An Irish Film Night with Producer Paddy O’Leary

The United Irish Cultural Center invites you to an evocative evening of cinema celebrating Irish storytelling, artistic vision, and the powerful relationship between place and identity. Join us for a night with film producer Paddy O’Leary.

This special evening brings together three visually arresting films—Urban Oasis–A Love Letter to San Francisco, Coming Home, and Dipsea Generations—created by Irish and Irish-connected filmmakers whose work reflects a deep sense of movement, memory, and belonging. Together, these films embody the UICC’s ongoing commitment to highlighting Irish contributions to the film arts and to supporting contemporary creative expression rooted in Irish culture.

The evening includes Urban Oasis, a richly textured cinematic journey through San Francisco’s 49 square miles, where dense urban landscapes dissolve into moments of unexpected natural beauty. Urban Oasis is a short film that highlights the urban trails we have in the 49 square miles of San Francisco. Guided by sound and motion, the film invites audiences to experience the city as a living, breathing environment—immersive, rhythmic, and best enjoyed with the sound turned up.

We then screen Coming Home, an award-winning documentary following Irish endurance runner Paddy O’Leary, originally from Wexford, as he returns to Ireland to attempt the fastest known time on the 115-kilometer Wicklow Round. Through sweeping mountain landscapes and the physical poetry of long-distance running, the film explores what it means to return home—not just to a place, but to a deeper understanding of self. Coming Home received Best Mountain Culture Film at the 2019 Whistler Film Festival.

Highlighting O’Leary’s latest creation, we bring you Dipsea Generations—The journey of five young runners from across the Bay Area as they take on the iconic Dipsea Race. This new documentary journeys into the heart of the historic Dipsea Race and follows the next generation of trail-runners in the Bay Area. The Dipsea is the oldest trail race in America. It is run every year on the second Sunday in June. The scenic 7.4-mile Marin County course stretches from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. In this documentary, five young athletes - Karina Lopez Arrizón, Andre Sente, Anthonie Rojas, Daniel Saucedo, and Lily Vazquez - take on the oldest (and maybe most unique) trail race in America. So whether you’ve run the Dipsea or you’re simply drawn to the spirit of community, adventure, and inclusion, this is an event for you!

Whether you’re drawn to Irish storytelling, independent film, endurance sports, or the landscapes that shape us, this promises to be a memorable evening of film and community.

Film Credits

SF Urban Oasis

Directed by Ryan Scura

Produced by Paddy O’Leary

Cinematography: Ian Scura, Ryan Scura, Tony DiPasquale, Dylan Ladds

Sound Recording: Dylan Ladds

Editing & Sound Design: Ryan Scura

Coming Home

Directed by Ryan Scura & Dylan Ladds

Produced by Paddy O’Leary, Ryan Scura & Dylan Ladds

Additional Cinematography: Ian MacLellan

Dipsea Generations

Directed/Produced by Paddy O'Leary

Co-Directed by Nicole Amyx, Tony DiPasquale, & Ryan Scura

Shot by DiPasquale & Scura as Directors of Photography

Edited by Amyx & Scura

Music by Jacob Connor

Support from The North Face

Paddy O'Leary is a Wexford-born Irish-American molecular biologist, elite trail runner, and filmmaker known for producing films like "," a love letter to San Francisco's trails, and "," about Irish running, often blending science, running, and storytelling through his production work with Dooster Film and collaborations. He balances cutting-edge cancer research at UCSF with elite running (winning the Dipsea Race) and filmmaking, focusing on wild spaces and science communication. Paddy O'Leary grew up in Wexford, Ireland, and is former national Ireland Lacrosse player who didn't discover his love and talent for running until he moved to San Francisco. Now, he is returning to Ireland to take on the fastest known time on the self-navigated 115-kilometer Wicklow Round, and to rediscover his home through the lens of running. Whether you’re drawn to Irish storytelling, independent film, endurance sports, or the landscapes that shape us, this promises to be a memorable evening of film and community.

More: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2023/07/425681/how-ucsf-scientist-balances-elite-trail-running-cancer-research

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Host or Publisher United Irish Cultural Center