Celtic Media Festival: The International Summit of Sound and Screen have unveiled the full list of nominees for the Torc Awards for Excellence.
Taking place from the 4th to 6th of June 2024 at the Marriott Hotel in Cardiff’s city centre, the annual three-day celebration will see nominees come together celebrating the diverse body of work from creatives across Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall, Brittany and Galicia at the daily award ceremonies, with RTÉ, BBC, Sky, France 3 Bretagne, TG4, Televisión de Galicia and S4C all in the running for awards.
This year’s shortlist includes RTÉ One’s black comedy Obituary, previous Torc Award winner, BBC Scotland and BBC Two thriller Guilt, starring Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives, which has been nominated with its third and final season in the Drama Series category alongside BBC One miniseries Steeltown Murders and Amazon Prime Video & Televisión de Galicia’s thriller Operación Marea Negra.
In the running for the Comedy award is Sky Atlantic’s romantic drama, The Lovers, starring Johnny Flynn (One Life) and Roisin Gallagher (The Dry), BBC ALBA’s mockumentary Glan Fhein, which was produced by The Comedy Unit (Soft Border Patrol, Still Game, Gary: Tank Commander), and S4C’s Welsh language sketch show Dim Byd Fel Dim Byd.
Sky TV has been nominated across five categories in total. Samuel Beckett biopic Dance First starring Gabriel Byrne (Miller’s Crossing) has been nominated alongside I Am Kevin and O Corno for the Single Drama award. There is also the black and white adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, filmed live in Edinburgh’s Leith Theatre and shown on Sky Arts, nominated in the Arts category, and Sky Crime documentary Fred West: The Glasgow Girls included in Factual Series. In the Feature Documentary category, Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive gets another nod for Sky Arts.
Also nominated for Single Drama is Y Sŵn, which tells the true story of the battle to establish a Welsh language television channel, S4C. One of the most colourful chapters of modern Welsh history told in an imaginative and unique style and intrinsically linked to the emergence of Celtic Media Festival.
The Single Documentary category includes RTÉ One’s Atom Film production, Am I Here?, which explores homelessness in Dublin, as well as award-winning director Mark Jenkin’s A Dog Called Discord, and BBC ALBA’s Deilbh Dr Hay: An Island Doctor’s Legacy. Also nominated is Et en plus ils dansent!, a documentary that tells the stories of four gay men who found solidarity and support in Celtic social circles in Brittany, and two documentaries both exploring menopause in their respective nations, Meanapás: Meon Nua, from TG4, and BBC ALBA’s Trusadh – Làn-sgur fuil-mìosa.
BBC Three and BBC Wales documentary Blood, Sweat and Cheer receives nominations for both Single Documentary and Sports Documentary, where it’s joined by Clive Sullivan: Rugby League Legend from BBC One Wales, BBC ALBA’s Cold War Hockey, RTÉ Liam Brady: The Irishman Abroad, TG4’s Misneach: Alex Lee, My Husband the MMA Fighter from BBC Scotland, and TT+’s Tourist Trophy, one of a record number of nominees from the Isle of Man.
Also representing the Isle of Man this year, is Shellan Ellen ec y Valley in the Children's Programme category, Little Brown Bird, which is in the running for the Short Drama award, and Short Form nominee in·spi·ra·tion.
The Feature Documentary category presents a diverse array of compelling narratives. Lyra is an intimate journey through post-conflict Northern Ireland, authored by journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot dead by the New IRA in April 2019. Bill Douglas: My Best Friend tells a story of friendship between Bill and Peter Jewell, portrayed through the 8mm films they created together, bridging the gap between his tumultuous upbringing and his cinematic exploration of it. You've Got A Friend In Me - The Golden Friendships Story showcases a journey of community unity and the creation of a safe and inclusive space for an overlooked segment of society.
Continuing in the Feature Documentary category. Y Tad y Mab a'r Côr is a film about male relationships and ageing, seen through the prism of the Trelawnyd Male Voice Choir. Competing against other films from across most of the celtic nations and regions this year include A Year in a Field, Maria Casares, La Mujer Que Vivio Mil Vidas, Mission E-TY, Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive and The Eagle With The Sunlit Eye, each film offers a unique perspective, showcasing the power of storytelling to captivate audiences and provoke meaningful reflection on the complexities of the human experience.
The festival’s Presenter of the Year award recognises talent from across the airwaves, with Scotland’s Emma Lamont and Kaye Adams nominated alongside Ireland’s Lynette Fay and Máirín Ní Ghadhra, and Mirain Iwerydd and Wynne Evans from Wales.
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s tribute to pioneering Irish Language broadcaster and winner of the CMF Radio Presenter/Personality Award in 2011, Bladhaire - Clár Ómóis do Rónán Mac Aodha Bhuí, is nominated in the Entertainment category alongside productions from Scotland and Wales.
Representing a first nomination for Cornwall in the Comedy (Sound) category, BBC Radio 4’s Wosson Cornwall is recognised alongside hugely popular topical sketch show, A Perforated Ulster, from BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Scotland’s Breaking The News, weekly round-up Clonc from BBC Radio Cymru, children’s radio show Nero's Class from RTÉjr Radio, and comedy panel show hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean, What Just Happened?.
Entering its 45th year, Celtic Media Festival will take place in Cardiff’s city centre from 4th to 6th of June 2024 at the Marriott Hotel.
