Imitation of Life
Fannie Hurst’s four-hankie bestseller had been filmed before in 1934, but Douglas Sirk’s 1959 remake, his last Hollywood film, is the one to remember. Derided at the time by critics and audiences, it has come to sum up Sirk’s serial attack on the hypocritical institutions of family and motherhood as practiced in ’50s America.
About Dan Ireland
Dan Ireland loved movies of all shapes, sizes, genres and formats. As co-founder (and co-director) of The Seattle International Film Festival and Co-Artistic Director of The Louisiana International Film Festival, Dan produced over 15 movies including John Huston’s final film, The Dead, and Bernard Rose’s Paperhouse. He made his directorial debut in 1996 with the award winning The Whole Wide World starring Vincent D’Onofrio and a then unknown Renee Zellweger. His other directorial credits include Passionada, Mrs. Palfrey at The Claremont, starring Dame Joan Plowright and E.L. Doctorow’s Jolene, which launched the career of actress Jessica Chastain. What was to be Dan's next project, Mr. Lively, fell apart mere weeks before its scheduled production, a month before his passing on April 14, 2016.