Winner of Best Debut at last year’s Galway Film Fleadh, ‘Citadel’ – directed by National Film School of Ireland graduate Ciarán Foy - has been awarded the MovieZone award for best feature at the Imagine Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival.
This latest honour marks the 10th international prize for Mr Foy’s terrifying masterwork, which include the prestigious Audience award at the SXSW Film Festival where the film first premiered in 2012.
The ceremony in Amsterdam also recognised Neil Jordan with a special career achievement award, in a strong night for Irish filmmakers.
Based on a deeply personal event, the script for ‘Citadel’ was inspired by Mr Foy’s real-life experiences of being assaulted by a gang of youths at age 18 - transformed for the big screen into a gang of twisted feral children.
The plot revolves around main character Tommy, played by Aneurin Barnard, who must team up with a renegade priest to save his baby daughter when his wife is attacked by vicious in-bred children and left in a coma.
Among the long list of awards bestowed upon ‘Citadel’ to date are the Audience award at the Paris International Fantastic Film Festival 2012; the Audience award at the Sheffield International Horror Film Festival 2012; Best Horror at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2012; and Best Director and Best Actor at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival 2012 in South Korea.
Prior to making ‘Citadel’, Mr Foy’s film career began with the impressive shorts ‘Scumbot’ and ‘The Faeries of Blackheath Woods’.
‘Citadel’, which was released in US cinemas last November, will finally get an Irish and UK cinema release later this year, with the trailer available to view below.