The Celtic Media Festival has revealed the nominees for the prestigious Torc Awards for Excellence. The winners are set to be revealed at the 38th Festival in Douglas on the Isle of Man, over May 3rd – 5th 2017.
Literary legends WB Yeats and Roald Dahl go head to head in Arts, with BBC Wales’ Roald Dahl’s City of the Unexpected nominated alongside the RTÉ/BBC A Fanatic Heart: Geldof on Yeats. In comedy, Still Game, one of Scotland’s most successful comedy exports, challenges Ireland’s Bridget and Eamon. And it’s a battle royale in the Radio Presenter category, as RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta’s Blathnaid Ní Chofaigh goes head to head with Deacon Blue front-man Ricky Ross for BBC Radio Scotland and Welsh tenor and Go Compare star Wynne Evans of BBC Radio Wales.
The Celtic Media Festival has revealed the nominees for the prestigious Torc Awards for Excellence. The winners are set to be revealed at the 38th Festival in Douglas on the Isle of Man, over May 3rd – 5th 2017.
Nominees from across the U.K., Ireland and Europe will compete across 23 award categories, including arts, comedy, current affairs, drama, factual, sport, radio, and more. Entries for the 2017 Awards again approached the 500 mark, with the festival consistently attracting submissions from across the range of Celtic nations and regions. 10 separate juries undertook almost 250 hours of listening and viewing to produce a shortlist of the very best in Celtic productions in the past year.
In a change for 2017, new category History attracted a huge number of quality entries. Amongst those nominated is a co-production between TG4, BBC Northern Ireland and Doubleband films, Eoin Mac Néill: Fear Dearmadta 1916. Through dramatic reconstruction, access to MacNeill’s unpublished memoir, interviews with key historians and the personal account of MacNeill’s grandson, former Tánaiste Michael McDowell, pivotal moments in history are brought to life in this drama-doc.
TG4’s Eipic, nominated in the Drama Series category is a story about escape, empowerment and what it means to be a teenage “hero” in contemporary rural Ireland. Set against the backdrop of the 1916 centenary celebrations, Eipic will go up against the wildly successful Line of Duty, BBC Scotland’s One of Us, and the epic adaptation of War and Peace.
Radio stations and presenters from across the celtic regions compete this year in a strong line-up of native language content, covering music, magazine and documentary programming.
Single Documentary, one of the most hotly contested categories every year, contains nominees from 14 productions covering a multitude of subjects. The critically acclaimed Dunblane-Our Story, tells the story of the tragic shooting from the point of view of those caught up in the terrible events. In a landmark film to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, many people who have never talked on camera reveal what happened on that day. Wales’ The Aberfan Young Wives Club marks the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, and how Aberfan has endured since 21st October 1966 when the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip killed 116 children and 28 adults. Ireland’s I am Immigrant is a window into the lives of young immigrants who have grown up Irish, and tracks the political reaction to immigration in Europe as the conflict spills violently onto our streets.
In Sports Documentary, Jimmy Johnstone examines the life of a phenomenal Scottish sporting talent, telling the story of the highs and the lows of an unforgettable working class footballer, Celtic legend, husband and father who lost his life to motor neurone disease age 61.
Host nation Isle of Man’s local Manx Radio has secured a number of nominations.
Festival Director Catriona Logan said: “The breadth of talent on offer this year is remarkable, as always the quality of programming shows the calibre of those working in the Celtic Nations and Regions. A huge amount of entries were whittled down by our dedicated National Juries who, in all, watched and listened to over 250 hours of top quality submissions. We’re absolutely delighted that Celtic Media Festival is approaching and we’re looking forward to revealing the winners at the Festival in Douglas on the Isle of Man in May.”
The 38th Celtic Media Festival takes place over 3rd-5th of May 2017 and will see hundreds of delegates enjoy a packed festival programme in Douglas, Isle of Man. Supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, TG4, BBC Scotland, RTÉ, MG ALBA, S4C, Northern Ireland Screen, BBC Northern Ireland, BBC Cymru Wales, and on the Isle of Man by Department of Economic Development, the festival consistently attracts international delegates wherever it is held and offers a programme that celebrates the influential media industry of the Celtic nations and regions, as well as providing networking opportunities for delegates and speakers alike.
Showcasing the best work from Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales, the festival is expected to attract some of the biggest names in the media world to the town. Previous high-profile guests include Tilda Swinton, Rhys Ifans, Peter Mullan, Ken Loach, The Killing Director Birger Larsen, River and Apple Tree Yard producer Chris Carey, My Mad Fat Diary and Watership Down writer Tom Bidwell, and Doctor Who and Torchwood producer Russell T Davies. Although the festival is primarily for industry delegates, there will be a wider programme of events. Full details of the festival programme will be announced shortly.
For delegate registration, visit the Celtic Media Festival website.
