The Future Tense

+ Q&A with Desperate Optimists

2023 / 89 mins / directed by Desperate Optimists

As part of our St Brigid’s Day weekend events, we’re excited to bring the latest film from Desperate Optimists (Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor) back to London audiences, after its premiere at BFI London Film Festival in October 2022.

It is early morning, a family - two parents with their teenage daughter - wait to board a flight that will take them from London (where they live) to Dublin (where the parents are originally from). The two parents - also playing the part of the film’s narrators - tell us that it’s a flight they have done a lot over the years, but this particular flight back to Dublin is different. There’s more at stake. There’s a new sense of dread that has crept in. This flight is likely to encounter some turbulence!

So begins The Future Tense, the latest documentary from Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, and the follow-up to their acclaimed Further Beyond (2016). With a focus on identity, memory and the thorny issue of nationalism, at its heart The Future Tense centres around the filmmakers’ relationship to Ireland, and their adopted home, England. Through reflections on personal and social history, The Future Tense explores the osmosis between England and Ireland, at this most critical and politically charged of moments.

The Future Tense is only screening at Riverside Studios as part of this event.

Grab your tickets at the link below today to avoid disappointment