Irish animation Song of the Sea has picked up yet another award on its travels. This time it has won the People’s Choice Award at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
As the name suggests this was an audience voted award, and saw Song of the Sea beat out Holding the Man and In the Crosswind, which came second and third. The rest of the top ten featured other international favourites: An, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, A Perfect Day, Mustang, Victoria, Pawno, and Tehran. Song of the Sea is in good company, joining previous winners Boyhood, A Separation, and The Intouchables.
The IFTA award-winning, and Oscar nominated film follows Ben and his little sister Saoirse, the last selkie, who can transform from seals to people, and her journey to the sea, to find her voice and sing the “Song of the Sea” to save all of fairy kind from being lost forever.
An all-star voice cast features in the film, including Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt, and Jon Kenny. The score comes from The Secret of Kells collaborators Bruno Coulais and the Irish band Kila.
On the documentary front Olivia Peniston-Bird’s Graceful Girls, edged out Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence for the Best Documentary Award.
The 64th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) ended on 16 August after 17 days screening 372 films over 524 sessions from 69 countries, including 28 world premieres and 165 Australian premieres, including one for Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster.
