Stella Days

Father Barry's hopes of reappointment to Rome are dashed by tenacious Bishop Hegarty, whose sole objective is to control the 'hearts and minds' of the dwindling population by building modernist churches designed to dominate horizons around the country. Roped into raising funds for a venture he views with scepticism, cinephile Barry seizes the opportunity to open the Stella Cinema, which will hopefully have a civilizing influence while hastily generating necessary profits. A small town cinema in rural Ireland in the 1950s becomes the setting for a dramatic struggle between Rome and Hollywood, and a man and his conscience. Martin Sheen stars as Father Daniel Berry in a story about the excitement of the unknown versus the security of the familiar, as those in the town find themselves on the cusp of the modern but still clinging to the traditions of church and a cultural identity forged in very different times.

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