Kerry Film Festival Announces its Winners
FRANKIE takes top prize of 5,000 euro as adjudicated by Gabriel Byrne
The Samhlaiocht Kerry Film Festival, which is this year celebrating eighth years of bringing films to the people of Kerry, is celebrating a stellar festival with sell out performances and a host of top quality award winning shorts.
The Festival was officially launched by Arts Council Member and well know Kerry Filmmaker Philip King. From the official opening to the Awards ceremony which took place on Saturday November 3rd the festival was a momumental success bringing over 90 films to just over 3,000 people through out Kerry. The Festival utilized ten venues in the Kingdom and more than doubled audiences on the previous year's figures.
The festival offered cash prizes totaling 8,000 euro with the top prize of 5,000 euro for Best Director / Best Film being awarded to the film FRANKIE, a short film about 15-year-old Frankie who is preparing for fatherhood and is determined to be the best dad ever, but as his day goes on, he starts to realize how difficult this will be. The film was directed by Darren Thornton and produced by Collette Farrell who was on hand to pick up the prize check. The film was selected by Irish Actor and Oscar-nominated Producer Gabriel Byrne.
The Audience Award, which was sponsored by John Moore, and was valued at 1,000 euro was selected by the audience at the festival. The Award went to Brenda Ni Shuilleabhain for her short film Bibeanna, which is a wonderful documentary about the women from the Dingle Gaeltacht. The film looks back on their lives and on the changes they have witnessed from childhood to the present day. Brenda was delighted with the award and thanked the women in the documentary and the audience for selecting her film noting, "it's fantastic to show a film about Kerry people to a Kerry audience and have them respond so warmly."
Max Le Cain, the adjudicator for the best animated short was on hand to present the prize check to the film VIDEO 3000 for Best Animated Short. The prize was kindly sponsored by Cork Film Centre and the film received a huge round of applause from the assembled guests.
The Best Irish Narrative Short, as selected by David O Flynn, the producer of the recent Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan film Seraphim Falls was awarded to Steph Green's NEW BOY. The film is based on a short story by Roddy Doyle and offers a poignant and comedic look at the experience of being the new boy in school through the eyes of Joseph, a nine-year-old African boy.
The Best International Narrative Short was awarded to Rachel Earnest's film LE RETOUR and was selected by Trevor Groth a senior programmer at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival. LE RETOUR is thematically similar to NEW BOY in that both films look at the difficulty of settling into a strange environment but whereas the first focuses on the difficulty of being the new boy in school, LE RETOUR focuses on the difficulty faced by a girl returning to her life having spent a life changing few months studying abroad.
The Best Documentary Short was selected by Oscar Winning Short Director, Eric Simonson and was awarded to Eamon De Staic's UNDER PRESSURE, a doc which allows Willie Corduff, a member of the Rossport 5, and his wife, Mary, tell of the impact which his courageous decision to stand up to Shell Ireland had on their family, friends and home-life.
The Samhlaiocht Kerry Film Festival is made possible through the on-going support of Samhlaiocht by The Arts Council, Kerry County Council, Failte Ireland and generous corporate sponsorship of Kerry Group.
The Samhlaiocht Kerry Film Festival, which is this year celebrating eighth years of bringing films to the people of Kerry, is celebrating a stellar festival with sell out performances and a host of top quality award winning shorts.
The Festival was officially launched by Arts Council Member and well know Kerry Filmmaker Philip King. From the official opening to the Awards ceremony which took place on Saturday November 3rd the festival was a momumental success bringing over 90 films to just over 3,000 people through out Kerry. The Festival utilized ten venues in the Kingdom and more than doubled audiences on the previous year's figures.
The festival offered cash prizes totaling 8,000 euro with the top prize of 5,000 euro for Best Director / Best Film being awarded to the film FRANKIE, a short film about 15-year-old Frankie who is preparing for fatherhood and is determined to be the best dad ever, but as his day goes on, he starts to realize how difficult this will be. The film was directed by Darren Thornton and produced by Collette Farrell who was on hand to pick up the prize check. The film was selected by Irish Actor and Oscar-nominated Producer Gabriel Byrne.
The Audience Award, which was sponsored by John Moore, and was valued at 1,000 euro was selected by the audience at the festival. The Award went to Brenda Ni Shuilleabhain for her short film Bibeanna, which is a wonderful documentary about the women from the Dingle Gaeltacht. The film looks back on their lives and on the changes they have witnessed from childhood to the present day. Brenda was delighted with the award and thanked the women in the documentary and the audience for selecting her film noting, "it's fantastic to show a film about Kerry people to a Kerry audience and have them respond so warmly."
Max Le Cain, the adjudicator for the best animated short was on hand to present the prize check to the film VIDEO 3000 for Best Animated Short. The prize was kindly sponsored by Cork Film Centre and the film received a huge round of applause from the assembled guests.
The Best Irish Narrative Short, as selected by David O Flynn, the producer of the recent Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan film Seraphim Falls was awarded to Steph Green's NEW BOY. The film is based on a short story by Roddy Doyle and offers a poignant and comedic look at the experience of being the new boy in school through the eyes of Joseph, a nine-year-old African boy.
The Best International Narrative Short was awarded to Rachel Earnest's film LE RETOUR and was selected by Trevor Groth a senior programmer at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival. LE RETOUR is thematically similar to NEW BOY in that both films look at the difficulty of settling into a strange environment but whereas the first focuses on the difficulty of being the new boy in school, LE RETOUR focuses on the difficulty faced by a girl returning to her life having spent a life changing few months studying abroad.
The Best Documentary Short was selected by Oscar Winning Short Director, Eric Simonson and was awarded to Eamon De Staic's UNDER PRESSURE, a doc which allows Willie Corduff, a member of the Rossport 5, and his wife, Mary, tell of the impact which his courageous decision to stand up to Shell Ireland had on their family, friends and home-life.
The Samhlaiocht Kerry Film Festival is made possible through the on-going support of Samhlaiocht by The Arts Council, Kerry County Council, Failte Ireland and generous corporate sponsorship of Kerry Group.
