Fairfield University Announces Free Irish Film Series This Fall

"The Irish in Film," the free movie series sponsored by the Irish Studies Program at Fairfield University, opens on Wednesday, October 3, with the first of four diverse films. The series, now in its fifth year, is part of Fairfield University's Arts & Minds season of cultural and intellectual programs.

The films will be shown in the multimedia room of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.M. Fairfield University welcomes the public to these free screenings. Light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Nels Pearson, director of the Irish Studies Program, will host the presentations. He will be joined by other Irish Studies professors, who will field questions after the films.

The series begins on Wednesday, October 3, with "The Dead" (1987), from James Joyce's 1914 collection "Dubliners." Directed by John Huston and starring Huston's daughter, Anjelica, the story is about the interrelationship between the living and the dead and how the dead are more alive than the living. Dr. Pearson will introduce the film.

The October 10 film is "A Boatload of Wild Irishmen" (2011), a documentary based on the films of the Irish American filmmaker Robert Flaherty (1884-1951). Flaherty is best known for "Man of Aran"(1934), which depicts the life of the islanders and their heroic struggle for survival in the harsh environment off the coast of Galway. Though it was considered an authentic portrayal of the Aran fishermen for many years, documentary director Mac Dara O'Curraidhin and writer Brian Winston reveal how Flaherty staged much of the film. Dr. William Abbott, associate professor of history, will present the film.

On October 17, "The Secret of Kells" (2010), director Tomm Moore's Oscar-nominated animated film, will be screened. The visually compelling film draws on Irish culture and fantasy, while adhering to the actual history of the sacred text that was first undertaken in St. Columcille's monastery at Iona. Dr. Marice Rose, who teaches Celtic and Early Irish Art, will present the film.

On October 24, the final film of the fall series is "The Guard" (2011), directed by John Michael McDonagh, and starring BrenDan Gleason as Sgt. Gerry Boyle. Set in Galway, the film concerns international drug dealers who have invaded the area causing the FBI to send an agent (Don Cheadle) to take care of business. Dr. Robert Epstein, associate professor of English, will introduce the film.