World Premiere: Irish and Festival Rolls

world premiere: Opening with the world premiere of Puck Of The Irish Friday, 8 pm a documentary about Irish immigrants' influence on the development of Canadian hockey, the festival rolls through the weekend with a short-film showcase Saturday, 7 pm an Irish animation showcase Sunday, 3 pm and a couple of features, according to NOW Magazine. Expand The Flag flies high at this weekend's festival. Rating NNNNThis year's Toronto Irish Film Festival, which kicks off today at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and runs through Sunday March 5 is much the same as the previous six festivals, in that the content is very Irish and very satisfying. The Flag Saturday, 4 pm is a broad comedy about an out-of-work builder Pat Shortt, whom you may recognize from Lenny Abrahamson's Garage or John Michael McDonagh's Calvary who enlists some pals in a half-baked scheme to liberate an Irish heirloom from English custody in time for the centennial of the 1916 uprising. Alex Murphy and Chris Walley are entirely watchable as the two leads, and director Peter Foott finds a loose, rambling tone that suits their chemistry. The Young Offenders Saturday, 9 15 pm which screened at TIFF Next Wave last month, is also a caper picture, sort of, following a pair of self-styled rebels as they cycle through County Cork looking for a bale of cocaine. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.