Ireland made a few movies, but his biggest contribution to film was as the unsung guy who brought a lot of rep cinema staples to light (or, I guess more accurately, darkness…)
During his tenure he and Macdonald booked for the festival the world premieres of Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Blood Simple,” Richard Rush’s “The Stunt Man,” Irwin Kirshner’s “The Empire Strikes Back,” Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist,” Marek Kanevska’s “Another Country” and Carl Franklin’s “One False Move”; as well as the U.S. premieres of George Miller’s “The Road Warrior,” Alan Rudolph’s “Choose Me,” Hector Babenco’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran,” and three of Paul Verhoeven’s early Dutch films: “Soldier of Orange,” “Spetters” and “The Fourth Man.” (…)
Ireland moved to Los Angeles in 1986 to lead film acquisition for Vestron Pictures. During his three years there, he exec produced or spearheaded projects including John Huston’s final film, “The Dead,” Bernard Rose’s “Paperhouse,” and three Ken Russell films: “Salome’s Last Dance,” “Lair of the White Worm” and his adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rainbow.”
