New Generation of Irish Filmmakers To Be Celebrated At inaugural
Irish Film Series Presented By American Cinematheque and Irish Film Board
March 13-20 At Egyptian Theatre
The reknowned Egyptian Theatre run by the American Cinematheque, has
selected a season of new Irish cinema which will run in the days around St.
Patrick’s Day in March. The organisers have planned an exciting array of
Irish shorts, documentaries and feature films for inclusion in this
inaugural programme.
The aim of this Irish season of cinema and the meetings taking place over
the same period with major film studios, is to promote both the indigenous
sector and Ireland as a location to the US marketplace.
The series, presented in association with the reknowned American
Cinematheque and open to the public, includes two Oscar-nominated animated
shorts as well as the Kirsten Sheridan’s directorial debut, Disco Pigs. The
inaugural series also includes Nora, a drama starring Ewan McGregor as James
Joyce in a story about the famed Irish writer’s stormy marriage.
The films chosen for this series represent the scope and depth of Irish
film-making and offer the American film community an opportunity to become
more familiar with some of the most exciting new cinematic voices in
Ireland, who have built upon and been inspired by the homegrown talents of
such directors as Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan.
2002 is proving a successful year for Irish filmmaking. In addition to the
recently announced Academy Award® nominated animated shorts Give Up Yer Aul
Sins and Fifty Percent Grey (which, significantly, account for 40% of the
nominees in the category), the gritty docudrama Bloody Sunday has proved a
huge success and was recently awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlin
International Film Festival.
Irish Film Series at Egyptian Theatre
Wednesday, March 13 2002
7:30 p.m. Irish Shorts and Animation Programme
The programme will include Give Up Yer Aul Sins, directed by Cathal Gaffney
and Fifty Percent Grey, directed by Ruairi Robinson, which account for two
of the five nominees in the Best Animated Short category of the Academy
Awards.
Friday, March 15 2002
9:30 p.m. If I Should Fall From Grace (Directed by Sarah Share) and
Teenage Kicks (Directed by Tom Collins)
In If I Should Fall From Grace, a moving, highly personal documentary
portrait of a rock icon, Shane MacGowan tells of his early problems with
drink and drugs and his subsequent breakdown, his discovery of punk and the
voice he found through music. The film includes interviews with Nick Cave
and MacGowan’s parents as well as concert footage of the Pogues. Teenage
Kicks documents the punk pop band The Undertones, which exploded onto the
music scene in the late 1970’s at a time when the Northern Irish town of
Derry was better known for ‘The Troubles’ and unemployment than it was for
its musical progeny.
Saturday, March 16 2002
5:00 p.m. Nora (Directed by Pat Murphy)
Ewan McGregor stars as famed Irish writer James Joyce in this tale of his
tempestuous marriage to Nora Joyce. McGregor delivers a soul- and
flesh-baring performance in this beautifully atmospheric and sexual portrait
of their stormy relationship.
7:00 p.m. How Harry Became A Tree (Directed by Goran Paskaljevic)
Colm Meany, Cillian Murphy, and Adrian Dunbar star in this comic tale set in
Ireland of 1924. The Civil War may be over but things are never far off the
boil in the world of Harry Maloney (Meany). He has a long list of
grievances and a unique way of looking at the world. Harry believes in hate
and the object of his hate is George O’Flaherty (Dunbar), the richest man in
town, owner of the local pub and all-round success story. As Harry
observes, “You need to have a strong enemy. Otherwise it’s too easy to
destroy him.”
9:30 p.m. H3(Directed by Les Blair)
Director Les Blair sets his brutal drama in H3, one of the bleakest H-Blocks
of Northern Ireland’s Maze prison. This fictional depiction of the 1981
hunger strike by prisoners was co-written by Laurence McKeown, who took part
in the original protest. The hunger strikers’ struggle is chronicled with
dignity, comradeship and, surprisingly, with a sense of humour. Brendan
Mackey, Aidan Campbell, Kevin Elliot, Dean Lennox Kelly, and Tony Devlin
star.
Sunday, March 17 2002
5:00 p.m. Traveller (Directed by John T. Davis and Alen MacWeeney)
In 1965, photographer Alen MacWeeney embarked on a two-year project of
photographing and recording the travelers of Dublin and Galway.
7:00 p.m. Disco Pigs (Directed by Kirsten Sheridan)
Pig is the King and Runt the Queen of the magical Pork City. Born on the
same day and living next to each other has made them the best of friends,
but on the eve of their 17th birthdays, their love stumbles towards a
crisis. Starring Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy.
Wednesday, March 20 2002
7.30 p.m. On the Nose (Directed by David Caffrey)
A witty comedy about Delaney (Robbie Coltrane), a gambling-obsessed
custodian and a 200 year-old Aboriginal head with an amazing gift for
picking winners! Co-starring Dan Aykroyd and Brenda Blethyn.
D Hopkins