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Patrick
Condren has been nominated for the Taurus World Stunt Awards for his work
as 2nd Unit Director/Stunt Co-ordinator on 'Intermission' in the 'Best Action
in a Foreign Film'. The Awards are the equivalent of the Oscars for the
stunt world,and this is the first |
nomination an Irish film or Irish team has received.
Patrick is delighted with the nomination, coming on the heels of the establishment of the Irish Stunt Actors Council within Equity, the establishment of the Health and Safety Standards in Ireland (which Patrick co-ordinated), and the Stunt Actors Register. "It is a real honour for me personally to get the nomination for a Taurus World Stunt Award. This is the stunt world equivalent to ‘the Oscars’. The voting is done entirely by stunt professionals from all around the world and the ceremony is broadcast to a global audience of millions.
"However, I am keenly aware that I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of the stunt team that worked on Intermission, particularly my brothers Joe (co stunt coordinator), Brendan and Tony who were the Key stunt drivers on the film.
"The nomination may be for me for 2nd Unit Director/Stunt Coordination and for designing the
action sequences, but it is the Irish Stunt crew that have performed to such a high standard that the ‘World Stunt Academy’ considers our efforts worthy of World Stunt Award recognition. I regard the nomination as ‘a feather in the cap’ of the entire Irish Actor Equity Stunt group and the Stunt register. In many ways this one act of recognition justifies the years of hard
work that we have put in to training and raising the qualification standards, experience base and safety standards of the entire stunt section in Ireland."
Alan Moloney, producer of 'Intermission' said, "It's fantastic news and great for the Condrens - they did a fantastic job on the film".
Red Bull are the creators of the Taurus World Stunt Awards, and their Irish office nominated 'Intermission' to the Best Action in a Foreign Film' earlier this year. Killian Burns, Communications Manager, Red Bull Ireland, said "We are delighted Patrick has been recognised for all his work in the Irish film industry over the past twenty years. The Taurus World Stunt Awards are all about recognising the unsung heroes while also providing an endowment to provide financial assistance to stunt performers who experience a debilitating stunt related injury. Lets hope Patrick's nomination may inspire others to push out the boundaries of stunt work in Irish films in the coming years".
The event, inaugurated in 2000, is the only awards show devoted to recognizing the dangerous work that the men and women of the Hollywood stunt community perform everyday and which results in the highest level of entertainment for audiences around the world. This year’s show will feature groundbreaking stunt demonstrations and stars from many of the world’s most popular film and television shows. Winners for extraordinary performances in feature films will be selected from ten categories, including Best Fight, Best Fire Stunt, Best High Work, Best Work with a Vehicle, Best Specialty Stunt, Best Stunt Coordination and/or 2nd Unit Direction – Feature Film, Best Overall Stunt by a Female, Best Overall Stunt by a Male, and Best Action in a Foreign Film. Recipients of the Taurus statuette are voted on by World Stunt Academy members, who include the elite stunt professionals of the industry. The host at the Awards is Dennis Hopper, and confirmed guests this year include Stephen Spielberg and Keanu Reeves. The show is broadcast worldwide, and distributed via DVD as well. The Taurus World Stunt Awards benefits the Taurus World Stunt Awards Foundation, which was envisioned and became a reality through the commitment of Red Bull Energy Drink CEO Dietrich Mateschitz. The Foundation was established by an endowment from Mateschitz to provide financial assistance to stunt performers who experience a debilitating stunt related injury.
Patrick travels to LA a week before the ceremony, to catch up on some training with Bobby Ore, the world's leading stunt driver. Patrick has trained with Bobby before and organised a course with Bobby in Ireland with Screen Training Ireland back in 2000. This refresher course includes counter-terrorist and law enforcement stunt driving. He'll also take in some sky-diving, flying and shopping in Rodeo Drive!
Some of Patrick's credits as Stunt Co-Ordinator include Intermission, In America, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Proof, Bachelors Walk, Falling for a Dancer and Mystics.
The ceremony is being held at the Paramount Studios complex on May 16th 2004. Patrick will be reporting on his trip and the ceremony for IFTN upon his return.
Full details about the Awards are at: www.worldstuntawards.com
Patrick Condren's Website is: www.condren.com
The Intermission Website is: www.thefilmfactory.co.uk/intermission/intermission.html
