Chicago Irish Film Festival

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Highlight of Short Films

Tell It to the Fishes
directed by William Sinclair, starring Dylan Moran and Gerard McSorley
William Sinclair, starring Dylan Moran and Gerard McSorley

Pushed from a cliff, feet set in concrete, a man lands on a beach unable to move. Later, the man responsible for his predicament lands next to him, feet also in concrete. The tide rolls in.

Pilgrim
directed by Matthew Darragh

A stranger in an unknown land strives to fulfill his function
Best Director: Kerry Film Festival

What if…
directed by Alan Walsh

The tribulations of two struggling stuntmen, Ken and Dave who are looking for a way out.

POV
directed by John Kennedy

The viewer is presented with the closing screens of a film. The credit roller is used to tell the story the viewer has never seen.

Last Night
directed by Conor Morrissey

A couple’s marriage seems to be unraveling, but that is the least of their problems

Honk OK Please
directed by Joel Simon

Lucky, a Bombay taxi driver, dreams of buying his own luxurious taxi.
Best Animation: Kerry Film Festival

Meeting Che Guevara and the Man from Maybury Hill
directed by Anthony Byrne

When Beth stumbles across plans for a secret Martian invasion, her dream world turns upside down as she sets out to find the one man who can stop the War of the Worlds and restore peace on our planet. Best short, 2003 Irish Film and Television Awards.

Imagine This
directed by John Callghan

An audio mash-up of George W. Bush singing the John Lennon classic “Imagine”
Special Mention: Cork Film Festival

Note: John Callaghan will be conducting a workshop on Saturday. March 3, 2007 on film editing and digital film making.

The Boy With An Ever-Open Jaw
directed Jamie Harrigan and Maeve Clancy

The boy with the ever-open jaw is searching for a cure for his broken heart…

The Faeries of Blackheath Woods
directed by Ciaran Foy

Curious Melissa was enchanted by some real Faeries. Ignoring her mother she follows them into Blackheath Woods… Melissa didn’t come back.
Best Irish Short: Cork Film Festival Best and Kerry Film Festival

Teeth (2007) World Premeire
director: John Kennedy

Two men and their dentures. Enough said.

Boris (2005)
director: Stephen Burke

A dark comedy inspired by a real event ponders what would happen if a Russian President refused to get off a plane to meet with Irish diplomats.

Vicious Circle (2007) US Premiere
director: Alan Walsh

Set in 1916 during Ireland’s struggle for freedom, this film, shot in black and white, uses original footage to help tell its story of suspicion, betrayal and the continuing circle of unnecessary violence.

Marion and the Princess (2006) Irish language
director: Melanie Clark Pullen

Little Marion is determined to meet Princess Grace.
Winner: Gradam Gael Linn, Best Short in the Irish Language at the Cork Film Festival 2006.

White Dress (2006)
director: Vanessa Gildea

The story of a little girl on her communion day, but, unlike other little girls, she’s making her communion on her own.

The Girl Who Did Things She Didn’t Like First (2006)
director: Maki Yoshikura

A girl’s decision to put unpleasant things first has dire results.

Building a House (2006)
director: Emmett O’Neill

A dreamer’s attempts to shield himself from harsh realities are hindered by a misanthropic sheep.

Not A Word (2006)
director: Cathy Mooney

Workers on the late shift at a department store look for some excitement to break up the drudgery when their co-worker leaves on holiday.

Chicken Soup (2006)
director: Farah Abushwesha

A young man has an emotional chance encounter with a mysterious man and learns that parents do make mistakes, but not intentionally. Based on a true event.

An Teanaga Runda (2005) Irish language
director: Brian Durnin

A father and son spy team use Irish as a secret language to discuss covert business. When everything is thrown into the open, their lives are changed forever.

Imagination (2006)
director: Aoife Greenham

A boy and girl meet in a colorless world, but all that's about to change.

Home

Directed by Dawn Scibilia Official selection of the Galway Film Festival, the Palm Beach Film Festival, and the Lincoln Center Film society’s Independents Night series,. Winner Best Documentary 2006 Magners Irish Film Festival/Boston.

A young Dubliner reflects on his recent immigration to New York City, contemplating the concept of home and nostalgia via candid interviews with a host of celebrities, native New Yorkers and immigrants. Official selection of the Galway Film Festival, the Palm Beach Film Festival, and the Lincoln Center Film Society’s Independents Night series. Winner, Best Documentary, 2006 Magner’s Irish Film Festival/Boston.

A Fallow Land

Directed by Sean O’Cualain
Irish language/subtitled
This bittersweet film follows a rural Irish family for a year and captures a stunning moment: Their decision to end full time farming on the family holding. The family makes the transition to a more urban lifestyle that brings both comfort and a sense of loss. Compassionate and compelling. 50 min.

The Emerald Diamond

Directed by John Fitzgerald
This charming film about the Irish National Baseball Team was funded entirely on credit cards. Baseball has been played in Ireland since the early 1990s, and the national team debuted in the 1996 European Championships. Now the game is played throughout the country. 90 min. 2006 Critics Choice Award, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY

Irish and Proud of It

Director: Donovan Pedelty
In this 80-year-old stereotypical Irish film, politics and shenanigans abound when an Irish expatriate on a chance return home stumbles on Chicago-like bootleggers.

Short Order

starring Emma de Caunes, Rade Serbedzija, Jack Dee and John Hurt Directed by Anthony Bryne

In this homage to the wonder of Technicolor and MGM musicals, “Short Order” is set on a soundstage where everyone lives, breathes and even becomes food, with entertaining exchanges between a mad chef, a homeless man, an incognito food critic, and a notorious Bill Dodger. 100 min. Rated: R. Nominated for 8 Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA).

Pavee Lackeen

Director: Perry Ogden
Filmed in a documentary style using many of the story’s real family members, this compelling and sometimes sordid film follows the experiences of a young Irish Traveller girl. (Best Film, 2005 IFTA; official selection, 2005 Toronto Film Festival; Best Feature, Galway Film Fleadh.)

No Resting Place

Director: Paul Roth
Nominated for two BAFTAs, this film stars Michael Gough, Noel Purcell and Jack MacGowran, and features Maureen O’Sullivan. Despite its reputation and compelling story, it never had wide distribution; it is with great pleasure that the CIFF makes it available to Chicago filmgoers who may never otherwise have a chance to see it.

Middletown

starring Matthew Macfayden, Eva Birthistle and Gerard McSorley
(Midwest Premier)
Directed by Brian Kirk
In this gothic tale Gabriel, who spent most of his life in religious instruction, returns home to Middletown as the new preacher. He finds the town corrupted by drink and gambling, and sets out to bring its people back to God – including his brother and sister-in-law. The ensuing conflict engulfs the whole town, with terrible consequences. 90 min. Rated: R. 2^nd Place: Best First Feature, 2006 Galway Film Fleadh

Bare

“Bare” (2005), directed by Jane Lee, a colorful clay animation film in which a guy gets lyrical and a girl gets bare.

Big Phil

“Big Phil’s Piggy Back Ride” (2005) directed by Andy Tohill, about a socially inept loser minutes away from death leaves a legacy to Big Phil, his only friend and possibly his savior

Endgame

“Endgame” (2004) directed by Andrew Greener, a 2005 Galway Film Fleadh honorable mention film in which survival is a matter of identity for a quiet school teacher caught in a paramilitary gun battle in contemporary Belfast

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