Lelia Doolan
Lelia Doolan, a former Artistic Director of the Abbey Theater, Chairperson of the Irish Film Board and award-winning television producer and documentary film maker, has been a driving force in Ireland’s theater, film and television world since her pioneering time in the early days of Irish national television. Her latest project is building Galway’s first arthouse cinema: The Picture Palace which is scheduled to open in the winter of 2013. The funding for the venture — provided mostly by Irish government and state agencies — is almost complete but given Ireland’s dire economic circumstances there is a shortfall which Doolan is trying to make up.
Her track record in bringing art and culture to the west of Ireland makes Doolan well-equipped for this kind of challenge: she brought independent cinema to the small villages and towns of rural Ireland in the form of the Cinemobile and she was a founder of the Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland’s premiere film festival. Along with President Michael D Higgins she revived the Irish Film Board 1993 and brought about a rebirth of independent cinema in Ireland.
Bernadette, Doolan’s award-winning documentary on the life of Bernadette Devlin is playing on Sunday, October 7th at the New York Irish Film Festival
A reception for Lelia Doolan and Galway’s Solas Picture Palace will be help at Glucksman Ireland House, NYU 1 Washington Mews, New York, NY 10003 Thursday, October 4th at 7:00 pm. To attend, RSVP: kateocallaghan@gmail.com