An obsessive friendship, a revenge-seeking mercenary, and an unsolved murder case are just a few of the thrilling storylines being brought to the big screen during Fairfield University’s annual presentation of “The Irish in Film,” a free movie series sponsored by the Irish Studies program. The series is part of the University’s “Arts and Minds” season of cultural and intellectual programs and kicks off its 12th season on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, with the first of four dynamic films.

Each film will be screened in the Multimedia Room of the University’s DiMenna-Nyselius Library on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. and will be introduced by a member of the Irish Studies faculty, who will field questions from the audience after the screenings.

The series begins on October 9, with Brooklyn, the 2016 Academy Award-nominated film for  Best Picture, based on Colm Toibin’s best-selling novel. Directed by Jack Crowley, the film features Saoirse Roan as Eilis Lacey, a young, intelligent immigrant who makes a new life for herself in 1950s Brooklyn with the help of an Irish-American priest from home (Jim Broadbent). The film addresses both the gains and losses of women’s emigration in post-World War II America and will be introduced by Nels Pearson, PhD, professor of English and director of the Humanities Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

The series continues on October 16 with Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney’s 2017 documentary, No Stone Unturned. The film investigates the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, an unsolved case in which masked members of an anti-IRA loyalist paramilitary group murdered six Catholic civilians in a Northern Ireland pub during a World Cup soccer game. The film’s presentation is made possible by the Irish Film Institute, Dublin, Ireland, and will be introduced by Kevin Cassidy, PhD, professor of politics, who teaches a course on Northern Ireland and is publishing a book on the subject later this year.

On October 23, the series will feature Greta, Irish director Neil Jordan’s 2018 psychological thriller starring Chole Grace Moretz as Francine, a naïve college graduate who finds a lost handbag and returns it to its owner, an eccentric French piano teacher named Greta. Having recently lost her mother, Frances strikes up a seemingly harmless friendship with the lonely widow, but when Greta's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and obsessive, Frances does whatever it takes to end the toxic relationship before it's too late. Despite its scary moments, the film can be seen as an adult fairy tale with Greta as the wicked witch and Frances, the innocent orphan who walks into a trap. English professor, Robert Epstein, PhD, who teaches “Myths and Legends of Ireland and Britain” will introduce the film and lead the Q&A. 

The series concludes on October 30 with  Black 47 (2018), a historical drama set in Ireland during the Great Famine. Directed by Lance Daly and produced with the help of the Irish Film Board, the film stars James Frecheville as Feeney, an Irish mercenary fighting for the British army, who abandons his post to seek revenge on those responsible for the death of his family. Professor of History and Irish Studies Co-Director William Abbott, PhD will introduce the film. 

For more information on “The Irish in Film” series, contact Irish Studies Co-Director Professor Marion White at 203-254-4000, ext. 2800 or mwhite@fairfield.edu.