Lineup of Irish Screen America Showcase in Los Angeles this Weekend
The Irish Screen America showcase of contemporary Irish film, TV, web, games and animation is set to kick off in Los Angeles today. Here’s a sneak preview of what audiences can expect over the next three days. All events take place at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
September 25
7.30pm: In addition to the opening night party, audiences can see the new Irish thriller Traders. Starring Killian Scott (Love/Hate) and John Bradley (Game of Thrones), the film asks - what if it made sense for ordinary people to kill each other for money? Jobs are gone. Homes are being repossessed. Suicide rates are soaring. But Vernon Stynes might have the answer — Trading.
September 26
3pm: Screenwriting masterclass with Naomi Sheridan, who was nominated for an Academy Award® for co-writing the screenplay for In America.
5.30pm: Local Heroes and Beyond, in which the films of local Los Angeles Irish talent will be screened followed by director Q&As. The films are:
Paddy’s in the Boot Starring Kevin J. Ryan (Copper, Crossbones) and Eoin Macken (The Tudors, Merlin, The Night Shift). Directed by Kevin Shulman.
Lucky Me Bollix Directed by Marcus Fox
Sandboy Directed by Vittoria Colonna
Heavy Rotation (Breaking Through) — Music Video. Directed by Andrew Brai
7pm: New Talent Showcase, featuring a selection of shorts, web-series and animations featuring new Irish actors, directors and writers – Cathy Brady, Liam Hallihan and Barry Keoghan.
8.30pm: Evening talk-back with breakthrough Irish, LA based film Directors; Ruairi Robinson (Last Days on Mars), Gary Shore (Dracula Untold) and Fergal Reilly (Angry Birds). These directors share a similar career trajectory to Hollywood when their work caught the attention of Hollywood execs.
September 27
4pm: Screening of I Used To Live Here which follows Amy, a 13-year-old trying to cope with the death of her mother and the reappearance of her father’s ex-girlfriend, who experiences the temptation of suicide after witnessing the outpouring of love for a local suicide victim. The film takes a fictional look at how the idea of suicide can spread in communities, particularly among young people.
5.30pm: Screening of documentary After The Dance, a deeply personal film, by award-winning documentary maker Daisy Asquith, who unlocks a family secret that is still causing shame and outrage in an insulated village in County Clare, Ireland.
7pm: Screening of Glassland, following a young south Dublin cabdriver, John (Jack Reynor* Best actor for role at Sundance) who barely makes ends meet. He shares social housing with his mother, Jean (Toni Collette), an unwavering alcoholic who is systematically drinking herself to death. Hospitalized after another overdose, Jean’s best hope is a costly, private rehab clinic. Desperate and without money or insurance, John takes a shady job from the ambiguous criminal element he’s loosely connected to.
For more on the showcase, see the Irish Screen America website here.