Irish stars for Hollywood celebration

Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan and Belfast music producer David Holmes are to be honoured in Hollywood at a celebration of Irish writing…

Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan and Belfast music producer David Holmes are to be honoured in Hollywood at a celebration of Irish writing in film next year.

Colin Farrell, Anjelica Huston, Fionnuala Flanagan and the chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, Dick Cook, are among those who plan to attend the event, which will be held in Los Angeles a few days before the Academy Awards ceremony.

Hosted by the US-Ireland Alliance, "Oscar Wilde: Honoring Irish Writing in Film" is intended to be an annual event aimed at promoting Hollywood's links with Irish writers, film-makers, animators and musicians.

US-Ireland Alliance president Trina Vargo said that the event, which will be attended by 500 people, is designed as a "casual, fun Irish party" and promises to be a hot ticket in Hollywood. The guest list will include entertainment industry executives from the US and Ireland, including actors, actresses, directors and producers, as well as gaming and IT executives involved in the film industry. "The point is to help people in the film industry to network with people in LA," she said.

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Jordan has just completed filming an adaptation of Pat McCabe's Breakfast on Pluto, starring Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson.

Sheridan is currently completing work on Get Rich or Die Tryin', starring the rapper 50 Cent, which is also due for release this year.

Holmes, a former DJ at Belfast's Sugarsweet Club, wrote the music for Stephen Soderbergh's films Out of Sight, Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve.

Minister for the Arts, Sport and Tourism John O'Donoghue yesterday welcomed next year's event, which is sponsored by American Airlines, the Irish Film Board, Tourism Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, among others.