American Cinematheque

Coupled with the treasures of Ireland’s moviemaking past, this year's Irish Film Festival presents modern works as diverse as they are unique, creating a cinematic barometer for the cultural climate of Ireland in 2011. Kicking it off is the Los Angeles premiere of moving folk rock documentary THE SWELL SEASON, followed by a 20th-anniversary screening of THE COMMITMENTS. Also included are documentaries THE PIPE, about a town's fight against corporate Shell Oil, and DREAMING THE QUIET MAN, exploring John Ford's ties to his native Ireland. Plus, premieres of the critically-acclaimed PARKED and THE RUNWAY, and much more.

Nicholas Ray (1911 - 1979) spent his early years soaking up a staggering array of influences, including studying architecture with Frank Lloyd Wright, working with Elia Kazan in New York’s Theatre of Action, and promoting folk music with Pete Seeger and Alan Lomax. Ray soon gained a reputation for his unique, intuitive rapport with actors and for his combative, almost sadomasochistic relationship with the Hollywood establishment. Although his strangest, most daring (and some say greatest) film came in 1954, with the surreal Joan Crawford Western JOHNNY GUITAR, it was the epochal REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE that was his most widely acclaimed success. Join us for this centennial salute to his work, including screenings of BIGGER THAN LIFE and the not-on-DVD KNOCK ON ANY DOOR starring Humphrey Bogart.