Hibernian Media and its chairman, Mike Houlihan – with the help of Hibernian’s Irish American Labor Alliance – launch the Monthly Movie Hooley Friday, Oct. 24 at Gaelic Park and Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Irish American Center with a screening of a film based on Houlihan’s comic recollection of growing up in Chicago, “Goin’ East of Ashland.”
The monthly movie nights grew out of Hibernian Media’s Irish American Movie Hooley film festival, which offered its eleventh incarnation in September at the Wilmette Theatre.
“One of the lessons we’ve learned over the years with our Movie Hooley is that there is no venue for Irish American films to thrive and inspire Irish filmmakers as they create the masterpieces that will encourage their peers in cinema,” Houlhan said. “We’re going to change that with the help of our Irish American Labor leaders and new sponsors who recognize the need for a home for Irish American filmmakers.”
Houlihan said he chose “Goin’ East of Ashland” as the first flick in the Monthly Movie Hooley to reintroduce himself to great new Irish American audiences. The film is based on his one-man theatrical production of the same name that ran in Chicago from 1994 to 2001.
Of the stage version, in 1994 Chicago Reader theater critic Albert Wiliams said, it “is best at its most literally parochial – when it brims with detailed references to the personalities and institutions of the parish that shaped Houlihan no matter how much he rebelled against it.”
In November, the Monthly Movie Hooley will feature “Young Plato.” Directed by Neasa Ní Chianáin & Declan McGrath and set in post-Troubles Belfast, the documentary’s subject is “Elvis-loving school headmaster Kevin McArevey – a maverick who is determined to change the fortunes of an inner-city community plagued by urban decay, sectarian aggression, poverty and drugs,” according to the movie’s website.
“We have a world class stable of Irish filmmakers who have joined our Hooley over the last 11 years joining us with this new salon series,” Houlihan said.
Houlihan brings more than 50 years of experience in the entertainment industry with him as he and his family screen works at the Monthly Movie Hooley. Their effort is supported by the
Alliance of Local 130 Plumbers, Local 150 Operating Engineers and The Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council.
The Monthly Movie Hooley will take place at the twin anchors of our Irish American community, Houlihan said, with tickets set at $20 per showing.
Showtimes for “ Goin’ East of Ashland” will be 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 in The Celtic Room at Gaelic Park, 6119 147th St., Oak Forest and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 in the Mayfair Theatre at the Irish American Heritage Center , 4626 N Knox Ave., Chicago. “Young Plato” will be shown Friday, Nov. 15 at the IAHC and Saturday, Nov. 16 at Gaelic Park.
Both venues will provide food and beverage service before the showtime as well as access to their bar during the screenings.
