The second annual Los Angeles Irish Film festival drew to a close on Sunday. A traditional Irish group called The Henry Girls played out the final moments of the festival as attendees downed their creamy bottles of Guinness.

Jonathan Loughran of the Irish Film Board spoke about the success of the festival and its diligent organization. Before commenting on the twenty five productions that Ireland made over the course of the last twelve months and the potential for the coming year.

The festivals highlights ranged from the delightfully playful short "Out Of The Blue", which chartered the story of a lonely man who finds a tv with a mermaid trapped within. To the moody tragic short "Call Me Son". The heart strings are tugged more then once in this piece. As director Louis McCullagh charts the life of a young boy who has had more foster homes then birthdays. Louis is relatively new to the short movie scene and with little formal training boast a variety of instinctive talents to aid him engage with the audience.

The movie has moments that provokes the audience to giggle and yet gently remind them of the terrible reality of this lonely boys routine, this lonely boys life. If all directors spoke with such passion about their work, we might have more movies with a social voice.

The short movies were peppered between the provocative dramatic pieces. One such dramatic feature was Lance Daly's "Kisses" which explores the gentle nuances of Irish culture. A remarkable story that follows a young boy and girl who run away from home. The language is as colorful and poetic as the imagery, and showcases the talents of the young actors and their environments. A real surprise from the event and a personal highlight.

Other worthy notes from the festival include "Cherrybomb"; A story set in the north of Ireland, a titanic movie about the pains of youth and dysfunction. Among its many great performers is Harry Potters Rupert Grint. The film also boasts some great graphic effects as it illustrates the communication methods and nomenclature of todays youth. "Identities"; showcased five sides of Irelands transgender society, in a poignant and memorable documentary. Rachel Lysaght & Vittoria Colonna were around to speak about the evlolution of the project and the process of filming the various people involved in the documentary.

And finally "Waveriders"; a documentary about surfing which opens with a tranquil editing style-- before crashing like a frantic wave on a series of U2 rifts. The bleached celluloid captures the coast of California and splices it with the murky waters of the West of Ireland. This ain't just a surf movie its a ride through the spume of history and how surfing evolved.

The festival eventually closed on the sublime Hugh Leonard piece "Da" which starred the colorful Barnard Hughes and the exquisite Martin Sheen. Matt Clark the director of the material made himself available for a series of questions after the news that Mr. Sheen was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. Mr. Clark was ha

ppy to comment on the movie and enlighten his audience that movies are a "collaborative art form" -- a great comment to end the screenings on as the man with the most experience in the room reminds us that the auteur is a solo artist and movies are pieced together by teams of people with the same objective.

The events organizer Lisa McLaughlin, paid tribute to the Aero Theatre and the various sponsors of the event. The Irish brigaté now pack up their tent and head East to work on next years show reel of talent. Next up for the American Cinematheque's Aero Theatre is the German Movie festival beginning on September 30th.

As we say "Slán" (Bye) to the Irish, we simultaneously say "Guter Tag" (Hello) to the Germans.

See you there.

Details:

Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90403

Story by: Terry Winders