A new contemporary Irish screening series comes to NYU’s Cantor Film Center on Sept. 30, 2011.  The six-film festival opens with the New York premier of the documentary Knuckle, a visceral look at the violent world of bare-knuckle boxing among Ireland’s Traveler community, opening in theaters in December, 2011. HBO is adapting the documentary into a new drama series.
 
Irish Film New York (IFNY) includes the Galway Film Festival-winning feature Parked, a story of friendship, hope, and perseverance between two ‘neighbors’ living in their cars starring Colm Meaney. Also new to New York is The Runway, a real life-inspired story of a South American plane that crashes in a County Cork town and how the town comes together to send the pilot home, with Weeds star Demián Bichir.
 
Irish Film New York is partnering with the San Francisco Irish Film Festival and the Los Angles Irish Film Festival to bring the filmmakers of Knuckle, Parked, and The Runway on a tri-city tour in anticipation of each film’s U.S. release later this year.
 
“We created Irish Film New York to connect New York’s avid film audiences with the best films and filmmakers coming out Ireland today,” INFY founder Niall McKay said.
 
Established through partnerships with New York University’s Glucksman Ireland House, Culture Ireland, the Irish Film Board and the Irish Film Institute, IFNY features six feature-length films, a series of shorts including Academy Award-nominees, filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, filmmaker receptions and industry events such as a documentary showcase.
 
For more information go to www.irishfilmnyc.com.