Fifth Annual Boston Irish Film Festival
Program Two
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Moving Day
Directed by Rob Burke and Yousef Eldin.
Ireland, 2002, digital video, color, 13 min.
When his parents decide to move, young William is forced to say good-bye to his best friend, Jack—but not without a fight. Clever, inventive, and ultimately moving, this short film is perfect for children and adults alike.
The runaway success of last year’s animated short Give Up Yer Aul Sins has led to an entire series of the innocently warped Bible stories, originally told by Dublin schoolchildren in the 1960s and given new life by producer-director team Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell. Included here are seven stories, ranging from the life of St. Patrick to the birth of Jesus to the resurrection of Lazarus, as well as a thirty-minute documentary that details the history of these celebrated recordings and their new incarnation as animated classics.
Documentarian Adrian McCarthy provides this revealing glimpse into Sinn Fein during the 2002 general election in Ireland. Focusing on the party’s North Kerry candidate, Martin Ferris, McCarthy peels back the campaign posturing to reveal a man caught between a violent past in the IRA and a political future with the ongoing peace process. The result is an eyewitness portrait of contemporary Irish nationalism—politically committed to peace but as yet unwilling to put down the gun.
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The Green Fields of Vietnam
Directed by Anne Roper.
Ireland, 2002, digital video, color, 52 min.
This documentary tells the story of an estimated 2,000 Irishmen who fought and died during the American war in Vietnam. All were poor Catholic immigrants who had come to the United States in the 1960s and either enlisted voluntarily or were drafted. Using archival footage and interviews with survivors, director Anne Roper retraces their steps, examining their newfound loyalty to America and the terrible consequences that awaited them in Vietnam.