Six student filmmakers, TV producers and animators were among the winners at last night’s (April 26) National Student Media Awards in Dublin. A 500-strong crowd representing all colleges across the country packed out the Ballsbridge Hotel’s conference room to collect 35 awards from media categories such as Editor of the Year and News Photographer of the Year.
‘Republic of Telly’ comedian Dermot Whelan hosted the event with a slew of industry professionals on hand to present the crystal ball awards.
Ballyfermot College of Further Education proved to be the front-runners in the Animation and Film categories with each of the five Animation nominees and four of the five Film Script nominees a BCFE student. A total of 15 students from the college were nominated across six different categories.
Kev Ryan was the successful student who scooped the Short Animation prize for BCFE with ‘Peripheral’. He wowed the crowd with a clip of the animation which shows character Max transform himself into a robot using modern-day electronic gadgets. ‘Peripheral’ can be viewed on Kev’s blog here.
The award for Film Script of the Year went to another BCFE student, Richard Barragry, for his short ‘Cynophobia’. It follows a young man called Sam who gets more than he bargained for after sneaking into a man’s basement. The storyboard from ‘Cynophobia’ can be found on Richard’s blog here.
Seán Ó Baoill from NUIG beat out stiff competition from fellow NUIG students in the Léiriúcháin Teilifíse i nGaeilge - Faisnéis agus Drámaíocht (Illustrative Programme – Information and Drama) with ‘An App-aholic’.
The Best Written Audio Visual or Visual Work on Science Or Education went to Cian O’McMahon and Ciarán O’Connor of DCU. The Audio Visual category was a new entry to the Smedias, having been announced on IFTN last month.
DIT Aungier Street student John Corcoran took home the award for Short Film of the Year for ‘Shellshock’. Audience members were treated to a screening of the short, which depicts one soldier’s struggles with war. This is John’s second award in a week for ‘Shellshock’, having scooped the Bronze Torc for Excellence in the Student Fiction category at the Celtic Media Festival in Derry last week.
Chief executive of the BAI Michael O’Keeffe was on hand to present Sarah Harrington of Griffith College with the award for TV production of the Year. Sarah’s ‘I See Her Walking Now’ is based on Sarah’s own mother, and can be seen here.
Speaking to IFTN after the event, host Dermot Whelan said, “I’m amazed at the level of talent. When I was at university there weren’t many courses in media so it was really hard if you were interested in studying the subject. I just think it’s great to support people working in media when they’re at university level, they’ll do great things when they leave.”
The comedian started the night off with some stand up to get the crowd “up and running”, and made his way on to the floor to do some crowd mingling. But he was happy to let the students be the centre of attention on the night: “The night isn’t about me the night’s about all the students that are here. I thought the room was lovely, everyone was smiling and excited to be here. I thought they were really well behaved, I expected to be heckled a lot more! There was 35 awards to get to so I couldn’t exactly do a big stand up show but it was really nice, I’d love to do it again.”
Dermot told IFTN he is currently working on writing material, and hopes to create a new comedy-drama series which stems from the ‘Real Republic’ segment on his RTÉ Two show ‘Republic of Telly’.
“I think there’s a lot of really good acting talent [in Ireland] at the moment so I would love to do a project that brings in all the successful parts of Irish comedy of the moment,” he said. As for ‘Republic of Telly’ returning for season four, Dermot is hopeful RTÉ will pick it up again, “I think so, you never really know, but the murmurings so far are pretty positive.”
Until ‘Republic of Telly’ is back on our screens, Dermot can be heard on the afternoon slot on 98FM from Monday to Friday.
The full list of winners:
Society Publication
Ian Donegan (Griffiti Magazine)
Griffith College
Short Story
Dearbhaile Houston (Hospital)
UL
Web Designer
Ronan Costello (www.universitytimes.ie)
TCD
Blog
Alex Sinclair (Digital Faun)
DIT Mountjoy Square
Small College Publication
Mugg Magazine
DIT Aungier St
Radio production Arts & Features
Darren Regan, Ruth Jephson and Brian McEvoy (Pre Loaded)
DCU
Journalism Relating to Mental Health or Suicide
Wayne Dean Doyle
Griffith College
Magazine
Jean Sutton and Fiona Hyde (Siren)
TCD
Short Animation
Kev Ryan (Peripheral)
BCFE
Colour Writer
Cormac Duffy (University Observer)
UCD
Sports Photographer
Eoghan Lyons
LCFE
Film Script
Richard Barragry (Cynophobia)
BCFE
Leiriuchain Teilifise i nGaeilge
Seán Ó Baoil (An App-aholic)
NUIG
Website
Brendan Lacey (www.ucdsu.ie)
UCD
Journalist Road Safety
Barry Lenihan and Ciaran O Connor (DCUFM)
DCU
News Photographer
Joe Gilmartin (No Talking, No Walking)
LCFE
Layout & Design
Alex Towers (Tn2 Magazine)
TCD
Science & Education
Ciarán O'Connor and Cian McMahon
DCU
Short Film
John Corcoran (Shellshock)
DIT Aungier Street
TV Production
Sarah Harrington (I See Her Walking)
Griffith College
Features Writer Pop Culture
Gavin McLoughlin
Trinity College
Radio DJ
Ben Murray (FM104) Darren Regan (Pre Loaded)
DCU
Iriseoireacht trí Ghaeilge
Frances Mulraney (Scríofa)
DCU
Journalist National Press
Rowan Gallagher
UL
Radio Production News & Current Affairs
Barry Lenihan
DCU
Radio Documentary
Robert McDonald (Rubber Swords)
DIT
Features Writer News
Evan Musgrave (Trinity News)
TCD
Iriseoireacht trí Ghaeilge (Raidió)
Therese McInerney and Jessie O'Connor
UCC
Travel Writer
Kate Rothwell (The University Observer)
UCD
People’s Choice (College View)
DCU
Sports Writer
Colin Williamson
QUB
Journalist of the Year
Jerry Larkin (Motley Magazine)
UCC
Photographer
Antonina Zharko
Griffith College
Editor of the Year
Kate Palmer (Trinity News)
TCD
Newspaper
The University Times
TCD
