that people I like sometimes enjoy, so perhaps I will turn out to be ahead of the curve.