A NEW documentary about Irish author James Joyce's most celebrated work, Ulysses, will screen at this year's Docs Ireland festival on Friday July 1.
Produced by Belfast-based production company DoubleBand Films and Lone Star, Arena: James Joyce's Ulysses is being shown as part of the Docs Ireland Pull Focus New Irish Documentary Competition which will showcase a selection of the best new Irish feature documentaries.
Funded by Northern Ireland Screen and produced for BBC Arts and BBC Northern Ireland, the documentary from director Adam Low (Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens) marks the centenary of the novel which was banned in the US due to its explicit content.
The film aims to "reveal the shocking and poetic nature of the literary masterpiece".
"It's extremely exciting to bring James Joyce's Ulysses to Docs Ireland as part of its Pull Focus New Irish Documentary Competition," says Dermot Lavery, managing director of DoubleBand Films.
"We wanted to bring the infamous novel to life and cannot wait to showcase it to the Irish audience."
Festival director Michele Devlin says: "We are thrilled to bring a novel steeped in Irish history to the big screen. Ulysses is renowned worldwide for its unconventional style of writing and is considered to have revolutionised the modern novel. James Joyce's: Ulysses is a fantastic tribute to a masterpiece of Irish culture."
"This documentary exemplifies the brilliant talent within the film industry across Ireland and it is a privilege to showcase such a culturally vital story at this year's Docs Ireland festival."
:: Arena: James Joyce's Ulysses will screen at 6pm on Friday July 1 at QFT Belfast. Tickets and full festival programme at docsireland.ie.
