Los Angeles Celebrates Irish Film and Culture at the LA Irish Film Festival
Hollywood will spotlight Irish film, music and arts at the upcoming Los Angeles Irish Film Festival taking place from September 23rd - 27th with the support of Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and Culture Ireland.Opening night will see a host of delegates from the US film industry along with many of the Irish diaspora living in Los Angeles and leading players from the Irish film industry gather to see the LA premiere of the Irish film THE ECLIPSE starring Ciarán Hinds and Aidan Quinn and the short silent film IN THE DAYS OF ST PATRICK written and directed by Norman Whitten in 1920.
Other highlights of the four day event include five other US film premieres telling Irish stories and showcasing Ireland as a tourist location, performances from the Irish band The Henry Girls and a tribute to Hugh Leonard on the closing night with a screening of DA, the feature film based on Leonard's award winning play of the same name and a discussion with Martin Sheen on his performance in the film.
Lisa McLaughlin-Strassman Director of the festival said "Irish culture is represented here in the form of film, art and music. LAIFF presents a wide range of cinematic works as diverse as they are unique. In bringing them together in the arena of a film festival, we have created a type of cinematic barometer for the cultural climate of Ireland in 2009. This platform offers an opportunity to generate great interest for filmmaking in Ireland."
She went on to say "It's a very important event for Irish filmmakers who will have a chance to have their film showcased in the entertainment capital of the world, Hollywood. Distributors, sales agents and Hollywood executives are among the attendees at the L.A.I.F.F."
Teresa McGrane, Deputy Chief Executive, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board said ‘The existence of a film festival in Los Angelus showcasing Irish film and music is a very important promotional platform and serves to strengthen our links with the US, a relationship which has always had tremendous vitality around culture'.
Irish film screenings will include a host of Irish features, documentaries, animation and shorts including The Secret of Kells directed by Tomm Moore telling the story of the Book of Kells, one of Ireland's most popular tourist attractions. Waveriders directed by Joel Conroy showcases the North and West Coast of Ireland and highlights the unlikely Irish roots of the worldwide surfing phenomenon and today's pioneers of big wave surfing, will also screen, along with Cherrybomb directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn, Kisses directed by Lance Daly, Identities directed by Vittoria Colonna and the short animation Granny O'Grimms Sleeping Beauty.