San Francisco Irish Film
San Francisco Irish Film was founded in 2003, and presents the very best in contemporary Irish cinema, celebrating everything from features to documentaries to Irish language films (with English subtitles for those who didn’t spend a summer at a Gaeltacht). The Irish are notorious for story telling, and the Irish Short film has rapidly become an art form in Ireland. The annual film festival includes a selection of top current Irish short films in the “Short Stories – Tall Tales” program. Throughout the year, we continue the celebration of Irish film in the Bay Area, which includes a one-day Docfest in March. The Docfest, which began in 2017 is a celebration of award winning Irish documentary film. sign up for our newsletter to learn of our special events!
Staff
Kate Gunning
Executive Director
Kate Gunning serves as the Executive Director for SF Irish Film, overseeing all aspects of the programing, operations, and management of the organization. She began her tenure with the festival in 2011 with responsibility for marketing and sponsorship activities. Since then she has expanded her role, introduced the inaugural DocFest in March 2017, and continues to grow SF Irish Film to represent a diverse and dynamic Irish film industry. Kate has a background in drama and is a strong advocate for the arts and independent filmmaking. She runs a business consultancy, BioVisability, specializing in market development for emerging international Life science and Clean technology companies. Kate is very active in the Bay Area Irish community and is an avid mentor for young professionals and emerging entrepreneurs.
Alan Hamill
Marketing Director
Born and raised in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, Alan holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing from Menlo College, California. He has worked in retail banking, finance, and the hospitality industry. He loves to travel, watch international films, and listen to live music.
John Murphy, Ph.D
Finance Director
John Murphy, a native of the Beara Peninsula in Co. Cork, and an active volunteer at the SF Irish Film for a number of years, plays a pivotal role overseeing operations and finance. Since moving to the Bay area in 2000 and working in Global managerial roles, John has taken a keen interest in film and has studied French and Spanish language through film classes.Through his work globally in the Biosciences sector John has come to appreciate more the art form that cinema offers the public. “It took taking steps far afield from my Irish culture and heritage to appreciate the unique story telling ability of the Irish in a way that has universal appeal.”
Catherine Barry
Creative Services
Originally from Dublin, Catherine worked in publishing and photography in London and Sydney before moving to San Francisco in the mid-1990s. She headed up the relaunch of The Irish Herald in 1996, where she was managing editor until 2002, and she continues to work with Irish groups in the Bay Area. In 2015 she launched Irish Culture Bay Area, an Irish arts and culture event guide, and created and produced the Irish Arts & Writers Festival from 2016-2018. Currently, Catherine works as editor of SF/Arts.