Irish Film
Hibernian Media hosting Irish Film star John Connors and producer Tiernan Williams in Chicago Jan. 21-23!
Hibernian Media, is excited to announce that Irish film star John Connors will be visiting Chicago the weekend of January 21-23, 2022, for an encore screening of his film ENDLESS SUNSHINE ON A CLOUDY DAY. Connors and producer Tiernan Williams couldn’t attend the Chicago premiere of the film last September at the 7th Annual Irish American Movie Hooley but will personally appear next month to meet Chicago’s vibrant Irish American community for an encore screening of their terrific film.
John Connors is one of the most recognizable faces from Irish film and TV. He is a multi-award-winning actor, writer, and director. He has two Irish Film and Television, (IFTA), awards to his credit for best Actor and best Documentary. He is better known from his appearances in the Irish TV Series “Love/Hate” and the box office smash “Cardboard Gangsters”. He subsequently went on to direct the documentary “Endless Sunshine on a Cloudy Day” that won the audience award in the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival, (VMDIFF 2020), and co-wrote “Innocent Boy” that won the Virgin Media Discovers National Screenwriting Award 2019.
Tiernan Williams is a filmmaker, cognitive scientist, integrative psychotherapist, and psychologist. He makes films with real emotional impact that always leaves the audience pondering life’s big questions.
Both filmmakers are the creative force behind Cluster Fox Films, their innovative Irish production company currently on the cusp of international renown. Chicago Irish audiences are encouraged to attend any of the encore screenings and meet two of the most creative and inspired minds in Irish film today.
Hibernian Media Board Member and former Irish American Heritage Center President Gene Cooney has facilitated the Chicago personal appearance tour of these emerging Irish filmmakers.
ENDLESS SUNSHINE ON A CLOUDY DAY will be screened:
Friday January 21st at The Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 North Knox at 8PM,
Saturday January 22nd at The Siskel Film Center at 5PM at 164 North State Street,
Sunday January 23rd at 3PM at Gaelic Park Chicago 6119 147th St, Oak Forest. All screenings will be followed by discussion with the filmmakers and an informal cocktail reception.
The film follows the final journey of popular Instagrammer, Jade McCann, and her father Anthony. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Film at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival in March 2020, this inspirational story is a reminder of the toxic nature of social media and the enduring truth in every soul as, “A family comes together to fight the ultimate fight and learn that love is more powerful than death.” It’s a story about a family battling to stay together with the odds stacked heavily against them. The film examines life in the face of one’s own mortality. A beautiful portrayal of acceptance, positivity, and the ability to find meaning in the darkest of times, resulting in the discovery of “Endless Sunshine on a Cloudy Day”.
John Connors is an Irish Traveller actor, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker and playwright best known for his role as Patrick Ward in the Irish crime drama series Love/Hate, for which he was nominated for best-supporting actor at the 2016 Irish film and television awards, and for Cardboard Gangsters, for which he won Best Actor at the 2018 Irish film and television awards.
Connors was born in 1990 in London to an Irish Traveller family and moved to Ireland with his family when he was 11 months old. His father suffered from depression and schizophrenia, and took his own life when Connors was eight years old. Connors took up acting when he was 20 years old after being persuaded by his younger brother Joseph, in a bid to help him with his own battle with depression. Connors began boxing at a young age. He is a former three-time Irish boxing champion and four nations boxing gold medalist and was picked by the Herald newspaper for their ‘Future Star’ segment at fifteen years old.
In 2017 he was named in the fifty incredible people who are shaping Ireland by the Irish Independent, and he was also named as one of the “twenty twenty-somethings that could influence Ireland and the world” by the Irish Times.
He appeared on an episode of the series Livin’ with Lucy (Virgin Media) with Lucy Kennedy, in 2019. Connors won the 2018 IFTA for best actor for his performance in the film Cardboard Gangsters, which Connors also wrote. Three months later his documentary series, John Connors: The Travellers, won the 2018 IFTA for best documentary. In the documentary Connors called on the Irish government to formally recognize Travellers as a distinct Irish indigenous ethnic minority, which happened later that year.
Hibernian Media is thrilled to be able to bring these extraordinary artists/activists and personalities to our Chicago Irish audience. We gratefully acknowledge the sponsorship of Hilton Chicago, Paddy’s Irish Whiskey, and Culture Ireland in making this tour possible. Please join us for an experience you won’t soon forget.
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