CHICAGO — In addition to the many other creative activities of Mike Houlihan, which have included actor, writer, radio host and political consultant, he became a film festival impresario nearly a decade ago and is still at it, happily.
“It’s been a real joy to be exposed to films few people get to see,” he tells me.
This role was born of the frustration he felt at not being able to find a film festival home for two films that he directed and produced, “Her Majesty, ‘da Queen,” a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the process and politics involved in selecting Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Queen, and “Our Irish Cousins,” a charming film that follows Houlihan to his roots in Ireland; the late critic Roger Ebert wrote that it was “made with such genial spirits and good humor.”
