Major Awards for Irish Talent and Films at the British Independent Film Awards
Congratulations to the talent behind Irish films Calvary and Frank and to Irish actor Andrew Scott, who have won awards at the British Independent Film Awards last night (December 7th). Frank and Calvary were funded by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board.
Calvary was the winner of the award for Best Actor, which was awarded to Brendan Gleeson for his portrayal of Father James Lavelle. Gleeson won international acclaim for his performance in the role and has also been nominated for a European Film Award for his work, the ceremony of which takes place on December 13th. When accepting his award, Gleeson praised the film’s producers “who have to try to make independent film when it is almost impossible for people to risk commercially what is required artistically.” Calvary, which was released in April 2014, was directed by John Michael McDonagh and produced by Octagon Films and Reprisal Films.
Frank was the winner in two categories. This included Best Screenplay, which was awarded for Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan’s script, in addition to Best Technical Achievement, which was awarded for the music of Stephen Rennicks. Frank, which was directed by Lenny Abrahamson, was released to strong reviews in May 2014 and was produced by Element Pictures and Runaway Fridge Films.
Ireland was also represented at the awards by actor Andrew Scott, who won a Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in Pride. The Special Jury Prize was awarded to director John Boorman, a long-term Irish resident who has made films in Ireland including Excalibur, The General and the upcoming Queen and Country.
Read the full list of winners at the British Independent Film Awards here.