Contemporary Irish Film

Along with a wide variety of stories and representations of Ireland, a sustained period of production has resulted in the training of world-class film and sound technicians and the emergence of internationally renowned actors and directors.

Jim Sheridan has achieved extraordinary commercial and critical success from a relatively small number of films; six to date. His first film, My Left Foot ,won Oscar for actors Daniel Day Lewis in the title role and Brenda Fricker as his mother (from five Oscar nominations). Sheridan\'s films have been recognisably Irish in subject matter while attempting to attract a wider, particularly American, audience in their structure and story-telling style. His most commercially successful film to date In the Name of the Father, combined his ongoing preoccupation with father-son narratives with another true story.Following the success of the semi-autobiographical In America (2003) Sheridan took on another biography, this time that of US rapper 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin\' (2005), which signalled a move to non-Irish settings.

Neil Jordan has made over 15 films ranging from celebrated literary adaptations The Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto, The End of the Affair, to historical epics Michael Collins, The Crying Game, The Miracle, to a big-budget, big-star Hollywood horror - Interview with a Vampire. Jordan\'s films are emotionally colder than Sheridan\'s and often deal with questions of identity and place in conservative societies.

The Irish Film Industry

The Irish film industry has received much international acclaim over the last few years emphasising Ireland\'s creative reputation to audiences all over the world. Film is the most popular cultural medium in the world and there are many direct and indirect benefits from having a successful film worldwide.

Highlights of the last year