Spotlight to Shine on Irish Talent with a Host of Irish Festivals Taking Place in U.S Next Month
Irish cinema will be in the spotlight in America next month with a host of Irish film festivals taking place across the states.
The US Irish Film Festivals provide a very important function for the Irish film industry engaging American audiences with Irish films, filmmaking talent and culture but the festivals also offer a network of cultural ambassadors with important local and press contacts.
The series of festivals will be kicked off with the Chicago Irish Film Festival which will take place from the 4th-9th March. The Opening Gala night at the festival features Ian Power's debut THE RUNWAY, which scooped Best Irish Feature at its premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh last year. This will be followed by the award-winning short Signatures film PENTECOST, which was written and directed by Peter McDonald. Marian Quinn's heart-warming 32A, starring Aidan Quinn (The Eclipse, Shine of Rainbows) and Orla Brady (How About You) will be screening on Saturday 5th while Mark O'Conor's BETWEEN THE CANALS will be showing on Monday 7th.
A host of IFB-funded live-action and animated shorts are also confirmed for the line-up including THE POOL, directed by Thomas Hefferon and written by TJ Hundtofte and Thomas Hefferon, BYE, BYE NOW, written and directed by Ross Whittaker and Aideen O'Sullivan, GUNS, BEES AND TADPOLES, written and directed by John McCloskey, SEPERATION AGENCY, written and directed by Shane Martin, BLUE RINSE, written and directed by Matt Leigh and SHOE, written and directed by Nick Kelly.
Other festivals taking place later in the month are the Irish Film Festival Boston and the Irish Reels Film Festival, Seattle. The programme for these are yet to be confirmed but check out the following section of the IFB website for further information
More information about the films
THE RUNWAY
The Runway is inspired by the true story of a South American pilot who crashed his plane in Co. Cork in 1983. Against all odds, the locals came together to build a runway to get him home. The film has been officially chosen to screen on an international platform at festivals including Rome, Palm Springs, Pusan and the Doha Film Festival as well as getting selected for the Director's Guild of America's Finders Series in conjunction with the SDGI enjoying a successful screening at their headquarters in Los Angeles. Produced by Macdara Kelleher, Brendan McDonald and Bernard Michaux for Fastnet Films and Lucil Films, it was funded by the IFB, Luxembourg Film Fund, Film I Vast, CIAV and Quickfire Films.
PENTECOST
This light hearted film tells the story of a young altar boy who is forced to serve at an important mass and has to make a difficult choice: conform to the status quo or serve an extended ban from his passion in life.... football. The IFTA-nominated short picked up the Best Irish Short Film at the Corona Cork Film Festival last year and was produced by Eimear O'Kane for EMU Productions. It was funded by the IFB Signatures scheme which focuses on the making of live-action, fiction films that aim to encourage strong, original storytelling, visual flair and production values appropriate to the big screen.
32A
32A is a tale about the ‘in-between' time of the heroine Maeve's life, when she is no longer a child and not yet a woman. The film is set in Marian Quinn's native Raheny and also stars Ailish McCarthy, Jared Harris and Kate O'Toole. It has picked up numerous awards including Best First Film at the Galway Film Fleadh as well as the IFTA for Best Cinematography and has screened at some of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. It was produced by Tommy Weir and Janey Pictures with funding from the Irish Film Board, RTE, BCI, MBB and MDM.
BETWEEN THE CANALS
BETWEEN THE CANALS centres in Dublin's north inner city, where Liam is a small-time criminal whose life consists of dealing drugs, getting into fights and sticking by his friends. But now his girlfriend is pregnant and he wants to change all that to become an electrician and a provider for his new family. Produced by Deirdre Barry for Avalon Films, the film recently screened at the Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington D.C. It will be released in Irish cinemas from Friday 18th March.
More information about the festivals
CHICAGO IRISH FILM FESTIVAL
Founded in 2000, the festival screens classic and contemporary features, documentaries, shorts and animation and is a showcase for Irish film production that embraces innovation, independence and creativity that is rooted in Ireland's rich cultural heritage. The festival takes place in the Beverly Arts Centre.
IRISH FILM FESTIVAL BOSTON
This festival was recently named one of the '20 Coolest Film Festivals in 2010' by one of the world's most widely read independent movie magazines MovieMaker. This year's festival will feature the very best of contemporary Irish Cinema with approximately 30 features, shorts and documentaries screened throughout the four days. These productions would otherwise be unavailable to US audiences and is expected to draw over 3,000 attendees.
IRISH REELS FILM FESTIVAL, SEATTLE
The festival was formed to showcase contemporary Irish films with a focus on independently produced work and those that have yet to receive international distribution. The festival aims to inspire audiences with thought provoking and powerful stories that are universal yet told from an Irish viewpoint by Irish filmmakers.