After Ben Cleary’s short ‘Stutterer’s’ win at the Oscars last month, there was further Irish success for Irish shorts internationally as Damien O’Donnell’s ‘How Was Your Day?’ has picked up the prize for Best Narrative Short at SXSW this week.
The film has also recently been nominated for an IFTA Award for Best Short Film and last year won Best Irish Short at the Foyle Film Festival which ensures that the short film is eligible to be considered for an Academy Award nomination at the 2017 award ceremony in the Short Film category.
Directed by Damien O'Donnell, ‘How Was Your Day?’ was adapted from a short story by Nollaig Rowan and stars Eileen Walsh (‘The Magdalene Sisters’) as a woman excited about the approaching birth of her first child. The film also stars Seán Duggan, Aidan McCardle, Janet Moran, Eamonn Hunt and Molly McNamara and is produced by Emmaline Dowling for Suitable Films.
There was a very strong Irish presence at SXSW this year with Irish Features films ‘I Am Not a Serial Killer’ and ‘Sing Street’ screening to critical acclaim this week, and a major Macnas show taking place in the middle of 6th Street supported by Culture Ireland and the IDA who were promoting Ireland as a centre of creativity and innovation at the event. The short film ‘Geist’, which has just been nominated for an Animated Short IFTA, also had its international premiere at the festival.
‘How Was Your Day?’ was funded by the Irish Film Board's Signatures short film scheme.