Irish Short Films Score Big With Various International Festivals
Network Ireland Television have reported that several of its current collection of short films, including shorts funded by Bord Scannán na hEireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB), have been performing extremely well on the international film festival circuit in recent months.
Richard Kelly's Frameworks short animation PAPERMAN has picked up the Best Animated Film at the Canadian International Film Festival, Vancouver and the Best Animated Film at the Novara Cine Festival, Italy. Vincent Gallagher's Virtual Cinema amusing short SIGNS won the Best Animation prize at the Subtravelling Festival in Barcelona this month.
Peter McDonald's comic gem about how a young boy's passion for football causes a religious revolt PENTECOST was a double winner recently scooping the Special Jury Citation at the 24 FPS Film Festival, Texas and the Second Place; Christopher and Dana Reeves Award at the Williamstown Film Festival, M.A. USA. The short was produced through the Signatures short film scheme.
Domhnall Gleeson's NOREEN is a delightful black comedy in which both his father Brendan (The Guard) Gleeson and his brother Brian play two gormless rural policemen investigating a possible suicide. It picked up the Best Short at the Gold Coast International Film Festival and the Audience Award at the 24 FPS Short Film Festival in the USA. Meanwhile Cathy Brady's excellent short SMALL CHANGE was awarded Best Foreign Short at last summer's Las Vegas Film Festival. Both Noreen and Small Change received funding from the IFB.
Other successful Irish shorts include Simon Ellis' JAM TODAY which just won The Best of British Jury Award at Encounters in Bristol. Vincent Gallagher and Hugh Travers short CROSSWORD has picked up a number of awards including the Best International Short Film at the Edmonton Film Festival in the US, the Audience Award for Best International Short Film at the Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo and The People's Choice Award at the Solas Nua Festival in Washington DC. CROSSWORD was also recently pre-qualified for Oscar consideration.