Dan Ireland

Daniel Frederick Ireland (May 11, 1949 – April 14, 2016) was an American-Canadian film producer and director. He was the co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival. Ireland began executive-producing films for Vestron Pictures in the 1980s, his first being John Huston's final feature, The Dead. He also executive-produced multiple films by director Ken Russell, such as Salome's Last Dance (1987), The Lair of the White Worm (1988), The Rainbow (1989), and Whore (1991).

He made his feature film directorial debut with the drama The Whole Wide World (1996), followed by The Velocity of Gary (1998) and Jolene (2006).

Early life Ireland was born in 1949 (Some sources list Ireland's birth date as May 11, 1958; however, official obituaries indicate he was 66 years old at the time of his death and that his birth year was in fact 1949.) When he was five years old, his mother moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where Ireland spent the remainder of his childhood. Before Ireland's death, his next film was going to be Life Briefly, the true story of Brian Knapp, a young man who overcame blindness to become a professional drummer by the age of ten; he eventually became a guitar player who performed with Johnny Cash on stage seven times before his death at age fourteen.

Actress Jessica Chastain, whom Ireland directed in her first major film role in Jolene (2008), paid tribute to him following his death, writing: "When Dan entered a room, the sun shined. His laughter boomed with love. He had the biggest heart. Love you Danny boy."

The Louisiana International Film Festival created a scholarship in Ireland's name, which commemorates his dedication to new talent. Louisiana artists and filmmakers are eligible for consideration, and funds from the scholarship are dedicated towards an event, showcase or internship in Los Angeles on the recipient’s behalf. In April 2017, the inaugural Dan Ireland Award was presented by special guest Renée Zellweger to Atila Till for Kills on Wheels. In September 2017, the inaugural Dan Ireland Scholarship was awarded to Louisiana singer-songwriter and musician David Jones II, whose stage name is JST DAVID.

Filmography + Year Title Director Writer Producer Executive producer Notes 1987 The Dead 1988 The Lair of the White Worm 1988 The Rainbow 1991 Whore 1994 The Crew 1996 The Whole Wide World 1998 The Velocity of Gary 2003 Passionada 2006 Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont 2008 Jolene 2008 Living Proof 2014 Hate from a Distance Short film 2015 A Most Peculiar Man Short film