Gabriel Byrne Tops Kerry Film Fest Jury Lineup | The Irish Film & Television Network

The Dublin born star, whose acting credits include ‘Jindabyne’, ‘Vanity Fair’ and the Oscar-nominated ‘In the Name of the Father’, is set to judge the ‘Best Director’ category at the festival, now in its eighth year, with the winner receiving a top cash prize of €5000.

The high-calibre line-up of judges continues with Oscar-winning director Eric Simonson, who will judge the ‘Best Documentary Short’ category. Simonson received a Best Documentary Short Oscar for his film ‘A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin’ and was also Tony-nominated for his direction of Steppenwolf’s ‘The Song of Jacob Zulu’.

Trevor Groth, a programmer for Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival, will choose the Best International Narrative Short. For the last six years, Goth has also been involved in revamping the CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas.

Agent and producer David Flynn will adjudicate the Best Irish Narrative Short category. Flynn produced the recent Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan film ‘Seraphim Falls’, and is a Hollywood agent whose clients include John Carney, director of award-winning film ‘Once’.

Cork Film Centre’s Max Le Cain will judge the Best Animated Short strand. A filmmaker and critic, Le Cain has taught numerous courses in film history and video production for adults and secondary school students, and is currently filmmaker in residence with the East Cork Youth Film Project.

Over three hundred films were submitted to this year’s Festival - almost double the number of films submitted in previous years.

“The Kerry Film Festival is delighted to announce its line up of adjudicators,” said Jason O’ Mahony, Artistic Director, Kerry Film Festival. “Every member of the adjudication panel is among the most highly qualified working in their respective fields today.”

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