RTÉ documentary Dead Silence, which tells the harrowing
story of how BSE affected two Irish families and was
shown as part of RTE's True Lives documentary strand
last October, has won a prestigious European Television
award.
Cork born Producer/Director Adrian McCarthy, was be
presented with the Grand Prix Regional Documentary award
at the 20th Annual Conference of Circom Regional in
Kosice, Slovakia, on Tuesday May 28.
Judges were looking for 'evidence of a strong storyline
and outstanding professionalism in direction and
technique'.
RTÉ Commissioning Editor Ray McCarthy said :
"Adrian did an outstanding job in committing a lot of
time and energy to getting close to those families
affected and this closeness enabled some remarkable
stories to be told."
The True Lives documentary, which recently received a
special mention at the Celtic Film Festival, captures
the traumatic and emotional moments which Irish farmers
went through last year as they dealt with having their
animals destroyed due to BSE.
Dead Silence was made by Wildfire Films for RTÉ and
gives an insight into farming life in Ireland in the
early 21st century - the hard grind of daily life on the
farm and the relationship between farmers and their
animals.
"It is their story and we talk about their lives as
farmers and how they deal with the stigma, with
neighbours, the financial implications, and of course
the waiting for the animals to go and the day after -
the silence," said Adrian McCarthy whose previous
documentaries include 'To Russia with Love' and the
award winning 'Blowing the Whistle' which investigated
the world of a Gaelic Football referee.
