Galway Film Fleadh

#FilmFleadh: 30th Galway Film Fleadh announces award winners

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 Film
The Dig – Winner Best Irish Feature Film

Katie, 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