The short Irish documentary "Páistí ag Obair" ("Children at Work") is now available to stream for free via the Irish Film Institute's IFI Archive Player.
Louis Marcus’s observational documentary watches children learning through play in Irish Montessori schools in the 1970s.
A voiceover, in both Irish and English, explains the Montessori method which celebrates the importance of play in developing children’s potential.
Children are seen in classrooms playing with Montessori materials which promote reasoning and judgement. These charming sequences are accompanied by jaunty jazz music from French flautist Raymond Guiot.
The three schools featured in Páistí ag Obair are Tigh na nÓg, Blessington; St. Kieran’s School, Bray; and The Children’s House, Stilllorgan.
"Páistí ag Obair" is part of the IFI's The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films, along with another of Marcus’s documentaries "Conquest of Light." It was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short in 1973.
This film is also part of the IFI's Children on Film collection.
The Irish Film Institute's Oscar® Collection
A great short film, like a great short story, conjures worlds with clarity and economy, bringing viewers on journeys that are brief but deeply engrossing.
Since the 1950s, Irish filmmakers have mastered the short film form and secured international recognition with an impressive array of awards including many Academy Award® nominations and victories. Popularly known as the Oscars, the awards are the most famous and prestigious in the entertainment industry.
This collection brings together a selection of these award-winning films – ghostly tales and pitch-black comedies, illuminating documentaries, and exquisite animations – populated by an array of famous folks such as Seán O’Casey, Orson Welles, Fionnula Flanagan, and Brendan Gleeson. The films, directed and written by Irish men and women, date from 1951 to 2018.
The Oscar® Collection: A Selection of Irish Academy Award® Nominated Short Films is drawn from material preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive. This programme is supported by the Government of Ireland through the National BCP Network.
The Irish Film Institute's Children on Film Collection
This substantial new collection of films provides a vibrant overview of childhood in Ireland from the 1930s to more recent times.
While some of the films have been made by children themselves, most are made about them by adults keen to capture their uncorrupted perspectives as they navigate the world around them.
The collection rewards close study as it offers insights into changing expectations of children; their role in family life and their experiences in Irish society over 80 years.
Enjoy films made for educational purposes; animations designed to entertain; short dramas showing real and imagined crises in children’s lives; documentaries capturing reality of young lives and advertisements selling fun stuff.
"Páistí ag Obair" is published here thanks to the Irish Film Institute (IFI), who IrishCentral has partnered up with to bring you a taste of what their remarkable collection entails. You can find all IrishCentral articles and videos from the IFI here.
To watch more historic Irish footage, visit the IFI Archive Player, the Irish Film Institute’s virtual viewing room that provides audiences around the globe free, instant access to Irish heritage preserved in the IFI Irish Film Archive. Irish Culture from the last century is reflected through documentaries, animation, adverts, amateur footage, feature films, and much more. You can also download the IFI Archive Player App for free on iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.
IrishCentral has partnered up with the IFI to bring you a taste of what their remarkable collections entail. You can find all IrishCentral articles and videos from the IFI here.
