Talk with Jim Sheridan Sat Oct 4th 7:00 PM &“In America”

IFNY is proud to host a talk with celebrated film writer and director, Jim Sheridan. Sheridan will discuss his previous films including the Oscar-nominated My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, & In America, and the projects the prolific writer & director has coming up.

The film was a surprise success, with both Day-Lewis and co-star Brenda Fricker winning Oscars for their performances. Sheridan received two Oscar nominations for Best Director (he lost to Oliver Stone) and Best Screenplay. It was an amazing debut film, and at age 40, Sheridan was a late bloomer to the film industry. He followed “My Left Foot” with the film The Field (1990). Starring Richard Harris a then-unknown Sean Bean and John Hurt, this film was based on a theatre play by John B. Keane. It earned Harris an Oscar nomination. Sheridan returned three years later with the film In the Name of the Father (1993), once again starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The film concerns four teenagers who are accused of an IRA bombing. Gerry (Day-Lewis) finds that his father (Pete Postlethwaite), aunt, and cousins are also accused as being accomplices. He and his father spend fifteen years in prison together until a lawyer (Emma Thompson) takes their case to court once again. The film was successful critically and commercially, gaining seven Oscar nominations (including three for Sheridan).

Throughout the 90s, Sheridan did some on-the-side work as an actor and as a writer, and his writing credits include the prison film Some Mother’s Son (1996) in which IRA prisoners went on a hunger strike to protest their treatment as criminals. Sheridan’s next directorial film was the gritty film The Boxer (1997), which was also the third collaboration between Sheridan and Daniel Day-Lewis. The film was about a former IRA associate released from prison after fourteen years. He attempts to put his life back together by starting a boxing club, as well as reconciling with his former love (played by Emily Watson). It was nominated for three Golden Globes, including Best Actor (Day-Lewis) and Best Director (Sheridan).

Sheridan’s most surprising production was the film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005) starring rapper 50 Cent and Terence Howard. Sheridan also finished a film Brothers (2009) based on a Danish movie by Susanne Bier. The film stars well known and talented actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire, who received a Golden Globe nomination, as did a song written for the movie by U2.

Sheridan’s most personal film was In America (2002), starring Paddy Considine, and Samantha Morton and co-written by his daughters, Naomi and Kirsten Sheridan The story is about an Irish family that immigrates to the United States. The father is an actor, attempting to find success, so that he can look after his children. The film received many positive reviews, and earned Sheridan a final Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. -condensed from IMDB.com biography

Saturday Oct 4 2014 7:00PM
Tickets $15.00
Cantor Film Center, 36th East 8th St. New York, NY 10003
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Director: Jim Sheridan Cast: Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon Hounsou