Award-winning Irish writer/director Fiona Ashe has advanced to the Quarterfinal Round of the prestigious 2016 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.
Her script Cracks In The Ice was one of 357 screenplays selected to emerge from the first round.
Greg Beal, Director of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting said:
With 6,915 scripts entered, the initial round was extremely competitive and made the selection of quarter-finalists a difficult task.
The Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting is part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, the world famous organisation behind the Oscars.
Speaking about reaching the Quarterfinal Round, Ashe said:
I’m absolutely ecstatic! Screenwriting is a complex craft so I invested in training at the highest level. It’s really gratifying to have my talent recognised by The Academy! I look forward to bringing the stories that I am passionate about to the big screen.
During the quarterfinal round, Fiona’s script will be read by three judges, with approximately 150 of the quarterfinal screenplays advancing to the semi-final round.
Cracks In The Ice, which is inspired by true events during the brutal Sierra Leone blood diamond war, has already won a Best Screenplay Award at the International Film Festival Ireland in 2011.
Drogheda native Ashe specialises in political thrillers. Her short film Shades of Gray won the Best Film Noir Award at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. She achieved viral success with her short comedy Rapunzel – The Blonde Years on the Irish Film Board’s Virtual Cinema YouTube channel. Fiona is also a Script Editor and was a Script Reader for Northern Ireland Screen in 2013–14.
Ashe currently has multiple projects in development and welcomes approaches from producers who wish to collaborate on new or existing projects. Details of her career and projects are on her website: www.FionaAshe.com