Akajava films wins Michael Dwyer Award for "Congo" film
The Michael Dwyer Award for 2011 has been presented by Access Cinema to Irina Maldea and Brendan Culleton of Akajava films for their film "Congo: an Irish Affair" recounting the experiences of Irish Army peacekeepers in the Congo in 1961. It has been a big hit with audiences around the country, screening in over 30 theatres.
Funded by TG4, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and MEDIA, the film uses interviews with survivors and much previously unseen archive footage to tell a fast paced and fascinating story.
This is the second year of the award, last year's winner being Ken Wardrop's "His and Hers".
The Michael Dwyer Award is awarded to the film which has made the most impact on the Access Cinema circuit in the past year.
A native of Tralee, Co Kerry, Michael first publicly expressed his love of movies through his involvement in the Tralee Film Society in the early 1970s, before going on to establish and manage the Federation of Irish Film Societies, co-ordinating the distribution and exhibition of arthouse films around the country. In 2001 the Federation of Irish Film Societies changed its name to Access Cinema.