FRIENDS AND SPONSORS
THANK YOU TO OUR 2017 SPONSORS.
YOUR HELP MAKES THE FESTIVAL POSSIBLE!
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
CULTURAL SPONSORS
WELCOME to the
Chicago Irish Film Festival!
We are delighted to welcome you to the 18th Chicago Irish Film
Festival and are looking forward to sharing with you a program of
amazing stories. This year we were once again overwhelmed not
only by the number of entries, but also by the diversity of films from
across Ireland and beyond. And we are doubly thrilled that several
of this year’s filmmakers, that had screened at the festival in the
past, are back again, including the Consulate of Ireland award winner, David Quin, with his brilliantly animated social satire Proceeds
of Crime and Len Collin’s remarkable and ground-breaking debut
feature film Sanctuary which will be having its U.S. premier.
A few years back we began presenting short films by filmmakers
with Irish heritage and it comes as no surprise that this wealth of
talent has created many amazing stories highlighted this year by
Dallas native Ken Womack’s Reel Time which captures the vibrant
spirit of Celtic music and dance and the collective effort of four
young documentary filmmakers from L.A., Rachel Lattin, Michelle
Sahlin, Brett Melnick and Peter Heres capturing the struggles and
hopes of the Killary Sheep Farm in Walk On.
Credits
Board of Directors
Michael Nix
Christopher Kamyszew
Benjamin Nitka
Colleen Doherty
Marketing
​Kate Callahan - Social Media
Chris Matusek from Visually Clear
Designs - website design, social media
Laura Slonskis - graphic design, copy
editor, social media​
Festival Director Jude Blackburn
2017 Program Cover Design
Vinny Warren: The Escape Pod
Festival Manager
Cliff Reens
Film Tech / Festival Trailer
Jim Nelson
2017 Festival &
Program Committee
Theatre Managers
Ferdia Doherty
Imelda Gallagher
John McEnaeny
Emily Doherty-Austin
Jared Austin
Robin McCown
Colleen Doherty
Ewa Domeredzka: The Gallery Theatre
Jennifer Zacarias: The Logan Theatre
Venue Partners
And a love of Ireland is front and center in films by filmmakers
that have immigrated to Ireland judging by the films More Than A
Barbershop directed by Xandru Ramirez and Fernando Perandones
about the unique barbershop slash music venue, Abner Browns, in
the Dublin neighborhood of Rathmines and Alessandro Negrini’s
Tides: A History of Lives and Dreams Lost and Found (some broken)
a poetic journey on the River Foyle both having their U.S. premiers.
No festival can survive without sponsors who share our vision of
presenting unique, challenging and extraordinary Irish films and so
we are very grateful to this year’s festival sponsors. Please do take
a moment to check them out as they are as diverse as our program
spanning the unique Irish gifts at Biddy Murphys, to financial planning with Dolder-Wash and one of Chicago’s most iconic bars
Butch McQuire’s.
We would also like to say thank you to all our many cultural sponsors including Culture Ireland, Ireland Film & Television, The Irish
Consulate of Chicago, Ireland Network-Chicago, The Irish American Heritage Center and our media sponsors the Irish American
News and Windy City Irish Radio.
Finally, but with no less gratitude, thank you to the amazing people
who have worked tirelessly to make the festival a success, from the
board of directors, the 2017 Festival Committee, the volunteers
and finally, those of you who have come to enjoy the best in indie
Irish cinema.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO
Promoting Irish arts worldwide
www.cultureireland.ie
THANK YOU AND ENJOY THE FEST!
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international
sales & marketing
services since 1995
www.networkirelandtelevision.com
TICKETS
ALL TICKETS: $14 PER SCREENING,
$12 STUDENTS AND SENIORS
OPENING GALA TICKETS: $75.00
Tickets available through the festival website
www.chicagoirishfilmfestival.com
VENUES
The Logan Theatre
2646 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60647 • 773.342.5555
Please Note: ALL tickets to the festival screenings are final.
The Chicago Irish Film Festival will not be able to issue refunds to ticket
buyers that do not attend the screening, or for any other reasons.
CONNECT WITH CIFF!
sign up for our e-news @ chicagoirishfilmfestival.com
A MIDWESTERN CRAFT TAVERN
Farmhouse is a farm to tavern concept with a local
seasonal focus on craft beer, food and liquor.
www.farmhousechicago.com
Gallery Theatre/Society for Arts
1112 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60642 • 773.486.9612
Brought to you by the guys behind Vaughan’s Pub,
Corcoran’s & Monty Gaels
EMERALDLOOP.COM
A business and social network of Irish living
and working in the Chicago area
www.theirelandnetwork.com
OPENING NIGHT GALA
Thursday, March 2 AT 7pm | Gallery Theatre
An intimate evening of inspiring and enlightening cinema with special guests Marie-Therese Garvey,
producer of ATLANTIC and Consulate General of Ireland-Chicago, Brian O’Brien.
ATLANTIC
80 mins 2016 Midwest Premier
Director: Risteard O’Domhnaill
Script: Angela Antie
Producers: Risteard O’Domhnaill, Marie-Therese Garvey
From the award winning director of The Pipe comes the story of
three small fishing villages as they struggle to maintain their way
of life in the face of mounting economic and ecological challenges
compounded by the presence of powerful multinational corporations
that threaten to carve up the ocean’s resources for their own
benefits. Award winning actor Brendan Gleeson narrates the film,
which was shot across Iceland, Norway and Newfoundland by
Scannian Inbhear, as we witness major oil companies drive deeper
into their fragile seas and the world’s largest fishing companies
push fish stocks to the brink and the impact their exploitation of the
environment has on both side of the Atlantic.
Even the biggest corporate cheerleader and ardent politician
will feel a sense of horror as independent fishermen participate
in a David and Goliath battle where their biggest enemies
are sometimes their own governments. With extraordinary
cinematography and a storyline ripped from the headlines Atlantic
is compelling viewing “as the voices of small coastal communities
are drowned in the tide of greed, big business and EU quota
deals .“ Irish Examiner
Epic in scope, damning in its conclusions The Irish Times
A wake-up call as chilling as a bucket of ice-cold seawater over
the head Irish Examiner
Much more than a simple documentary… It is a wakeup call to
what is happening in this world driven by profits before people.
Damien Ahuir Independent Release
'Best Irish Documentary' Dublin International Film Festival 2016
Producer Marie-Therese Garvey will attend
ALSO SCREENING:
BOUY 3 mins
Director: Olly Blake
Producer: Antonina Slava Lawson
Two crab fishermen and a seagull are lost at sea. One an old
man, the other a young boy who must get back their fallen
spyglass in order to return home.
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 AT 7:00PM
The Logan Theatre
SANCTUARY
88mins 2016 US Premier
Director: Len Collin
Cast: Charlene Kelly, Kieran Coppinger, Robert Doherty, Frank
Butcher, Paul Connelly, Valerie Egan, Michael Hayes, Patrick
Becker, Emer Macken, Jennifer Cox
Script: Christian O’Reilly
Producer: Edwina Forkin
Funny, moving and insightful, Sanctuary explores the tricky issue
of sexual and romantic relationships between people who are
intellectually disabled. Larry, who has Down Syndrome, and
Sophie, who has severe epilepsy, long to be together, but society’s
rules keep them apart. During a group outing to the cinema their
caregiver, Tom (played by Robert Doherty), sneaks them away to
a nearby hotel and books them a room. While Sophie and Larry
try to figure out their true feelings and their future their friends
from the training center escape the cinema and go on a joyful
rampage through Galway’s shops, bars and markets.
Sanctuary is an utter joy of a movie. Film Ireland
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 AT 9:00 PM
The Logan Theatre
DEAD ALONG THE WAY 87 min 2016 U S Premier
Director: Maurice O’Carroll
Cast: Niall Murphy, Ciaran Bermingham, Tom Lawlor, Donna
Patrice, Ben Condron, Kevin McCormack, Sinead O’Riordan
Script: Maurice O’Carroll
Producer: Sinead O’Riordan, Maurice O’Carroll
​ apless wedding videographers Wacker and Tony find
H
themselves unexpectedly dealing with a dead body, overlyenthusiastic Gardaí, fertility treatments, and a vengeful gangster
- oh, and an imminent wedding. Based on a compilation of
O’Carroll’s own experiences as a wedding videographer back
in the day, the film is a buddy movie slash crime capper with the
good guys coming out on top at the end, but not without the sense
that the entire thing could go up in flames every other minute.
Murphy and Bermingham have great chemistry that has you
rooting for them from beginning to end.
Best Independent Feature 2016 Underground Cinema Film Festival
Best First Irish Feature 2016 Galway Film Fleadh
Director Len Collin and Producer Edwina Forkin will attend
ALSO SCREENING:
MORE THAN GOD 9 mins
ALSO SCREENING:
THIS IS NOT A MUGGING
8 min
Director: Kev Cahill
Producers: Ali Coffey, Sorcha O’Beirne, Kev Cahill
Director: Ger Browne
Producer: Mike O’Dowd
A pious doctor is forced to deal with a family matter whilst hiding
under the bed of a stranger.
​A young man on a park bench meets a leprechaun.
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 AT 7:00PM | Gallery Theatre
SHORTS PROGRAM I - WHAT TO DO? 99 min
What do you do when your cell phone starts calling you? When your wife thinks it’s over? When you’re not sure if it’s a date or
not? Or when life has dealt you a really bad hand? This group of shorts has the answers; sort of!
THE GAMBLER
Directors: Glenn Wheelan
Producers: Emilie Sherlock,
Donncha Gilmore
J​ack attempts to cheat a poker game in
order to leave town with his girlfriend
Genevieve.
THE FIREMAN & THE NURSE
​ irector: Gemma Doorly
D
Producers: Ronan Murphy,
Gemma Doorly
F​ unny and poignant exploration of the
nature of marriage and the lengths
people will go to save their relationships.
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE
FIRST KISS
F​ or standup comedians in Dublin,
laughter is a drug and they are all
addicts.
Director Peter McGee will attend
​ ick is completely hopeless at
R
understanding women, so when he meets
an amazing girl he can’t decide if it’s a
date or not.
INCOMING CALL
JANUARY HYMN
​ erri is nervous about going on stage
K
when her phone rings and tells her to
leave.
​ reflection on grief, January Hymn sees
A
Clara return home for the first anniversary
of her father’s death.
Director/Producer:
Peter Loring McGee
​ irector: Eoin Cleland
D
Producer: P J Hart
THE APPAREL
Director: Patrick O’Shea
Producer: Owen Fitzpatrick
Director: Katherine Canty
Producer: Tanja Harney
THE SWEETEST THING
Director: Peter Delaney
Producer: Ronan Cassidy
Director: Douglas O’Connor
Producer: Greig Stevens
J​oseph finds himself living in emergency
housing and desperately tries to hang onto
the life he knew as an art gallery curator.
T​ wo strangers fall head over heels in love
over some sugar cubes.
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 AT 9:00PM | Gallery Theatre
IN VIEW 93 min 2016 Midwest Premier
Director: Ciaran Creagh
Cast: Caoilfhionn Dunne, Stuart Graham, Ciaran McMenamin, Gerard McSorley, Maria McDermottroe
Script: Ciaran Creagh
Producer: David Byrne, Simon Doyle
In View is the story of Ruth, an Irish cop, as she nears the end of a long grieving process for the loss of her baby and husband
and ultimately herself. Ruth’s only solace has come from drinking as her depression and alcoholism creates manic extremes of
passivity and anger, indifference and violence. Two camps make up Ruth’s closest circles: those that still blame and those trying
to forgive. But, eventually her unending guilt forces Ruth to confront her past as she chooses her own way toward redemption.
In View is the extraordinary directorial debut by Ciaran Creagh whose previous film Parked starred Colm Meaney and has
once again created a film that takes a hard look at a serious social issue.
Real Irish Gifts From
Real Irish People
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WINDY CITY
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Listen Live, on Line or
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WSBC 1240 AM
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THEESCAPEPOD.COM
SATURDAY, MARCH 4 AT 2:00PM | The Logan Theatre
SHORTS PROGRAM II: DECISIONS! DECISIONS! 97 min
Life is filled with decisions. Some are made without thinking, some are emotional, some are the result of research and patience and
some are made because it just feels right and it makes us happy. This program is filled with people who have made their decisions and
are willing see them through to the end.
DIGS FOR PENNIES
MADAM BLACK
Late 1800’s Ireland, a bare knuckle
boxer and his manger go from fight to
fight dreaming of America; but where’s
the money?
​ hen a glamour photographer runs over
W
a child’s pet, he’s forced to fabricate a
story about its disappearance.
ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD
STATIC
THE CLIMB
​ hen John’s mother tells him he has
W
“all the time in the world”, the eightyear-old looks around a busy park and
contemplates all the stages of life.
​ conspiracy theorist learns how to reA
enter the outside world with the help from
a mysterious accomplice.
I​nspired by a heart-breaking true story,
The Climb explores the concept of feeling
connected to someone you have lost by
immersing yourself in something they loved.
Director: Evin O’Neill
Producer: Dawn MacAllister
​ irector: Ciarán McNamara
D
Producer: Ashley Turbett
Director: Ivan Barge
Producers: Matt Harris, Ivan Barge
Director: Daniel Holmes
Producer: Kevin Treacy
BODY OF CHRIST
Director: Amy-Joy Hastings
​ look at the “magic “of the Eucharist
A
through a child’s imagination.
Director: Lynne Davison
Producer: Julie Gardner
MORE THAN A BARBERSHOP
WALK ON
THE DEBT
​ ld-style barbershop, Abner Brown, is
O
one of the most interesting music venues
in town; iconic & magical!
​ fourth-generation sheep farmer in
A
rural Ireland struggles to keep the family
traditions alive despite modern times.
L​ove-struck ten-year-old Daithi falls for his
beautiful classmate Jessica and asks his best
friend Penny for help winning her heart.
Directors/Producers: Xandru Fernandez
Ramirez , Fernando Otero Perandones
Director Xandru Ramirez Director will attend
Director Fernando Perandones will attend
Directors: Rachel Lattin, Michelle Sahlin,
Brett Melnick, Peter Heres
Director: Helen Flanagan
Producer: Simon Doyle
SATURDAY, MARCH 4 AT 4:00PM SATURDAY, MARCH 4 AT 6:00PM
The Logan Theatre
The Logan Theatre
REBEL ROSSA 90 min 2016 U.S. Premier
Director/Script: Williams Cole
Producers: Williams Cole, Olivia Tracey, Ciaran O’Connor,
John Whelpley
Cast: Gerry Adams, Shane Kenna, Judith Campbell,
Williams Cole, Rossa Cole​
LIFT 76 min Feature Film
Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa was one of the most controversial
figures in Irish history. A committed Republican he created
the concept of bombing campaigns against England in the
1800’s. Banished to the United States he continued to restlessly
campaign for Irish independence raising funds from Barrooms
to Wall Street. Rossa’s funeral in 1915 lit the fuse for the
rebellion of Eastern 1916. Filmed in honor of the centenary
of their great grandfather’s death Rebel Rossa presents two
interesting views; a much-heralded Irish hero that never wavered
in his fight for Irish independence and an Irish hero few IrishAmericans have ever heard of despite the breath and size
of Irish heritage celebrations held across the country. What
happens when a man who would sacrifice anything and anyone
to achieve his dream of Irish independence comes up against
his great grandchildren’s dream for a world free of terrorism. A
fascinating story of family history and understanding what came
before shapes generations to come.
Sean’s vicious attack leaves a man unconscious and him stranded
in an elevator with five others. In the confines of the lift, love
has a chance of blossoming - violence has a chance of erupting
- Sean has little chance of escape. With his freedom hanging
in the balance can the people who fear him offer him one last
chance of redemption? Taking on the challenge of creating a
morality tale in trapped confines, first time director Sanfey does
a great job of holding our attention and letting the story behind
the attack unravel slowing, while keeping a level of humor in
a situation everyone dreads; being stuck in an elevator. Fiach
Kunch and Gerard McSorley bring their A- game to the film and
the supporting cast bring a level of chemistry that makes for a
completely satisfying outcome.
Now, in 21st Century Ireland, we are faced with the dilemma of
how to deal with historical figures who are both important markers
in the struggle for independence and echoes of a violent past
many no longer wish to glorify. Roaringwater Journal
Director: Conor Armstrong Sanfey
Script: Kealan Ryan
Cast: Gerard McSorley, Fiach Kunch, Hannah Crowley, Kealan
Ryan, Stephen Gorman, Meaghan Gallagher, Colin Walsh
Producer: Conor Armstrong Sanfrey, Kealan Ryan
“A well-executed flick with a likeable cast and some fine acting.
It’s funny, dramatic, heartfelt and utilizes its budget extremely
well… A fun locked-in flick” Your Call Yourself A Film Critic – Cork
​Writer and Actor Kealan Ryan will attend
Director Williams Cole will attend
Ireland’s national cultural
institution for film
www.ifi.ie
A destination for
people of Irish descent
as well as those who wish
to learn more about
the Irish heritage.
irish-american.org
ALSO SCREENING:
A LONG SHOT
15 min
Director: Andrew Jordan
Producer: Bobby Byrne
Larry bets on Ireland to win a football match against Germany
with Sarah’s rent money.
SATURDAY, MARCH 4 AT 8:00PM | The Logan Theatre
SHORTS PROGRAM III - WHO KNOWS? 90 min
No one really knows how they are going to respond to a situation until they are faced with it. Take death, homelessness,
fatherhood, retirement, paranoia, gang crime or saving the pub! Sounds bleak, but in this group of shorts an optimistic spirit and
some dancing feet save the day.
PROCEEDS OF CRIME
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
A dark alphabetic journey through
Ireland’s 2016 gangland.
T​ wo lonely people find the love they were
searching for, well, one lonely person
and one banshee.
Director: David Quin
Producer: Jennie Kelly
GIRL
Director: Conor McMahon
Producer: Deirdre Levins
PAT
THERE’S SOMETHING
ABOUT THE VIRGIN MARY
Director/Producer: Kevin McSorley
J​ohnny Davis struggles to attract customers
to his village bar. With the threat of losing
his business Johnny embarks on becoming
a Flair Bartending Cocktail King and ends
up saving more than the bar.
BLACKBIRD
Director: John White
Producer: Kevin Cassidy
Director/Producer: Megan K. Fox
Director: Shaun O’Connor
Producers: Lochlainn McKenna, Joleen Cronin
​ short experimental film about a young
A
homeless girl who spends her days
chasing “that feeling”.
​ at is a retired postman who still goes
P
on his village route each day, but not
everyone in the village loves the pretense.
​ running man on a road to nowhere
A
meets an artist who knows more about
him than he would like.
TWO ANGRY MEN
THE NATION HOLDS
ITS BREATH
REEL TIME
​ irector/Writer: Toto Ellis
D
Producer: David Kilpatrick
​A percussive short with an Irish brogue.
Belfast 1959. Irish playwright Sam
Thompson declares “I have a play here you
won’t touch with a bargepole!” Directer
James Ellis proves him wrong!
Director: Ken Womack
Producers: John Mathis, Ken Womack
Producer John Mathis will attend
Director: Kevin Cahill
Producers: Joey Horvitz, Rebecca
O’Flanagan, Robert Walpole
​ young father to be is torn between
A
witnessing the miracle of childbirth or
witnessing the miracle of Ireland reaching
the quarter finals of the World Cup.
SATURDAY, MARCH 4 AT 7:00PM
Gallery Theatre
PROPERTY OF STATE 107 min 2016 U.S. Premier
Director: Kit Ryan
Cast: Aisling Loftus, Patrick Gibson, David Rawle, Elaine Cassidy,
Hugh O’Conor, Gemma-Leah Deveraux
Script: Susan Morrall
Producer: Terence Ryan
​ ased on the true events that shocked Ireland in the 1990’s, Property
B
of the State tells story of a disturbed young man, Brendan O’Donnell,
as seen through the eyes of his sister Ann Marie. Piece by piece
she threads together the events that ultimately lead to the harrowing
murders of a young mother, her child and a local priest in the forest
of east Clare, Ireland. In the beginning of Ann Marie’s journal are
the words “can you still love someone that has done a terrible thing?”
Not succumbing to bitterness or blame Ann Marie quietly tells the
story of a brother she loved and tried to help often not knowing
where or who to ask for help. As the sister of a man described as
“the most evil man in Ireland” many saw Ann-Marie as guilty by
association and yet as the story unfolds it is clear that everything is not
as clear cut as the public and media would like it to be and explores
whether O’Donnell, who had struggled with mental health issues
since childhood, has been let down by social services and others in
authority positions.
SATURDAY, MARCH 4 AT 9:00PM
Gallery Theatre
BRACKENMORE 72 min Feature Film
Directors: Chris Kemble, J.P. Davidson
Script: Chris Kemble, Brian Teles
Cast: Sohpie Hopkins, Joe Kennard, Margaret O’Sullivan,
D.J. McGrath, Bertie Brosnan
The close-knit community of Brackenmore is harboring a secret. After
the untimely death of an uncle she never knew she had, Kate (Sophie
Hopkins) is forced to return to her ancestral home, a tiny rural village
in the South of Ireland. Soon after her arrival she meets Tom (D.J.
McGrath), a mysterious young local who helps her to rediscover
her long-neglected roots and forget about the anxieties of her life in
London. The longer Kate stays in Brackenmore, the more she begins
to realize that the eccentricities of its self-protective residents, may be
more ominous than she first thought and the secluded family estate is
harboring a dark and ancient secret. From the opening scenes of a
fateful car crash to the shocking ending Brackenmore weaves its ways
under your skin shifting between classic horror to the mysteries of the
occult. Cinematographer Justin McCarthy keeps a steady hand as he
captures the silent fear that begins to grow as Hopkins uncovers the
dark horror that is Brackenmore.
This true story is tragic on many levels, from those directly
impacted, to those who judged from afar…. the tragedy is that the
effects of mental illness are as internationally relevant today as they
were in 1990s.” Director Kit Ryan
ALSO SCREENING:
Where island attitude
meets local latitude
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Chicago legendary
family owned saloon
since 1961
www.butchmcguires.com
THE WAY BACK 14 min
Director: John Carlin
Producer: Marie McDonald
A scientist builds a time machine to discover what happened to her
sister 25 years ago; is she ready for the truth?
Sunday, March 5 AT 1:00 PM
​The Logan Theatre
TIDES: A HISTORY OF LIVES AND DREAMS
LOST AND FOUND ​(SOME BROKEN) 40 min
2016 U.S. Premier
Director: Alessandro Negrini
Cast: Emma Taylor, James King, Javier Ross Ubeda
Music: Cris Ciampoli
Cinematography: Odd-Geir Saether
Producers: William Silke, Jill Tellez, Alessandro Negrini
ALSO SCREENING:
UISCA BEATHA WATER FOR LIFE 8 min 2016
Director/Producer: Elaine Kennedy
On a visit home to see her parents, who have moved from London to
West Kerry, Bebhínn struggles to understand her father’s desire to be
a sheep farmer.
Director/Actor Elaine Kennedy will attend
There is a city with two different names: Derry, for Catholics,
Londonderry for Protestants, and in the middle of the city flows the
River Foyle. Narrated from the point of view of the river itself, using
dreamlike sequences and archival material made by ordinary Irish
people in the 50’, 60’s and 70’s from Derry and Inishowen, Donegal,
we hear the stories of ship building and war, immigration, the rise of
the most recent conflicts in 1969 and the loss of jobs and industry.
But, the river also tells stories of past glories, dreams for a prosperous
future and the building of a bridge that spans the waters hoping for
peace. As the river gently moves between the shores of Derry and
Londonderry reflections of what the past holds and what the future
might bring and what lies beyond its borders and it asks the question:
Are the dreams of those that lived before the violence different from
those who dream today? And what happened to those dreams?
Best Documentary Short Malta International Film Festival
Special Mention On The Roads Film Festival - Rome
Best Cinematography Sols Luna Film Festival
​Best International Documentary Foggia Film Festival
Best Soundtrack Treviso Documentary Festival
Special Mention Milan International Film Festival
Director Alessandro Negrini will attend
ALSO SCREENING:
THIS IS MY SON 17 min
Director: John Corcoran
​Producer: Lyndzi Doyle
Ireland, 1949. A grieving father questions his own faith as he
struggles to deal with the fate of his son’s soul.
Irish Culture, Community and Columns
irishamericannews.com
Sunday, March 5 AT 3:00 PM
​The Logan Theatre
FOLLOWED BY A RECEPTION AT HOPEWELL BREWERY AT 5:00PM
THE WALL
74 min 2016 U.S. Premier
​Director: David Kinsella
Cast: Yuna Shin, Jin Han Pak, Corey Mckinley, Conor Smith,
Thomas Purdy
Script: Klaas Bense
Lead Animation: Tiago Forte
Producer: David Kinsella
Co-Producers: Heather Millard, Thordur Bragi Jonsson
David Kinsella, funded by the Norwegian Film Institute, arrived
in North Korea ready to make a documentary about a young
poet at the invitation of the North Korean government, but filming hadn’t gotten very far when Kinsella realized that everything he was filming was fiction not fact, even the young poet.
Each day the government brought in extras and staged every
scene too essentially create a propaganda film for the country.
Not to be deterred Kinsella took the manipulation of his work
in stride and started to capture large expanses of industrial
areas to alter later with animation and create an amazing film.
ALSO SCREENING:
THE LAST CALL 17 min
Director/Producer: Gordon Woodside
​ Protestant family in Belfast during the troubles of 1975 is torn apart
A
by their sons conflicting views on the dictum ‘Love your enemy’.
Forward thinking for Big Plans
​ oving between the story of a young girl who defects to NorthM
ern Ireland and the life of a young boy living with sectarian
violence in 1970’s Belfast, the film draws on the idea that both
were living in countries driven by myths and fear. Collaborating
with Norwegian animator Tiago Forte with a script by Klass
Blaas in Amsterdam the film takes on an international flavor as
it highlights the “universal nature of the human experience in
spite of cultural and political differences.”
Kinsella believes that “citizens of even the most democratic country
can potentially become “mindless slaves” if they let others define
their reality. North Korea just happens to be extreme. It happens
everywhere, just in smarter ways. The purpose of the film is to let
“people decide for themselves what’s right and what’s wrong.”
Best Human Rights Feature 2016 Galway Film Fleadh
presented by Amnesty International ​
Director David Kinsella will attend
Ken Dooley
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