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IRISH REELS,
the first annual Irish Film Festival, curated by 911
Media Arts Center, will be held in Seattle on March 14th-18th 1998, with
screenings at 911 and the Henry Art Gallery on the University of
Washington campus. The festival will present feature-length films,
shorts, and documentaries, all produced by independent filmmakers.
The selections will focus on contemporary social issues and those
relating to young people in Ireland, and will include pieces which
depict the experiences of contemporary Irish emigrants.
The aim of the festival is to allow new voices to be heard, voices
which express the truth about life today for Irish people living in
Ireland and abroad, voices which are often drowned out by louder, yet
often inaccurate movies which rely on clichés and sensationalism. The
Ireland depicted in the film line-up is not the Ireland of
leprechauns and shamrocks, nor is it the Ireland of anonymous victims
and perpetrators of violence; it is an Ireland where children create
imaginary worlds, where teenagers rebel and have crushes, and where
husbands and wives shout at each other across the breakfast table. It
is also an Ireland left behind and remembered from across the sea.
Viewers of recent mainstream film and television offerings are well
aware of Ireland's turbulent history and its rich cultural heritage,
but may know little of its everyday job interviews and struggling
punk rock bands. These dramas and dreams could be taking place here
in Seattle, and yet the landscape of the Irish city and countryside
is as much a character in these films as the people--people with a
past, but also with a present and a future.
As Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor and international movie star, said in a
recent interview with Boxoffice Online, "Up until five or six years
ago, movies about Ireland were made by British and American film
companies [and] dealt with issues in a very superficial way. What's
beginning to happen now is that we are getting to tell our own
stories from our viewpoint." These are the stories and viewpoints
which will be featured at the Irish Film Festival: Ireland through
Irish eyes, not the distorting lens of Hollywood.
At press deadline, the schedule of specific films was not finalized, so look for a
separate communication of the full program, or call 682-1141 in early March.
Applications are still being accepted for our Window Installation in March, so
contact the center if you are interested in devising something to complement the
Irish Film Festival!
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March Events / Screenings
Open Screening!
