LANCE DALY - JUST ANOTHER JOBBING DIRECTOR?

Big article in today's Evening Herald about director Lance Daly heading off to Hollywood to make The Good Doctor. So fair play to him working with Orlando Bloom and all that! However, this shows the problem in Irish cinema when the latest moderately-successful Irish director flies off to La La Land. Following in the footsteps of Jim Sheridan and Neil Jordan who are both less successful now than in any other time in their careers. Even Kirsten Sheridan went there and the less said about August Rush the better! Is Irish cinema just a 'launching pad' for a career as a 'Hollywood heavyweight'? What we really need are Irish directors like Mike Leigh or Peter Greenaway. The kind of filmmakers who couldn't make a Hollywood movie - ever! The kind of filmmakers who can become part of a European cinema instead of a Hollywood one. That's when Irish cinema will really take off. Right now all we have is a collection of film directors for hire!