Michael McGrath, Fianna Fail, Cork South Central

Mary Fitzpatrick, Fianna Fail, Dublin Central.

Dara Calleray, Fianna Fail, North Mayo

Filmmaker Paul Callanan speaks to Village on the highlights of the upcoming Cork French Film Festival. Callanan is the curator of this years festival, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of the founding of Alliance Francaise in Cork with a showing of the Cocteau film La Belle et La Bette, also of the same vintage.

A Dublin Film Festival Gala event was sceened in the lavish setting of the Shaw room in the National Gallery on 22 Feburary to a capacity crowd. A backdrop of chandeliers and giant paintings set the mood for one of the most epic science fiction movies of all time, Fritz Lang's 1926 silent movie, 'Metropolis'. The screening was accompanied by an original score, composed and performed live by 3epkano (prounced threpkano) .

An Irish made documentary entitled "Black Death in Dixie: Racism and the Death Penalty in the United States" will be shown on RTE One on 1 March. It features Bryan Stevenson, an American lawyer who heads the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama (EJI). The EJI is a private, non-profit organisation that provides legal representation to poor defendants and prisoners in an American state with a death sentencing rate that is three to 10 times greater than that in other Southern States.

With interest piqued by the presence of almost legendary musician Will Oldham (aka Bonnie 'Prince' Billy / Palace / Palace Music), Old Joy attracts more attention than most low budget indie films. By Tom Rowe.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) conference last weekend in Davos, Switzerland, set the scene for the possible regeneration of the Doha round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks. The Doha round collapsed last year after five years of discussion on greater freedom of trade in argiculture, manfacturing and services. The latest developments have raised the possibility of the outline of a deal ready by April - a considerable achievement considering the number of countries, vested interests and emotive issues involved.

More than 70,000 people each year receive marriage, child and bereavement counselling from state supported voluntary groups, according to Minister for Social Affairs, Seamus Brennan. He was speaking at the launch of the Family Support Agency's Strategic Plan 2007-2009, which examines the expansion of services for families and communities. By Tom Rowe.

In Dublin to present 'An Evening with Jon Ronson' in the IFI, Guardian columnist and filmmaker Jon Ronson tells Village tales of the extreme: Ian Paisley's sermonising in Cameroon, giant lizards who control the world and soldiers trained to kill goats using only a cold stare. By Tom Rowe