Kennedy Films has announced that the London Screenwriters’ Festival has presented Simon Fitzmaurice, writer and director of My Name is Emily, with a lifetime achievement award.
Fitzmaurice recently travelled by ferry to attend the London Screenwriters’ Festival, after organisers raised the cost of travel via an online crowdfunding campaign. Fitzmaurice presented a special screening of the film, took part in a Q&A afterwards, and gave an afternoon talk the next day on his life and work to date. which was lauded as the highlight of the festival by many who attended.
The prestigious inaugural award comes with the title “The Fucking Awesome Award” and the My Name is Emily crew heartily agree with the title.
Commenting on the award, Fitzmaurice said:
The London Screenwriters’ Festival was a real eye-opener for me. If you have ever been you will understand. I discovered a thriving screenwriter’s community and a festival that is more like a main-line injection of writing motivation. I literally came away buzzing with the will to write. I recommend it like any new addict, a little reluctantly to share. I was lucky enough to be honoured with The Fucking Awesome Award (how my children loved saying that over and over…) and the experience certainly lived up to the title.
Simon Fitzmaurice’s debut feature film My Name is Emily was released in Irish cinemas earlier this year. The film is a love story between two teens and a road movie that stars Evanna Lynch, George Webster, and Michael Smiley. The making of the film has been documented in Frankie Fenton’s It’s Not Yet Dark, which premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh.