It’s
Thanksgiving at the Monaghans’ and patriarch Michael
is looking forward to a pleasant holiday dinner in the
warm bosom of his extended family. A career politician,
he’s been embroiled in a tough election that’s
fraying his nerves, and the very last thing he needs
is a hard time today. . . Then the guests start arriving.
Writer-Director Jon Stevens takes a magnifying glass
to this outrageously dysfunctional family in the award-winning,
satirical comedy-drama Irish Whiskey. Focusing on an
Irish-American dynamic awash in booze, bigotry and deeply
felt family ties, Stevens brings to life the tensions
and passions simmering just beneath the surface as the
carefully-controlled world of Michael Monaghan begins
to unravel.
First to arrive is his rebellious daughter’s new
boyfriend, a skinhead complete with black leather jacket,
jackboots, swastika armband and stiff-armed salute as
a greeting. But that’s just the beginning! Next
is Michael’s disabled brother-in-law-to-be; a liberal
Jew in this Roman Catholic household who’s afflicted
with a most disconcerting twitch. Then there’s
eccentric Uncle Liam, a lovable lush with a leprechaun
accent and a fine-tuned taste for very much younger
women. But the real kicker comes when younger brother
Sean arrives with his new fiancée. The astounded Michael
can only describe her as “the blackest Black Irish
I’ve ever seen!”
It’s a volatile mix, with alternating doses of
fireworks and tears, laughter and love, over a score
by internationally acclaimed Irish Conductor/Composer
Derek Gleeson and a rollicking performance by Irish-American
rockers The Young Dubliners. All families should be
this much fun!
Irish Whiskey Productions LLC presents Irish Whiskey,
directed by Jon Stevens from a screenplay by Stevens,
Mick McGovern, Joanna Rush, Cassandra-Nailah Brown and
John Peter Calos based on Stevens’ original story.
John Bradford Pagano, Nan Morganne, Vincent DePasquale,
Brown, John Marlo, Sally Truitt and Jeff Bergquist head
the ensemble cast. Alicia Rivera Frankl, Thomas Blessing
IV, Jo Christensen and Lara Hammond produced. Chris
Pilliczar and Elvie Avilez are the Executive Producers.
Following in the well-worn tradition of independent
filmmaking, Irish Whiskey is the culmination of an arduous
and inventive effort to bring an initial vision to the
screen at any cost. It’s a familiar story: start
from scratch; beg, borrow or improvise to assemble the
elements; then pour every ounce of energy, emotion and
inspiration into the film. In the case of Irish Whiskey,
the shepherd was Writer-Director Jon Stevens.
The saga began when Stevens attended a friend's Irish
wedding, where he first saw and heard the rock group
the Young Dubliners. When the wedding was over, two
of the musicians, including bandleader Keith Roberts,
stayed behind to join a few guests from Ireland in singing
nostalgic tunes and performing traditional dances.
“The whole atmosphere was compelling,” recalls
Stevens, who is not Irish himself. “I was enthralled
by the mixture of the contemporary with the traditional
and that emotional zest characteristic of the Irish.
There were deep feelings, raw feelings, all within the
context of an extended family and an even wider feeling
of ‘Irish ness.’ Tradition was butting right
up against modern times. I knew there was a story here
to tell.”
Stevens took his idea to Irish-American actor and friend
Mick McGovern. “We both had little sales jobs at
the time,” Stevens recalls, “so we didn’t
have much money between us. But we felt we had a good
basis for a film and decided to write it with a noble
theme so we could attract good people, even if we didn’t
have any money.”
The circle of screenwriting partners began to grow as
the story matured and expanded. When he decided to incorporate
an African-American character into the story, Stevens
recruited actress/singer Cassandra-Nailah Brown to develop
the role into which she would eventually be cast (“Cassandra,”
Sean’s fiancee). Irish-American actress Joanna
Rush later came aboard to add her perspectives, and
finally, Stevens sought out family therapist John Peter
Calos to add his expertise to the mix.
“While it might seem extreme to some,” explains
Stevens, “I felt that these additional perspectives
were necessary for the authenticity of the film. I was
also aware that we would only have a limited budget
at best, so it was absolutely essential to have the
script exactly right from the beginning. We wouldn’t
have the luxury of time to burn once we started shooting.”
With finished script in hand, Stevens met again with
Roberts of the Young Dubliners at the annual Irish Fair
in Los Angeles, telling him that his band had inspired
the story and that a scene had been included for them
to perform in an Irish wedding. Roberts read the script
and said he and the band would be delighted to appear
in Irish Whiskey.
The preliminary pieces were in place...except one very
big one. “We’d come a long way on very little,”
Stevens explains. “We’d been using my apartment
because we couldn’t afford an office, and I was
using my credit card to take care of any expenses that
came up. Then our financing prospects dried up, and
I was faced with a big decision: Do we hold off and
lose our momentum and possibly even the people we’d
assembled? Or do we push ahead and deal with the inevitable
problems as best we could? For me, the answer was simple--I
had to make Irish Whiskey!”
And the problems started immediately. As if on cue,
that the old bugaboo of independent filmmaking reared
its ugly head--what to do when the Screen Actors Guild
(SAG) refuses to cooperate. Many of the roles had already
been cast with non-union performers, but the production
was thrown into confusion when SAG refused to sanction
the deferred payment plans for its members. Veteran
actor Seymour Cassel, who’d been interested in
playing the lead role of “Michael,” was lost,
and co-writer McGovern, another SAG member, had to withdraw
from the role of “Sean.”
“So the weekend before rehearsals were scheduled
to begin, we lost actors for the lead role of Michael
and his main protagonist, younger brother Sean. We also
lost our prospects for the big role of ‘Brenda,’
Michael’s wife,” Stevens notes. “[Casting
Director] Lewis [E. Bailey] and I really had to scramble.”
Finding Brenda proved relatively easy. Stevens turned
to an old friend, veteran local theater actress Nan
Morganne, who’d read an earlier version of the
script and was eager to come aboard to do a feature
film. Similarly, Bailey pulled a rabbit out of his hat
with Vincent DePasquale for the role of Sean, overcoming
Stevens’ initial reaction that the actor was too
young to play a Vietnam veteran.
“Vince has an edge,” Bailey explains. “His
eyes have the look of someone who has seen death and
survived. Jon eventually saw what I saw in Vince.”
That left the lead role of Michael, and with his back
to the wall, Stevens went with his gut instinct and
cast an old buddy, John Bradford (“Brad”)
Pagano. One big problem: Pagano had never acted before!
“Brad was inexperienced, that’s for sure,
but he physically personified the Michael character,”
Stevens recalls of his decision to cast him. “We
rehearsed all day before rehearsals were scheduled to
start. He was stiff and pretty scared, as you would
expect, but as time went on, he got better. At the end
of the day, we shot a couple of scenes on video, and
I discovered that the camera just loved his eyes!
After that, I was convinced. He had the right look and
the right voice. He moved as I would expect Michael
to move. He had all of the ingredients. I told him,
‘Just be yourself, Brad. I’ll take care of
the rest.’
“It was up to me as the Director to take him to
the next level.”
Stevens then made one more request of Pagano: Don’t
tell any of the other actors that he’d never acted
before. “I didn’t want to demoralize them
by having them think that the lead role was being played,
basically, by a non-actor,” Stevens adds. “They
could’ve resented him or even turned against me.
But it turns out that I didn’t have to worry. He
did such a good job that by the end of the shoot, they
were coming to him for advice and encouragement!”
“I told them, ‘Just be yourself,’”
Pagano laughs. “But even though it turned out well
in the end, it was murder for me in the beginning. But
Jon was desperate. I think he turned to me because I
was the only bigoted alcoholic he knew.”
Assembling the rest of the crew and production followed
much the same course. First, Thomas E Blessing IV and
Jo Christensen came on as Producers. Tom would later
bring friend and colleague Lara Hammond aboard as an
additional Producer. Veteran production executive Alicia
Rivera Frankl, who had worked with Stevens on numerous
projects in the past, also signed on, bringing additional
experience and contacts to the team of Producers.
With no cash to spend, Stevens and the Producers nonetheless
recruited a skilled crew of newcomers and veterans eager
for the opportunity to showcase their skills in new
capacities--among them, newcomer Christopher Manley,
winner of an Eastman Kodak Best Student Cinematographer
Award, who signed on for the chance to be a feature
film Director of Photography. (He later went on to serve
as Director of Photography on the Academy Award-winning
short film My Mother Dreams the Satan’s Disciples
in New York, and veteran Art Director William F. O’Brien
(Showgirls, Daylight, Broken Arrow, 1941, among others),
who was able to spread his wings as Production Designer.
Equipment and services were also secured on delayed
payments. “Some of the vendors were very uncomfortable
with a delayed payment arrangement,” Stevens explains,
“but they were inspired by the story of the film
and what it had to say about family, love and racial
tolerance. At first, we were going to shoot 16mm or
even video, but when [Producer] Alicia [Rivera Frankl]
persuaded Panavision to provide us with a Panaflex Gold
package, and DeLuxe Labs to come aboard with a lab deal,
we were set to shoot 35mm.”
The new deals created a new challenge: film raw stock.
Full reels were expensive and generally beyond the reach
of wheeling and dealing, so most of the film ended up
being shot on short ends. With sometimes as little as
100’-150’ in the reels, frequent reloading
became a problem. But First Assistant Cameraman Winky
Pennyheart took the task as a challenge and cut reloading
time from an average of 2-1/2 minutes down to 17 seconds,
obviously making the actors very happier.
Finding Michael Monaghan’s expansive home also
called for an inventive solution. Mansions in more handy
locations like Beverly Hills or Hancock Park proved
far too expensive. However, one of the producers, Christensen,
resided in Long Beach and she contacted a local real
estate agent, who helped her find a house located in
the Country Club district. The 9,000-square-foot mansion
had been on the market for two years, and its owner
was delighted to rent it out at an affordable rate.
Production Designer O’Brien turned to friends in
the Sony Films Art Department and, with their help,
was able to create a lavish setting for Irish Whiskey.
In addition, the mansion was spacious enough that sleeping
quarters were set up for cast and crewmembers that were
particularly inconvenienced by the arduous daily trip
from Los Angeles.
During the shoot, the actresses, through improvisations,
continued to develop and give so much depth to their
characters that the story of the women in the kitchen
began to serve as a catalyst to what was going on with
the men. When Stevens saw this unfolding, he was supportive,
because the actresses were actually enhancing and enriching
what was already in the script.
“It all came together in the editing process as
if it was planned that way,” says Stevens. “After
doing 40 drafts, and in spite of my determination to
stick with the script that we started the shoot with,
I was still rewriting while shooting. Then in the editing
room, I made several more structural changes by shifting
scenes around, cutting one scene in half and omitting
several others completely. It made the job a lot harder,
but the end result was worth it.”
But as Stevens had feared, the improvising was causing
critical problems, and two weeks into the shoot, the
money ran out! Even his credit cards were maxed. Faced
with disaster, good fortune intervened. The two weeks
of the shoot had created a fan in Barbara Shoag, the
real estate agent who was handling the rental of the
mansion approached Blessing and soon turned into an
investor to keep the production going. On another occasion,
Producer Lara Hammond came up with another last-minute
investor for a production-saving infusion of cash. In
one final incident, with a few hours of shooting left
to do, the production ran out of film. Right on cue,
a production assistant arrived with 11,000 feet of short
ends contributed by Tom Hanks and talent manager Ricki
Masler!
“Everything seemed to fall into place like that,”
Stevens smiles. “We would encounter a seemingly
insurmountable obstacle, then somehow overcome it. And
because we were operating on no budget, even small problems
could seem like very large ones.”
The final element, Irish-flavored music, came together
in an equally serendipitous way. As planned from the
start, The Young Dubliners performed their vibrant single
“The Last House on the Street” during the
climactic scene; but the enlisting of internationally
renowned Irish Conductor/Composer Derek Gleeson could
only be described as good fortune smiling on the project
once again.
“Here we had this world-famous composer answer
our ad in the trades. And he was Irish to boot!”
says Stevens. “I told him we didn’t have any
money left, but he was eager to work on a feature film
and agreed anyway. He went back to Ireland to compose
a score and even recorded it in a studio for us! I can’t
say enough about what he did.”
The final pieces of the puzzle were then assembled in
the editing rooms.
“Sometimes, when caught up in the struggle to achieve
a seemingly impossible dream, it is difficult to look
beyond physical appearances,” Stevens concludes.
“We were faced with what seemed like a never-ending
string of crises, one right after another. Ultimately
the struggle to make this film became a spiritual journey
of faith vs. fear...and faith won.”
The prime mover behind Irish
Whiskey, Jon
Stevens, wrote, directed and executive produced the
critically acclaimed feature film IRISH WHISKEY, winner
of the BEST FEATURE FILM award at the Temecula International
Film Festival.. Jon also was awarded BEST DIRECTOR FOR
A FEATURE FILM, by the2001 New
York
International Independent Film & Video Festival
(in Los
Angeles).
Feature
film CHOICES, which Jon wrote and produced introduced
actress Demi
Moore
to the screen.
Jon wrote and produced a series of
6 Latin TV Variety Specials entitled ALGO ESPECIAL -
VAYA! Scripts he had written on assignment have been
filmed and/or picked up for distribution by New Line
Cinema, Imperial Entertainment, and Nu-Image - for whom
he just wrote the Apache Helicopter action film, AIR
STRIKE, filming in Bulgaria in April, 2002.
Jon wrote and owns screenplays
BEVERLY HILLS MARINE, MAKING IT IN AMERICA, INTRIGUE,
IN MY FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS, and is currently casting the
thriller LOVE & JEALOUSY to film in 2002.
Published journalist and author, Jon’s
interviews with directors were published in the DGA
Magazine, and his DGA endorsed and critically acclaimed
book “ACTORS-TURNED-DIRECTORS - ON ELICITING THE BEST
PERFORMANCE FROM AN ACTOR,” featuring interviews with:
Mel Gibson,
Jodie Foster,
Leonard Nimoy,
Sydney Pollack,
Richard Benjamin,
Paul Mazursky,
Ronald f. Maxwell,
Kevin Hooks,
Melanie Mayron
and Kevin Bacon.
Actors Turned Directors was published
by Silman-James Press.
Currently Jon is working on “DIRECTING
ACTION,” and had already interviewed:
Simon West,
John Woo,
Martin Campbell,
Renny Harlin,
John Milius,
and John Carpenter.
Jon is also writing a Producers
Guild of America endorsed, “UNSUNG HEROES - PRODUCERS
ON PRODUCING,” and had already interviewed:
Gale Anne Hurd,
Raffaella De Laurentiis,
Martha De Laurentiis,
Mace Neufeld,
Robert Cort,
Debra Hill,
Lawrence
Bender,
Sandy King,
Mark Harris,
and Robert (King of the Pitch)
Kosberg
Jon
served as a literary agent with the Artists Group, line-producer/Unit
Production Manager on 5 action feature films for Cannon
and Epic Pictures on jungle, desert, urban locations,
and a sci-fi film on stage.
Jon served as Manager of Production
Non-Primetime TV at 20th Century Fox.
Lastly, Jon served as a story analyst
on 837 screenplays; recently, he served as supervising
writer and producer on SCREAM ALONG, audience inter-active
film pilot.
The
Producers
Veteran production executive Alicia
Rivera Frankl (Producer) brought additional experience
and knowledge to Irish Whiskey. Along with the other
producers, she was instrumental in lining up many of
the critical equipment and services arrangements.
Frankl’s numerous credits include the pilot film
and syndicated TV series The D.R.E.A.M. Team and feature
films Choices and Out 2 Lunch (Producer); feature film
The Eliminators (Line Producer); feature films Gettysburg
and The Babysitter (Executive in Charge of Production);
and feature films Mask of Zorro, Freeway, Lethal Weapon
2 and Wide Sargasso Sea, among others (Production Accountant).
Thomas E. Blessing IV (Producer-UPM) made his debut
as a feature film Producer on Irish Whiskey.
Some of Blessing's roles included: establishing
and implementing the organizational structure of the
Irish Whiskey LLC; negotiating deals to secure vendors,
crew, product placement, and film stock; managing
the production office; and procuring financial opportunities.
Today, Blessing is the Co-Founder and Executive Officer
of AlchemyHouse Productions Inc.,
and serves as a production consultant through the developmental
and managerial stages of high-end entertainment mediums.
Blessing started in radio in his home state of Ohio,
but gravitated to TV when he moved to Los Angeles. He
eventually landed a position with Dick Clark Productions,
where he served as in the capacities of Assistant to
the Producer, Production Accountant and Staff/Crew Coordinator
on productions such as The Golden Globe Awards, The
Academy of Country Music Awards and Sea World Busch
Gardens Party for the Planet. Blessing was a Line
Producer (UPM) on the pilot show for the current MTV
hit series Loveline.
Denmark native Jo Christensen (Producer) joined the
Irish Whiskey production team on the heels of her graduation
from Loyola University with a degree in Communications.
Often utilizing enthusiasm and education in place of
experience, Christensen acquitted herself well, especially
in her successful effort to find a suitable mansion
to serve as the film’s primary location and setting
up deals for opticals and titles. She went on to produce
several additional independent feature films, including
one of the first to be shot with a Sony digital camera.
Mississippi native Lara Hammond (Producer) came to Irish
Whiskey as the Production Coordinator after having served
in that capacity on such feature films as Eraser. Efficient
in the office and on the set, Hammond proved effective
in arranging funding, securing post-production facilities
and organizing the production, which earned her a promotion
to Producer. She is currently writing and producing
the feature film “Hemp Revolution.”
Belize-born Elvie Avilez (Executive Producer) participated
in Irish Whiskey from the beginning of the production,
serving in a number of capacities. Promoted to Executive
Producer, one of her major achievements was recruiting
A-List trailer producer Greg McClutchy to provide the
film with a professional trailer.
Chris Pilliczar (Executive Producer) joined the Irish
Whiskey team during post-production as an investor.
A native of Austria (where he invented a prize-winning
heating system for homes), Pilliczar is currently vice
president of Film Artists Network (FAN), a non-profit
filmmaker co-op devoted to representing completed independent
films in the domestic and international markets, i.e.
AFM and Cannes.
Derek Gleeson (Composer) is Music Director of the Dublin
Philharmonic Orchestra. An ardent champion of contemporary
music, Gleeson has provided many premiere performances
of works by living composers, with his works being broadcast
in Europe and the U.S.
As a child, Gleeson was the winner of many piano and
percussion competitions in Ireland and Great Britain,
and at the age of 15, he represented Ireland in the
European Community Youth Orchestra. He studied piano,
percussion, composition and conducting at the music
conservatories of Dublin, London and Vienna, and film
scoring at UCLA.
Gleeson performed with most of the British orchestras
before devoting his time exclusively to conducting and
composition in 1989. In the area of film, Gleeson has
composed the scores for Irish Whiskey and, subsequently,
The White Pony. He is also the director of “Screen
Training,” Ireland’s film scoring program
based in Dublin.
Christopher Manley (Director of Photography) went directly
from winning the Eastman Kodak Best Student Cinematographer
Award to his debut as Director of Photography on Irish
Whiskey. Manley subsequently went on to DP My Mother
Dreams the Satan’s Disciples in New York, which
won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
in 2000.
For industry veteran William F. O’Brien (Production
Designer), Irish Whiskey was the fulfillment of a cherished
ambition. A respected Art Director with a distinguished
list of credits that included Showgirls, Daylight, Broken
Arrow and 1941, among others, O’Brien finally achieved
his ambition of becoming a Production Designer on Irish
Whiskey. Sadly, O’Brien passed away last
year (2000) after a brief illness.
Mark J. Goldman (Editor) is another crew member for
whom Irish Whiskey represented a chance to assume a
position of greater responsibility. A well-respected
Assistant Editor in TV, Goldman made his debut as an
Editor on Irish Whiskey.
Native American actress Nan Morganne (“Brenda”)
made her feature film debut in Irish Whiskey. A veteran
of local theater in both her home state of Oklahoma
and Los Angeles, Morganne is currently attempting to
break into episodic TV.
New York marketing executive John Bradford Pagano (“Michael”)
was one up on his fellow performers in that Irish Whiskey
was not only his feature film debut, but also his first
attempt at ACTING! Having straddled the fence between
marketing and acting since then, Pagano is preparing
to resume full-time pursuit of a film career, perhaps
with the help of his brother, leading Hollywood Casting
Director Rick Pagano.
Another of the Irish Whiskey performers making his feature
film debut, Vincent DePasquale (“Sean”) has
appeared in a string of independent productions since
then. Prior to Irish Whiskey, he had worked in a number
of short films. He is currently developing a project
for cable TV.
Versatile Cassandra-Nailah Brown (“Cassandra”-Co-Writer)
debuted with a splash on Irish Whiskey, appearing as
“Cassandra,” a role she created as one of
the five co-screenwriters of the film. In addition,
she called on her musical background to write and perform
the song “Reggae” on the Irish Whiskey soundtrack.
Late replacement John Marlo (“Harry”) jumped
at the chance to join the Irish Whiskey cast. Fearing
he was being typecast from a series of villainous roles
in violent action B-movies, Marlo welcomed the opportunity
to play a more “human and humane” character.
Even though he joined the cast while the shoot was in
progress (replacing an actor who didn’t work out)
and didn’t have any time for research, perhaps
the ultimate compliment came when festival audiences
asked if he really was afflicted with cerebral palsy
like the character “Harry.”
Red-headed Sally Truitt (“Molly”) came to
Irish Whiskey after learning of the project from Stevens
while studying at the AGAPE Church. A veteran of commercials
and episodic TV, Truitt brought a charismatic presence
to the set.
Jeff Bergquist (“Frank”) has moved from his
feature film debut in Irish Whiskey to a string of appearances
in independent productions. An accomplished character
actor, he is looking to expand his opportunities.
Jon met Olivia Maxwell ("Leslie") at the request
of his buddy, Gettysbourgh director, and writer, Ronald
F. Maxwell, who requested: "Before you cast anyone
in that role (Leslie, the rebellious daughter,) please
interview my daughter." Jon interviewed the spunky
young actress and was impressed by her off-the-wall
sense of humor, hippie look which personified the role
of Leslie. After viewing a very funny scene Olivia had
done in an unreleased feature film, Jon cast the young
actress, and was very pleased with her performance.
Another Ronald F. Maxwell contribution to the casting
of the film was his girlfriend, Genevive Richards ("Marilyn"),
a veteran stage and film actress who helped write some
of her own dialogue as the wife of Frank, who she is
secretly planning to leave. In post production, Genevive
and Jon had differed over his cutting dialogue out in
one of her scenes, which led to a phone call from Ronald
F. Maxwell to Jon, lobbying on behalf of Genevive. However,
Ron quickly agreed that it was Jon's prerogative as
a director to edit actor's lines in post to improve
performance, and Genevive reluctantly had to accept
such changes."
One of the original inspirations for Irish Whiskey,
the Young Dubliners strut their stuff in a rollicking
number in the climactic scene in the film. Led by Dublin-born
Keith Roberts, the six-member ensemble of Irish and
American musicians specializes in a driving rock spiced
with such traditional instruments as the fiddle, flute
and mandolin.
Tireless in their touring on both sides of the Atlantic,
the Young Dubs (as their fans affectionately call them)
have also released a number of CDs, including the current
“Red,” the live collection “Alive Alive
O” (1998), “Breathe” (1995) and “Rocky
Road” (1994).
Irish Whiskey premiered at the Palm Springs International
Film Festival in January 1997 and was enthusiastically
received. The first screening in the 250-seat Courtyard
B Theater drew 195 paying customers, and the second
screening followed with an SRO audience of 263 people
based solely on word of mouth, since the production
could not afford a publicist.
BOXOFFICE Magazine gave Irish Whiskey a 3-star rating,
with reviewer Stephanie Slahor describing it as “Sometimes
touching, sometimes funny, but always true to life,”
then adding, “in this tale of life’s transformations,
Jon Stevens is clearly an actors’ director, giving
his cast free reign to deliver a depiction of a family
in its many nuances.”
Reviewer Marline Haleff of the San Francisco-based Irish-American
newspaper THE GAEL wrote “Director Jon Stevens
elicits some fine ensemble performances from the cast,
with outstanding performances by John Bradford Pagano
as Michael, Cassandra-Nailah Brown as Cassandra and
John Marlowe as Harry.”
The successful premiere in Palm Springs was followed
up with a “BEST FEATURE FILM” AWARD at the
1998 Temecula International Film Festival, where Irish
Whiskey was selected from among 300 entries and won
in competition against 15 other feature films. The TEMECULA
PRESS ENTERPRISE reviewer Joe Vargo proclaimed. “Despite
a minimal budget, Irish Whiskey debuts with a bang”
and added that it was “Short on cash, but long
on substance.”
Strong showings followed at the Las Vegas Film Festival
and the Kansas City Film Festival, where Irish Whiskey
earned one of the highest audience responses in the
festival’s history. KANSAS CITY STAR Movie Editor
Robert W. Butler wrote, “this funny/angry tale
. . . of a brawling Irish-American clan had been beautifully
filmed and remarkably acted by a large cast of unknowns
who are so convincing that it’s more like eavesdropping
than movie going.”
Irish
Whiskey was awarded "BEST DIRECTOR - FEATURE FILM",
at the 2001 New York International Film & Video
Festival which held it's annual Los Angeles screenings
in July. The New
York screening, which was to take place at the Sutton
Theater on East 57th Street in New York City on September
11th, was canceled because of the attack on the World
Trade Center.
"It's taken longer than anticipated to
secure domestic art house theatrical release for the
film," says Stevens, "but winning
this prestigious award at New York and the award at
Temecula film festivals, plus the favorable reviews
affirms our faith in Irish Whiskey, and it's my hope
that soon the film will reach its intended theatrical
audience."
