The 30th Galway Film Fleadh came to an end today (July 15th) with the annual award ceremony, celebrating the best in Irish and international short and feature films that were shown over the past 6 days.
The big prize, Best Irish Feature, went to Andy and Ryan Tohill’s debut feature thriller The Dig. The film is a brilliantly paced four-hander with sees a murderer return home to help the victim’s father find closure…and the body. It features incredible performances from Moe Dunford, Emily Taaffe, Lorcan Cranitch, and Francis Magee, stunning cinematography from Angus Mitchell, and a tight script from Stuart Drennan.
The Dig – Winner Best Irish Feature FilmKatie, Ross Whitaker’s expertly crafted story of Irish boxing champion Katie Taylor, won Best Irish Feature Documentary. Viko Nicki’s unsettling thriller Cellar Door won Best First Irish Feature, with Keith Walsh winning Best Cinematography in an Irish Feature for When All Is Ruin Once Again.
Jordanne Jones picked up the Bingham Ray New Talent Award. Jones gives a stand-out performance in Hugh O’Conor’s warm and funny coming-of-age drama Metal Heart.
Harry Lighton’s Wren Boys won the Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama, an award that comes with Academy Award longlist qualification. The other Oscar-qualifying award, The James Horgan Award for Best Animation went to Jessica Patterson’s The Wiremen.
The annual awards ceremony took place before the screening of the closing film Black 47 . The Award Ceremony was attended by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins. The winners are as follows :
THE BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT DOCUMENTARY
Winner: JUCK
Director(s): Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert & Ulrika Bandeira
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FICTION
Winner: What Happened to Evie
Director: Kate Cheeseman
THE DON QUIJOTE AWARD IS AWARDED FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Winner: Yunshi
Director: James W. Griffiths
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT ANIMATION
Winner: The Driver is Red
Director: Randall Christopher
THE BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Special Mention to JOHNNY by Hugh Rodgers
Winner: Inhale
Director: Sean Mullan
THE DONAL GILLIGAN AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A SHORT FILM IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE IRISH SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS (ISC)
Winner: Boy Saint
Cinematographer: Kevin Treacy
THE AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATED SEQUENCE IN A SHORT FILM IN ASSOCIATION WITH BROWN BAG FILMS
for the beautiful and technically accomplished ghost sequence
Winner: The Overcoat
Director(s): Sean Mullen & Meelis Arulepp
THE BEST FIRST SHORT ANIMATION AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH AN PUCAN AND THE CONNACHT HOTEL
Winner: The Usual
Director: Eabha (Eva) Bortolozzo & Jack Kirwan
THE BEST FIRST SHORT FICTION AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH MAZARS
Presented by: Paul Mee
Winner: Boy Saint
Director: Tom Speers
THE PITCHING AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH 101 FILMS INTERNATIONAL
Presented by: Steve Davey
Winner: Liam Beatty – Alice Productions with a documentary entitled Don’t Forget Your Dress
BEST INTERNATIONAL FIRST FEATURE
Winner: Gutland
Director: Govinda Van Maele
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Winner: Soufra
Director: Thomas Morgan
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Winner: Steel Country
Director: Simon Fellows
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN AN IRISH FEAUTRE IN ASSOCIATION WITH TEACH SOLAIS
Winner: When All Is Ruin Once Again
Cinematographer: Keith Walsh
BEST IRISH FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Winner: Katie
Director: Ross Whitaker
BEST IRISH FIRST FEATURE IN ASSOCIATION WITH TROY STUDIOS AND ARDMORE STUDIOS
Presented by Joe Devine
Winner: Cellar Door
Director: Viko Nikci
BEST IRISH FEATURE IN ASSOCIATION WITH VOLTA
Presented by Charlene Lydon
Winner: The Dig
Director: Ryan & Andrew Tohill
THE TIERNAN MCBRIDE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT DRAMA IN ASSOCIATION WITH NETWORK IRELAND TELEVISION
Presented by: Derry O Brien
Winner: Wren Boys
Director: Harry Lighton
THE JAMES HORGAN AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATION
Winner: The Wiremen
Director: Jessica Patterson
THE BINGHAM RAY NEW TALENT AWARD IN ASSOCIATION WITH MAGNOLIA PICTURES
Winner – Jordanne Jones – Actor – Metal Heart
BEST HUMAN RIGHTS FEATURE IN ASSOCIATION WITH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Winner: Women of Venezuelan Chaos
Director: Margarita Cadenas