The :
1st annual New York Film Fleadh (Irish International Film Festival) held it's benefit on Saturday December 5th '98 at the OHM Nightclub in New York's flatiron district. Local celebrities in attendance were Malachy McCourt (actor, author 'A Monk Swimming'), Conor McCourt (director, The 'McCourts of New York'), T.J. English (writer, 'The Westies'), Tina Louise (actress, Gilligan's Island') and Robert DeNiro.
The Film Fleadh (I.I.F.F.) is a four day festival running from Thursday March 11 - Sunday March 14, at the Directors Guild of America (D.G.A.) Theatre which has recently played host to film festivals such as Docfest, GenArt and the NY Comedy Film Festival. The Film Fleadh was conceived as a showcase for Irish and Irish-American film-makers whose work is not generally seen before a New York audience but which deserves greater exposure. "The timing couldn't be better, and I can't think of a better platform to bring together Irish and Irish-American filmmakers" says founder and executive producer Terence Mulligan. The Film Fleadh aims to provide a forum for those formative voices in a venue that reflects their spirit and energy. There has been an explosion in film-making activity in Ireland since 1993" says programme director Paul Power "and although many of the higher profile films make it to the U.S. there are a lot of worthy features, documentaries and shorts that don't. The Film Fleadh will present a more rounded picture of Irish film-making activity to American audiences. Equally important particularly from a New York perspective, the Film Fleadh will also screen films made by film-makers of Irish decent".
The Fleadh will screen eleven features/documentaries over the four days, each paired with a short film. Breakfast discussion forums on aspects of Irish film-making presided over by New York University's Pegi Vail, herself an Irish-American film-maker, will be held during the festival. There will be a gala party following each nights final screening and many film-makers will be attending with their films, giving the audiences the opportunity to participate in post screening Q & A sessions as well as meeting with them later to discuss their work. New York production/post-production company The Shooting Gallery (TSG) will give a Post-production Award (goods & services) to the Best Feature which will be judged by the audience.
The Film Fleadh's Board includes Aidan Quinn, Denis Leary, actor/director Ed Burns, directors Jim Sheridan and Michael Moore, Eammon Bowles (President, TSG Pictures), Bingham Ray (Co-president, October Films), T.C. Rice (V.P. of Marketing and Distribution, Stratosphere Entertainment) and Bob Hawk (Sundance Film Festival). The NY Firefighters Burn Centre will receive a significant proportion of the festivals net proceeds. The Film Fleadh is a volunteer based festival founded by executive director Terence Mulligan, himself an Irish American actor/film-maker and New York based Irish journalist Paul Power, programme director.
Contact:- Irish International Film Festival,
911 - 83rd street, #C6,
Bklyn,
N.Y. 11228.
Tel/Fax: 718-921-1011
Email: filmfleadh@aol.com
WWW: www.filmfleadh.com
Michael McMahon 23/12/98
