EAT / SLEEP / CHEER / REPEAT
Friday, February 28 • 5:10 PM • T2
Q&A with [NAME]
Documentary Feature | United States Premiere | Woman Director
Screening generously sponsored by Mimi Conway & Dennis Houlihan
From award-winning director Tanya Doyle (THE HOUSE) with music by Hugh Drumm and Stephen Rennicks (THE QUIET GIRL), EAT / SLEEP / CHEER / REPEAT is a surprising and uplifting coming-of-age documentary exploring gender, strength and why activities for women are not taken seriously. On the western edge of Europe, a group of young misfits have found a place where they belong. These are the athletes of Ireland’s national cheerleading team. But as they struggle to compete with the best teams in the world, while the sport receives little respect in Ireland, these athletes don’t believe they can ever win. Team captain, girl boss Jessica; star athlete Jayleesa; dyslexic but athletic Blathnaid; out-n-proud, fun-loving Dean; freedom-seeking Taylor; and lost boy Rickie are each seeking their place in the world through the sport they love. As their anxiety-crippled coach, Hilton, battles to keep the team motivated throughout the season, the film follows the underdog athletes’ journey to the World Championships and reveals what it is like to grow up in the world today. Battling self-doubt while finding their place in the world, these athletes don’t just want to fit in. They want to stand out.
DIR/SCR Tanya Doyle; PROD Daniel Hegarty, Sinéad Ní Bhroin. Ireland, 2024, color, 87 min. NOT RATED
🎟 For further information regarding bookings:
Please call 301-495-6720 between M-F, 9 AM - 5:30 PM or email silverinfo@AFI.com
Heralded by the Irish Times as “a chronicler of the ordinary” Tanya Doyle is a multi-award-winning Irish director whose work is characterised by strong personal narratives driven by a powerful visual sensibility. She established her credentials as an award-winning documentary filmmaker with THE HOUSE, her directorial debut for television. A gripping, autobiographical account of her family’s experience growing up in West Dublin; it examines the ideas of home, change, progression and shared experiences in a family dealing with loss and alcoholism. Tanya also directed the “insightful, original and innovative” six-part documentary series BIA DUCHAIS, exploring the history of Irish food. Her multi-award-winning creative short documentary WATERLILIES -a meditation on identity and wisdom- premiered at the Guth Gafa International Documentary Festival, had its US Premiere at AFI Docs.
The Capital Irish Film Festival is supported by the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Embassy of Ireland, Northern Ireland Bureau, Northern Ireland Screen, and the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International Programme supported by Culture Ireland. Solas Nua is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
