Never mind buttered popcorn, there wasn't even popcorn. But only Canadian ambassador Ronald Irwin, who attended the special screening of Felicia's Journey in Dublin's Irish Film Centre during the week, spoke out on this issue. His outspokenness, he explained later, is largely due to the fact that he was a cabinet minister before he joined the diplomatic service.
His wife, Margaret, nodded sagely beside him as he welcomed director Atom Egoyan, a fellow Canadian, to Dublin. Atom, looking a little like John Lennon, said he was embarrassed about his name until he was about 18 and, really, he'd always wanted to be called something like Angus McGowan.
"Of all the screenings that this has had and will have, this evening is so exciting for me," he told the gathering. "There's such extraordinary depth that I owe to this city and this country, to the culture that has influenced me and motivated me as an artist. It's very moving and resonant and emotional for me."
Standing beside Gerard McSorley and his partner Jane Nolan was the young star of the film, Elaine Cassidy, who plays the part of Felicia. Young fans may like to know that she hangs out in Bray where all her friends are. Tony Tracy, of the Film Institute of Ireland, was in his element, having written his thesis on the works of Atom Egoyan. "I went to Toronto and interviewed him and then I met him on the street in Dublin last year. Nobody knew who he was. So we went for pints . . . this is a real thrill," he said. But the other star of the show, novelist William Trevor, didn't show. "He's very shy," Atom explained. "He's not very good at large crowds."