Disco naps and smuggled snacks: our JDIFF survival guide

Get the cake in the IFI. Grab a snooze between screenings. And don’t try to pronounce fancy foreign film directors’ names


The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival runs From Thursday, February 13th until Sunday, February 23rd, so here is our video guide to getting around the festival's 11 jam-packed days.

Here are a few additional pointers to keep you ahead of the pack:

– Book your tickets in advance. Even obscure films tend to sell out.
– Seats are not reserved , so if you want a decent spot, make sure to get there early.
– Eat before the cinema. Nothing is guaranteed to ruin a film more than hunger. (Unless it's Hunger , in which case it adds to the traumatic experience.)
– Don't go straight home after the cinema. Go for a drink or coffee and talk about what you've just seen. It may seem obvious but it's an essential part of the festival experience. Each evening of the festival from 9pm, you can join fellow film fans at The Church for some music and drinks.
– For the next two weeks, Dublin will be full of directors, producers and film-makers. Do not leave home without that script you've been working on for the past 10 years that reimagines the Easter Rising as a dragon-packed fantasy adventure. If you see a famous director, immediately walk up to them and offer to give them first refusal on it; if they are really famous, say this is the perfect opportunity for them to "revive their career". Get any actor's signature on the script - you can draw in the dotted line afterwards.
– This Saturday in Weekend Review, we'll have a seven-day guide to the festival with film recommendations, places to eat and other cultural diversions to make a proper week of it.
– The festival itself will be releasing ticket deals and more as the festival goes on, so keep an eye on jdiff.com or follow the festival on Twitter, @dublinfilmfest. The Irish Times will also be providing daily news, reviews and features online and in the newspaper, so watch this space.

Laurence Mackin tells us all we need to know to survive the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival this February. Video: Kathleen Harris