DANCING AT LUGHNASA Closing Night Gala

It makes sense that, with its exceptionally strong sense of place,
Brian Friel’s popular, award-winning stage play would translate
beautifully to the screen. Pat O’Connor’s adaptation of “Dancing
at Lughnasa” brings the play’s pre-war Ireland to life, creating a
lovely musical and almost mythical region on the verge of
cataclysmic change. The film is set in the village of Ballybeg,
where a family of five sisters await the return of their brother
Jack, a priest who has spent 30 years in Africa. Upon his arrival,
they discover he has changed as has much else in their region.
Mechanization threatens local industries, and many are fleeing to
British cities. The vibrant ensemble cast, led by Meryl Streep,
Michael Gambon and Kathy Burke, humanizes the toll that
progress can take on rural communities. At the same time,
DANCING AT LUGHNASA celebrates one family’s perseverance.TELLURIDE
FILM FESTIVAL
Filmography:
Cal (1984); A Month in the Country (1987); Stars and Bars (1988); The January Man
(1989); Fool of Fortune (1990); Circle of Friends (1995); Inventing The Abbots
(1996); Dancing At Lughnasa (1998)
Print Source:
Sony Pictures Classics