The Dublin Community Blog

Or: Cold feet on the red carpet.

Here’s a fact: Chuck Taylors with leaky soles are not the right footwear for the red carpet. Especially when it’s around 2 degrees Celsius and icy rain is lashing down. And even more so when you are supposed to stay on the carpet, armed with an umbrella to escort all stars and VIPs into the cinema. And some will come late. Very late.

But I will not complain too much, because it was the official Jameson Gala Night at Lighthouse Cinema, and we were welcoming actors Patricia Clarkson and Doctor Bashir from Deep Space Nine errr Alexander Siddig. Fittingly the featured movie in which both are starring was Cairo Time, a drama set in sunny, hot Cairo. The best contrast possible to miserable Dublin on a February evening.

Volunteering on the red carpet wasn’t that bad as I said, most people really liked the fact that two handsome boys (me and fellow volunteer @paddy2K ) were doing their best to protect them from the rain. At least for the 4 meters from the beginning of the red carpet to the entrance of the cinema. What it looked like after people entered the cinema can be seen on JDIFF TV. And hell, there were even some (2, actually) autograph hunters lining the red carpet. Ah, the glamour of a film festival. Did I mention the fact that I did not feel my feet for the rest of the evening?

Here are some impressions, courtesy of entertainment.ie. You can actually make out two green Jameson-umbrellas in the back.