2008 Entry Application

 The 8th Chicago Irish Film Festival went off with out a hitch, but there were certainly quite a few evenings of thunderous applause by appreciative audiences and for that we are grateful. Of course, no festival exists without the talented endeavors of filmmakers and Ireland’s filmmakers are truly exceptional, each year creating wonderful features, documentaries and shorts. The festival was delighted to welcome John Callaghan and his film Imagine This. It was fascinating to learn the process behind creating this digital piece of political satire. And, who was not thrilled to met actor, Gerard McSorley, for the Midwest premier of Middletown. Even the totally charming new Consul General of Ireland here in Chicago, the Honorable Sean Farrell, was seen having a animated discussion of Irish film, new and old, with Gerard.

Just when one thinks the bar could go no higher Irish shorts rose to the occasion and the festival sends up a boisterous congratulations to this year’s winners of the audience and festival awards for best shorts:

Audience Awards:

1st Place: An Teanga Runda  dir: Brian Durnin

2nd Place: Not A Word  dir: Cathy Mooney

3rd Place: What If… dir: Alan Walsh

Honorable Mention:

Pilgram  dir: matthew Darragh

Festival Awards:

1st Place: Horn OK Please  dir: Joel Simon

2nd Place: Imagine This  dir: John Callaghan

3rd Place: Teeth   dir: John Kennedy and Ruairi O’Brien

Honorable Mention: Last Night  dir: Conor Morrissey

Part and parcel of every festival is its sponsors and ours are some of the best. Thank you to Bushmills and Baileys,  Guinness , The American Conference for Irish Studies, The LaSalle Bank/ABN-AMRO, Beverly Bank and Trust, Maxim Mortgage, Fitzgerald Real Estate, Town Liquors,  Kean Service and Jenny’s Steak House.

And last, but never least to Aoife Coughlan and Sunniva O’Flynn at Reel Ireland and the Irish Film Archive and Fleur Buckley at the British Film Archive for all their help and support, thank you! thank you!

To the staff of the Beverly Arts Center, you are the Cliffs of Moher, the Ring of Kerry and Moure Mountain, not natural but wonders none the less.

Here’s to number 9!

Beverly Arts Center
or call 773-445-3838 ext 200.