Following on from St. Brigid’s and St. Patrick’s Day festivities, Irish Film and TV UK presents a programme of work at ICA celebrating female voices. The programme consists of a rare chance to see Maeve Murphy’s landmark Troubles drama Silent Grace; the thrilling rediscovery of delightful work by amateur filmmaker Flora Kerrigan, presented by Irish Film Institute in association with Maynooth University; and two films by Aoife Desmond, whose work deals with human relationship with nature and who is emerging as one of Ireland’s most distinctive and vital visual artists. 

Mná and Sons is a site-specific film combining a critical essay response with inserted performative actions. The film is structured around seasonal changes, evolving plant, bird and insect life, built works in progress and transformation of a vacant city centre site to temporary inhabitation as part of TEST SITE collaborative project. The performance sequence 'gold woman never said this would be easy' presents a series of solo and collective improvisations which ritualise and acknowledge environmental loss and transition. Aoife Desmond is joined by Macha Shewolf (voice, drums and movement), Kanako Haru (movement) and Dan Walsh (drums). These contrasted visual elements are framed with layers of field recordings, vocal loops, acoustic interventions and voiceover. 

Mná and Sons will screen alongside Aoife Desmond's short film A Boated Roof and will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker.