The 15th Galway Film Fleadh finished last night (Sunday 13th July) as the award
winners were announced to a packed auditorium in Galway's Town Hall Theatre
immediately before the World Premiere of Ian Fitzgibbon and Michael
McElhatton's hilariously funny Spin The Bottle. This year's Audience Award
for Best First Feature went to John Crowley's Intermission, which wowed
audiences on Friday night with cast members Colm Meaney, Cillian Murphy and
Kelly McDonald, amongst others, in attendance. Shimmy Marcus's feature
debut Headrush won second prize and polish director Gyory Palfi's Hukkle,
which is the first theatrical release from a new distribution company Tribal
Films, headed by Galway-man Will Silke, won third prize.
The hugely popular The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Power Pictures
documentary about the attempted coup d'etat in April 2002 on President Hugo
Chavez of Venezuela, won the Best Feature Documentary Award. Pat Collins
and Fergus Daly's Kiarostami - The Art of Living won second prize and Raise
The Roof, the fly on the wall documentary on the building of GLóR, the
centre for traditional music in Ennis, came third.
The Shorts section was a hotly contested battle as over 100 short films
competed for the various titles on offer. Yu Ming is Ainm Dom emerged the
clear winner as it won first prize in both the Best First Irish Short Award
and the Best Irish Short categories. Another double winner was Catherine
Little's Wobbly Land which took first prize in both the Best First Irish
Short Animation and Best Irish Short Animation sections. Finally, Caroline
Jacobs and Florence Brument's Shelter From the Storm won the Best Irish
Short Documentary Award.
With over 70 feature films, over 100 shorts and various documentaries,
animations, seminars, debates and discussions, the 15th Galway Film Fleadh
programme was designed to suit every palate. Guests of the Fleadh during
the week included Pierce Brosnan, who gave an Actors Masterclass and was the
subject of a Public Interview, Agniezska Holland, Broadcaster Gay Byrne,
Brenda Fricker, Colm Meaney, Huey Morgan from the Fun Loving Criminals,
Cillian Murphy, Angeline Ball, Hugh O'Connor and many many more.
The Fleadh Fair, Ireland's only film market, was in full swing over the
weekend, with some 600 meetings held in three days. Financiers from United
Artists, Miramax, HBO Films, UK Film Council, Ingenious Films, Nexus, NDR,
Irish Film Board, TG4 and RTE were out in force meeting with Irish directors
and producers.
15th Galway Film Fleadh Awards
Audience Award - Best First Feature
1. Intermission. Director John Crowley, Producers Stephen Woolley, Neil
Jordan, Alan Moloney.
2. Headrush. Director Shimmy Marcus, Producer Edwina Forkin
3. Hukkle. Director Gyorgy Palfi, Producers Csaba Bereczky, Andras Bohm.
Best Feature Documentary
1. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Director Kim Bartley, Donnacha
O'Briain, Producer David Power.
2. Abbas Kiarostami - The Art Of Living. Director Pat Collins, Fergus Daly, Producer Seamus McSwiney, Pat Collins.
3. Raise The Roof! Director / Producers Patrick Farrelly, Kate O'Callaghan.
Best First Irish Short
1. Yu Ming is Aimn Dom. Director Daniel O'Hara, Producer Grainne O'Carroll.
2. The Last Time. Director Conor Horgan. Producer Noreen Donohoe.
3. Moving Day. Director Rob Burke, Producers Louise Brennan, Ciara Whelan.
Best Irish Short
1. Yu Ming is Aimn Dom. Director Daniel O'Hara, Producer Grainne O'Carroll.
2. A Dublin Story. Director Graham Cantwell, Producer Tamara Anghie.
3. Summit. Director Niall Heery, Producers Tristan Lynch, Dominic Wright, Joe Homewood.
Best First Irish Short Animation
1. Wobbly Land. Director Catherine Little, Produced by Dun Laoghaire nstitute.
2. Mr Wimble Takes A Bath. Director Aoife Greenham, Produced by Dun Laoghaire Institute.
3. Phantom. Directors Ronan Coyle, Giles Packham, Jim McGuinness, Producer James Kelly.
Best Irish Short Animation
1. Wobbly Land. Director Catherine Little, Produced by Dun Laoghaire nstitute.
2. The Depository. Director Andrew Kavanagh, Producer Paul McGrath, Andrew Cavanaugh, Damien Byrne.
3. Escape. Director John Rice, Producer Mark Cumberton.
Best Irish Short Documentary
1. Shelter From the Storm. Directors / Producers Caroine Jacobs, Florence Brument. Co-Directors Brendan Caffrey, Martin O'Sullivan, Noel Hackett, Patrick Morton, Henry Bryan.
2. The Street. Director Liam Nolan, Producer Julianne Fortune.
3. A Wee Wonder. Director Kate McCulough, Producers Andrew Freedom, Kristin Brook Larsen.
