Ciaran Cassidy's Housewife of the Year has been selected as one of 23 European films competing for the new Latin American Critics‘ Award for European Films, which was announced by European Film Promotion (EFP). The winner will be announced at the Guadalajara Film Festival (7 – 15 June, 2024).
Irish documentary Housewife of the Year, directed by Ciaran Cassidy, is one of 23 films nominated for the EFP’s inaugural Latin American Critics‘ Award for European Films.34 Latin American film critics from 13 Latin American countries will decide on their top three favourites before announcing and presenting the winning film during the Guadalajara Film Festival.
Housewife of the Year was selected as Ireland's submission following its World Premiere at the CPH:DOX festival in March.
Through the testimonies of past contestants, Ciaran Cassidy's documentary explores the gap between what Irish audiences saw on Housewife of the Year, a television competition ‘celebrating the role of the housewife’, and the reality of life for women in Ireland at the time.
Housewife of the Year is produced by Maria Horgan for Little Wing Films. It is supported by Screen Ireland, RTÉ, SVT, DR, NRK and HOT8.
The other selected European films are Veni, Vidi ,Vici by Daniel Hoesl (Austria), Holly by Fien Troch (Belgium), Excursion by Una Gunjak (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Dyad by Yana Titova (Bulgaria), Embryo Larva Butterfly by Kyros Papavasiliou (Cyprus), Brothers by Tomáš Mašín (Czech Republic), The Invisible Fight by Rainer Sarnet (Estonia), Once Upon a Time in a Forest (Finland), The Teachers’ Lounge by İlker Çatak (Germany), Animal by Sofia Exarchou (Greece), Pelikan Blue by László Csáki (Hungary), Solitude by Ninna Rún Pálmadóttir (Iceland), Phantom Youth by Luàna Bajrami (Kosovo*), Wolfkin (Kommunioun) by Jacques Molitor (Luxembourg), Zivi Zdravi/Forever Hold Your Peace by Ivan Marinović (Montenegro), Bad Living by João Canijo (Portugal), Guardians of Formula by Dragan Bjelogrlić (Serbia), Observing by Janez Burger (Slovenia), Together 99 by Lukas Moodysson (Sweden), Reinas by Klaudia Reynicke (Switzerland), Sweet Dreams by Ena Sendijarević (The Netherlands) and Layla by Amrou Al-Khadi (UK).
With the first Latin American Critics’ Award for European Films, EFP aims to boost the visibility and circulation of European films and ‘festival hits’ in Central and South America.