La Gradiva

One of the most exciting cinematic discoveries of recent years.

A rowdy class of French teenagers travels to Pompeii, where the bodies of those frozen in time by Vesuvius exert an uncanny pull on the living. Amid sun-drenched ruins and the haunting presence of the dead, desire, jealousy, unrequited love and adolescent tensions rise to the surface with intoxicating intensity. 

With this extraordinary debut feature, acclaimed cinematographer turned director Marine Atlan announces herself as a major filmmaking talent. Her camera captures the volatility, awkwardness and sheer physical intensity of adolescence with astonishing intimacy, while a gripping screenplay and a remarkable young cast bring every glance, gesture and longing vividly to life.

Fresh from its Cannes acclaim, La Gradiva feels at once like a thrilling discovery and an instant classic: visually ravishing, emotionally charged and alive with the sense that anything might happen. A film to surrender to — and one to remember.

This film is eligible for the Spirit of the Festival Award for Best Film award and Best Screenplay.

This screening is supported by the French Embassy in Ireland.