'Eamon' the debut feature for writer/director Margaret Corkery which stars Darren Healy (Frankie), Amy Kirwin (The Roaring Twenties) and seven year old Robert Donnelly who plays the title character of Eamon, has won the Independent Camera Award in the Forum of Independents section at the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Speaking from Karlovy, Corkery told IFTN “We are absolutely thrilled to have our film 'Eamon' win this prize in Karlovy Vary. The festival is very impressive and audiences there seemed to really get the humour of the film. This award will mean a lot to the cast and crew who worked so hard on the film.”

Commenting on the film Ivana Novotna, Festival Programmer at Karlovy Vary said “Margaret Corkery is a very talented and promising Irish filmmaker."

The film was "highly popular with Karlovy Vary audiences" and according to the Jury for Independent Camera Award 'Eamon' was awarded "for a precisely constructed portrait of unfit parenthood expressed in visual terms and with a consistency of style."

Margaret received the award at a ceremony which took place in Hotel Thermal in Karlovy-Vary Saturday 12th July.

'Eamon' has also been picked up for international distribution by Wide Management.

The film tells the story of Eamon, a little boy with behavioural problems and the destructive relationship of his parents.

Director of Photography on the film was David Grennan, whilst Mairead McIvor edited the feature upon completion.

Produced by Seamus Byrne of Zanita Films, 'Eamon' was made as part of the Catalyst project. Alan Maher, Production Executive, IFB said, “Margaret is one of Ireland’s most distinctive and original emerging filmmakers. The aim of the Catalyst Project was to provide opportunities for new Irish directors with vision and passion to produce a feature film and this award is great recognition on the success of the scheme and the hard work and Margaret and Seamus put into this film.”

The Catalyst Project was devised by the Irish Film Board, Screen Training Ireland, Filmbase, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, TV3 and the Arts Council to mentor filmmakers in the art of low-budget filmmaking and fund successful participants to produce a feature film. The initiative takes as its inspiration recent Irish low budget films which have achieved major international success: John Carney's 'Once', which won the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2008 and the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008; Lenny Abrahamson's 'Adam and Paul' which was selected for Panorama at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival; and Perry Ogden's 'Pavee Lackeen', which premiered in Critics Week at the Venice Film Festival, also in 2005.