The US-Irish Film Festivals Highlight the Best of Irish Film
Irish cinema will be in the spotlight in America this month with a host of U.S 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 distribution and press contacts.Bord Scannán na hÉireann/Irish Film Board Deputy Chief Executive Teresa McGrane said "The US Irish film festivals are wonderful ambassadors for Irish film in North America. They can help producers to get their films out to a wider audience in the US in a number of ways. They provide a support network at the distribution stage of a film or indeed they can provide a platform for potential local distributors to see Irish films with an audience. At both stages, utilised properly, they are a positive asset for the Irish film industry."
The 12th Irish Film Festival Boston which is the largest Irish film festival in the U.S, will take place from 24th- 27th March. The festival received a significant number of high quality films and a host of awards will be presented to a number of these during the festival. PARKED, the new drama directed by Darragh Byrne and written by Ciaran Creagh, is set to open the festival, is in receipt of the Best Feature award. Starring Colm Meaney and Colin Morgan, the director and producers Dominic Wright and Jacqueline Kerrin will also be in attendance. Ian Power's award-winning THE RUNWAY will pick up the Director's Choice Feature, while Risteard O'Domhnall's THE PIPE is set to receive the award for Best Documentary. Conor Horgan's DEEP END DANCE will take home the Best Short Prize while the award for the Director's Choice Short will be given to Domhnall Gleeson's NOREEN. The last weekend in March promises to please Boston audiences. Screenings are varied; stories are vast, and strong in multi-cultural content and Irish language. The Irish Film Festival, Boston is a gateway for Irish and foreign film in general and brings the world of visual story-telling to a place that has appeal across the masses.
The series of festivals kicked off with the Chicago Irish Film Festival which took place last week from 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 and 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) and Mark O'Conor's BETWEEN THE CANALS was also amongst the films screening.
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.
The Irish Reels Film Festival, Seattle also took place on the weekend of the 12th and 13th March with a programme that included Paul Fraser's MY BROTHERS.