Northern Ireland shot ‘Hunger’ is one of the four European films to be nominated for the European Discovery Award as part of the 21st European Film Awards, to be held in Copenhagen on December 6th.
The European Film Academy annually presents the award European Discovery to a young and upcoming director for a first full-length feature film. This year’s nominations were determined by a committee comprised of film journalists Dana Linssen (the Netherlands), Julia Teichmann (Germany) and Rui Tendinha (Portugal) – all of them members of FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) - and EFA Board members Pierre-Henri Deleau (France) and Stefan Laudyn (Poland).
‘Hunger’, shot in Northern Ireland, directed by Steve McQueen and written by Enda Walsh (Disco Pigs) recounts the events surrounding the 1981 IRA Hunger Strike in the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland, led by Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender).
The other three features to be nominated are; ‘Snijeg’ (Snow) directed by Aida Begić which follows the survivors in the war-torn Bosnian village of Slavno.
The film received the Grand Prix at Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique and was the opening film of this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival.
‘Tatil Kitabi’ (Summer Book), written and directed by Seyfi Teoman received the award for Best Turkish Film of the Year at the Istanbul International Film Festival and ‘Tulipan’, directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy which also received an award Un Certain Regard Prize at this years Cannes Film Festival.
The nominated films will now be made available to all 1,800 members of the European Film Academy. They will vote for the winner who will be announced at the 21st European Film Awards on 6 December in Copenhagen.
'Hunger' is released in Ireland on 31 October.
