Irish Screen America

From 2011 to 2022, Irish Screen America created a meeting place for Irish filmmakers and American audiences. Its annual New York and Los Angeles events grew alongside a programme of special screenings, filmmaker conversations, masterclasses and industry gatherings throughout the year.

The series moved between cultural homes on both coasts: NYU and Glucksman Ireland House in New York; the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre, Laemmle Fine Arts Theatre and Ireland Week in Los Angeles. Screenings were paired with Q&As and conversations that made the work feel immediate, social and shared.

The programme made room for emerging artists and established voices alike. Audiences encountered features, documentaries and shorts alongside television, animation, music-video and web work, while New York and Los Angeles-based Irish filmmakers found opportunities to show new films and form working relationships.

Among the guests and collaborators were Jim Sheridan, Carmel Winters, Naomi Sheridan, Cathy Brady, Maeve Higgins, Stephen Rea and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor. The festival also created space for conversations with writers, programmers and industry figures, building a community around the films rather than simply presenting them.

During the pandemic, Irish Screen America adapted with online programmes, including Playback, a celebration of contemporary Irish hip hop and R&B music videos. The final 2022 programme returned to in-person presentations with Vivienne Dick’s New York Our Time at the Irish Arts Center and Neasa Ni Chianain’s Young Plato in Los Angeles.

Gallery

Selected Films

2015 Traders Opening-night thriller presented with writers and directors Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy.	2015 Glassland A Sundance Award-winning, IFTA-nominated feature in the inaugural bi-coastal programme.
2018 Michael Inside One of the Irish features brought to New York and Los Angeles premieres.	2019 Float Like a Butterfly Presented with director Carmel Winters in conversation with audiences on both coasts.
2019 Gaza Part of the New York programme alongside Irish features, documentaries and shorts.	2019 Extra Ordinary A horror-comedy supported by Irish Screen America for its North American release.
2022 New York Our Time Vivienne Dick’s film screened at the new Irish Arts Center for St. Brigid’s Day.	2022 Young Plato Neasa Ni Chianain’s documentary received a Los Angeles premiere during Ireland Week.