“The biggest challenge in this job is the amount of work that is coming out of Ireland.”
So said Maedhbh McCullagh, the director of the Capital Irish Film Festival, an annual event in Washington DC held under the auspices of Solas Nua.
“There are so many films being made,” she added. “The hardest part of the job is not being able to fit everything in.”
The County Cavan native McCullagh was speaking the day that the CIFF announced its schedule for an event that will take place at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center from Feb. 26-March 1.
The CIFF’s statement said, “The lineup includes 7 North American and 7 East Coast premieres in a list of 18 features; 4 shorts programs (24 titles including a family-focused shorts program); the Norman Houston Award; 12 directorial and feature debuts; award-winning filmmakers; 15 women directors and 17 women writers; in-person conversations, gala screenings, panels, a Pop-Up Gaeltacht, Q&As with visiting filmmakers, special events, and more.”
It added, “The four-day festival spotlights emerging voices on Irish screen, celebrates the exceptional talent and passion of contemporary Irish filmmakers, and is a reflection of the robust and vibrant screen industry that has grown in Ireland in recent years.”
The Norman Huston Award is given annually to the best short film made in Northern Ireland. This year’s recipient, the fifth, is Oliver McGoldrick, the former emergency room doctor who wrote and directed his much-praised debut “Three Keenings.” Huston was for a number of years the director of the Northern Ireland Bureau in the U.S.. He died suddenly at age 65 in 2021.
“I heard nothing but the most glowing stories about this man,” McCullagh said. “He must have been an exceptional person.”
“Three Keenings” will be shown with a Northern Ireland-themed feature film, yet to be announced, on the festival’s Friday night.
“Irish language permeates the program this year, with 14 films in the program featuring Irish dialogue and an opportunity to engage in an Irish language at the CIFF Pop-Up Gaeltacht on Saturday and Sunday,” CIFF’s press announcement said.
CIFF will kick off with the East Coast premiere gala screening of “Saipan” in which the award-winning directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn tell a real-life story that divided a nation. The darkly comic drama recalls the bitter falling out between the Republic of Ireland’s highest profile star, Roy Keane of Manchester United (played by Éanna Hardwicke), and the Republic’s manager, Mick McCarthy (played by Steve Coogan), on the island of Saipan just days before the national football team began its campaign in the 2002 FIFA World Cup hosted by Japan and South Korea. The screening of a film that has opened elsewhere to rave reviews will take place on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m.
There will be several other stories told about big personalities, but in the documentary format: notably two about legends from the world of music — “In Time: Dónal Lunny” and “BP Fallon: Rock’n’Roll Wizard” and two more about political figures — “Daniel O’Connell: The Emancipator” and “Gerry Adams: A Ballymurphy Man.”
The CIFF is by many people’s estimates the largest Irish-themed film festival in North America, but its director said nobody’s competing — they’re communicating and cooperating.
“Everybody’s goal is the same,” McCullagh said of the many festivals in U.S. and Canadian cities. “We want to make sure that Irish film gets the attention it deserves.
“There’s a great passion and a great network of support out there for the artists,” she added, referring to the festivals
McCullagh, who has long experience in the New York arts scene, described DC audiences as “very discerning, very well-read and passionate, not just about film-making but also about story-telling.”
CIFF will take over much of AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center for the festival’s four days.
“They provide this amazing space for us to do the work that we do,” McCullagh said.
Visit here for more details and tickets.
