Underground Cinema, the leading promoter of Independent cinema in Ireland, last night unveiled the nominees – their awards ceremony celebrating independent short film.
Every month Underground Cinema screens an incredible selection of Irish and international short film in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, offering lesser known Irish and international filmmakers a chance to see their work come to life on the silver screen. Each film that is screened becomes eligible for the annual awards ceremony, which this year features 14 categories.
Speaking at the nominations – this year’s awards Underground Cinema director David Byrne was quick to praise the standard of short film-making in Ireland. “Year on year we’re seeing the quality of the shorts being made improve, as the filmmakers get access to better equipment and hone their craft. It’s great to see the progression of some of them who have submitted films down through the years. This year we’ve actually seen a decrease in the number of short films selected, as more and more independent Irish filmmakers are getting to make features. It’s great to see that and it is encouraging for the future.”
Paddy Slattery’s Skunky Dog, winner of Best Short film at the Underground Cinema Film Festival and the Fingal Film Festival, picked up 5 nominations, as did Megan Woods’ The Beauty of Ballybrack, and Alec Moore’s In This Place. However the front-runners are Johnny Murphy’s The Stand Up, and Maurice O’Carroll’s Windows of Wonder (pictured above), with six nominations a piece.
The Underground Cinema Awards 2014 takes place on Saturday November 8th in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire. Tickets are now on sale.
Full list of nominees:
Best Short Film
Cut Me Deep – Produced by Tommy Fitzgerald
In This Place – Produced by Tristan Heanue and Alec Moore
Skunky Dog – Produced by Paddy Slattery
The Stand Up – Produced by Johnny Murphy and Simon Murphy
Windows of Wonder – Produced by Jason O’Mahony
Best Director
James Fitzgerald – Skunky Dog
Tommy Fitzgerald – Cut Me Deep
Alec Moore – In This Place
Johnny Murphy – The Stand Up
Maurice O’Carroll – Windows of Wonder
Best Actor
Paul Dodd – Bound
Tristan Heanue – In This Place
Eddie Jackson – Normal
Ryan MacParland – Skunky Dog
Johnny Murphy – The Stand Up
Best Actress
Flo Gabriel – Windows of Wonder
George Hanover – The Beauty of Ballybrack
Lacy Moore – Skunky Dog
Rachel Pilkington – Cut Me Deep
Rebekah Wainwright – In This Place
Best Screenplay
Cut Me Deep – Written by Tommy Fitzgerald
Skunky Dog – Written by James Fitzgerald
Normal – Written by Mark McCabe and Eddie Jackson
The Stand Up – Written by Johnny Murphy
Homemade – Written by Mark Sheridan
Best Editor
Oisin Brickley – The Beauty of Ballybrack
Jon Kelly – Suanscéal
Aidan McCarthy – Idle
Katie Miller – Fortune
Maurice O’Carroll – Windows of Wonder
Best Cinematographer
Michael Lavelle – Homemade
Justin McCarthy – Windows of Wonder
Kevin Minogue – In This Place
Eamon Nolan – Suanscéal
Burschi Wojnar – Idle
Best Score
Michael Carolan – One Thousand Yards
Julie Feeney – Stolen
Kevin O’Brien – Neighbourhood Watch
Jennifer O’Malley – The Beauty of Ballybrack
Nicholas Wright – Homemade
Best Location Sound
Caimin Agnew – Neighbourhood Watch
Oliver Deegan – Idle
Oisin Lowry – Bound
Simon Murphy – The Stand Up
Kealan Noone – One Thousand Yards
Best International Film
Inside Run – Directed by Sam Callis
Dystopia St – Directed by David Cave
Beneath the Tides – Directed by Rupert Miles
Stop – Directed by Paul Murphy
They Call Me The Kid – Directed by Mark Tehnsuko
Best Newcomer
Graham Early – Com-table Chaos
Karen McGrath – Torn
Johnny Murphy – The Stand Up
Colm O’Foghlu – Suanscéal
Megan Woods – The Beauty of Ballybrack
Best Comedy
Angus – Directed by Paul Bolger
Neighbourhood Watch – Directed by Alan Buckley
Lean on Me – Directed by Gavin Butler
Normal – Directed by Stephen Brady
Possessive Boyfriend – Directed by Simon O’Neill
Best Music Video
Not Without You – Directed by Paul Heary
Hollow Thoughts – Directed by Paul Lynch
Bibles – Directed by Oisin MacCoille
The Truth of You – Directed by Darragh Murphy
Twisted Escalator – Directed by Patrick Murphy
Production Design
Fiona Delaney – Incompatible
Amber Miles – The Beauty of Ballybrack
Elaine O’Carroll – Windows of Wonder
Colm O’Foghlu – Suanscéal
Elizabeth Parsons – Cut Me Deep
Best Documentary
The Bald Word – Directed by Johnny Brew
Hurdy Gurdy Man – Directed by Stuart Duff
Tonn Nua – Directed by Peter McKeon
Danger Overhead Cables – Directed by Mia Mullarkey