Now that the JDIFF Programme is officially live and tickets are on sale, we've had a good look through the programme and picked out our choices for this year's festival.

Here's our 15 picks (in no particular order) for JDIFF '15.

15. ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS - Saturday, March 21st, 8PM at Cineworld

If you watched a cheesy 80's action movie that starred Dolph Lundgren or any other throwback action star, there's more than a good chance that it was produced by Cannon Films. The movie studio was notorious for its cheap, trashy output and even more outrageous behind-the-scenes stories, in which they bribed, cajoled and flat-out lied to actors to get them to star.

14. NEXT TIME I'LL AIM FOR THE HEART - Monday, March 23rd, 8.30PM at Cineworld

Set in 1970's France, this gripping psychological crime thriller follows a cop on the hunt for a serial killer who's gunning down young women. The catch? He's the killer he's hunting. Based on the real-life case of the Oise Killer, Next Time I'll Aim For The Heart makes for dark and nail-biting tension.

13. THE CONNECTION (LA FRENCH) - Sunday, March 22nd, 6.45PM at Cineworld

Keeping it in 1970's France, how does a sort-of prequel to the French Connection sound? The Artist's Jean Dujardin plays a tough, young magistrate who's sent to Marseilles to topple the French Connection - an underground cabal of heroin traffickers who are led by an untouchable mastermind. Drawing on William Friedkin's original and the sounds and imagery of the era, The Connection is a real treat for fans of 70's crime thrillers.

12. MY LIFE DIRECTED BY NICHOLAS WINDING REFN - Friday, March 20th, 6PM at Light House Cinema

We've mentioned My Life Directed in the past, so we're particularly interested to see this one. Essentially, this is Nicholas Winding Refn's Hearts of Darkness. Filmed during the troubled production of Only God Forgives, it shows a director who realises - during production - that his film isn't really about anything and still being forced to continue.

11. A LITTLE CHAOS - Saturday, March 28th, 6.15PM at Cineworld

Yes, it's a film about 17th century gardening. However, A Little Chaos marks the directorial debut of none other than Alan Rickman, who'll be in town to introduce the film. Kate Winslet plays Madame Sabine de Barra, a widowed gardener who is taken on to construct one of the lavish gardens for Louis XIV's Versailles palace. Rickman plays the monarch in question whilst Rust and Bone's Matthias Schoenhearts plays the landscape artist working with Winslet.

10. DENNIS RODMAN'S BIG BANG IN PYONGYANG - Wednesday, March 25th, 8PM at Cineworld

You've no doubt heard that Dennis Rodman enjoys a special relationship with Kim Jong-Un, the dictator who rules North Korea. Right? No? Then this documentary will explain it all for you. Or probably not, we can't tell. Narrated by Matt Cooper - yes, The Last Word's Matt Cooper - it follows Rodman's journey to Pyongyang and his meetings with the dictator. Can basketball save North Korea?

9. MURIEL'S WEDDING - Saturday, March 28th, 2PM at Cineworld

It's not all just never-before-seen festival films this year, either. Muriel's Wedding will be screened this year at Cineworld. Toni Collette's most famous role as Muriel Heslop became a cultural phenomenon and even brought ABBA back to cultural prominence. Bittersweet, funny, touching and with a great performance by Collette, Muriel's Wedding is a cult classic.

8. GLASSLAND - Friday, March 27th, 6.30PM at Light House

Gerald Barrett's follow-up to Pilgrim Hill sees Jack Reynor as a young man trapped in Dublin, trying to make ends meet. When his mother, Toni Collette, attempts to drink herself to death, the only option is a private - and expensive - rehab clinic. When he's offered a shady job from local criminals, Reynor must decide if it's worth putting himself on the line. Dark and funny by equal measure, Glassland is sure to be one of the highlights of this year's festival.

7. THE SALVATION - Friday, March 20th, 6.15PM at Screen Cinema

We're huge fans of Mads Mikkelsen, especially his portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the deliriously violent TV series, Hannibal. Here, Mikkelsen plays a Danish soldier whose wife and child are murdered in post-Civil War America. Sure enough, he sets out on a violent journey of revenge. Mixing Western tropes with Scandanavian influences, The Salvation promises to be bloody and brilliant.

6. PRESSURE - Friday, March 27th, 9.00PM at Cineworld

When a routine maintenance job on an ocean-floor pipeline goes awry, a group of saturation divers are stuck in their pod. But when help isn't forthcoming from the corporates above, desperation sets in and things get messy in this claustrophobic thriller. Danny Huston stars as the level-headed leader, who'll be there on the night along with director Ron Scalpello and writer / actor Alan McKenna.

5. 99 HOMES - Friday, March 21st, 8:30PM at Cineworld

Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon star as the embodiment of Have and Have Not in this blistering drama about capitalism in the modern world. Shannon plays a fast-talking rep who deals in repossessed homes and foreclosures. When Garfleid's family is forced out on the street, he grudgingly takes work from Shannon in order to provide, but soon finds himself drawn to the alluring and morally-bankrupt world of real estate dealing. Featuring a career-best performance by Shannon, 99 Homes is a tough watch given our own political climate, but required viewing nonetheless.

4. THE SOUND OF MUSIC - Sunday, March 29th, 7.30PM at Savoy



It's one of those films that everyone, young or old, knows about. Endlessly kitsch and gloriously sweet, The Sound of Music is the quintessential musical. And who better to introduce the film than Maria herself, Julie Andrews? Yes, Dame - if you please - Julie Andrews will be attending the gala screening of Sound of Music and will be hosting a public Q&A earlier in the day at 3PM at Bord Gais Energy Theatre.

3. BARRY LYNDON, Saturday, March 21st, 1.30PM at Savoy

Often considered to be Kubrick's most over-looked work, Barry Lyndon follows a 17th century gentleman rogue on his travels and journeys during the Seven Years War. Filmed with specially-designed cameras to capture the pre-electrical age, Barry Lyndon is a sumptuous feast for the eyes. What's more, Ryan O'Neal - Barry Lyndon himself - will be in attendance along with Kubrick producer Jan Harlan.

2. A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT - Wednesday, March 25th, 8.45PM at Cineworld

Yes, when you say the plot for A Girl Walks Home At Night out loud, it sounds like you've had a cheese dream. A skateboard-riding vampire girl is Bad City's only form of justice and man, does she know how to do it. Hailed as the world's first Iranian Vampire Western, A Girl Walks Home At Night is unlike anything you're likely to see. Ever. Anywhere.

1. THE WATER DIVINER / PUBLIC Q&A - Friday, March 20th, 7.30PM at Savoy

Well it's only Russell Crowe coming over to introduce the Jaysus film, isn't it? Yes, Maximus Decimus Meridius / Jor-El will be in town to talk about his directorial debut, The Water Diviner, by hosting a very special Q&A beforehand. Let's hope nobody asks him about the difference between Rugby Union and Rugby League.