Irish directors Colm Bairéad, Kate Dolan and Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair have been announced as winners of Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival (VMDIFF) awards.
At a special awards event on Sunday, the winners of the Aer Lingus Discovery Award, Short Film and Documentary category winners, as well as the Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) Human Rights Film Award were unveiled.
The Irish directors have been selected as recipients of the Aer Lingus Discovery Award which aims to champion, support and encourage new and emerging talent from both in front and behind the camera.
The judging panel was comprised of Jimmy Fay Executive Producer / Artistic Director of Lyric Theatre, director Neasa Harriman, Kelly O’Connor Head of Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of Ireland in London, producer Jane Doolan and producer Conor Barry.
On choosing the winners, they said: "All of this year's nominees delivered consistently high-quality work in this year's Aer Lingus Discovery section, however it was a unanimous decision for the jury regarding the three standouts we chose.
"Colm Bairéad’s debut feature An Cailín Ciúin, is a masterful character study that has rightly won international recognition is putting Irish cinema on the map in a unique and individual way, using our native language to tell stories with sensitivity and cinematic craft that moved us all."
They went on: "Kate Dolan has amassed an impressive body of work over the last years. You Are Not My Mother is her debut feature.
“Hers is a clear, coherent artistic voice and it is important that we encourage and celebrate this clear-eyed original voice in Irish cinema.
"Viewing Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair’s shorts, her progression as a film maker was evident through each film we viewed, culminating in Don’t Go Where I Can’t Find You - an extremely assured distinctive authored film, indicating a bright writing directing future ahead."
“We felt special mention should be made to Jade Jordan (actress), Ellen Kirk (production design), John Cutler (editing) and Dean Murray (sound), all of whose combined talents contributed to the mesmerising work of the three directors we chose,” they added.
The Short Film awards, judged by screenwriter Kevin Lehane and director/editor Emer Reynolds went to a diverse selection of titles.
Noting that the selection was ‘outstanding’, the judges said: “We were bowled over by the talent and craft on display from live-action, documentary, and animation. Ireland’s film scene is in fine fettle.”
An Encounter was named as Best Irish Short, with the judges calling it a “stunning, moving, and beautiful work; so evocative and poetic, with incredible performances from its young leads, and one which heralds the beginning of a great directing talent in Kelly Campbell.”
Special mention went to Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair’s “stylish, original, and deeply atmospheric” Don't Go Where I Can't Find You.
The ICCL Human Rights Award was awarded to documentary Young Plato, directed by Neasa Ní Chianáin and Declan McGrath.
Special mention went to Blerta Basholli’s Sundance triple award winner Hive.
The 20th Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival runs until 6 March with a packed programme of cinema screenings, Q&As, industry events alongside a selection of films also available online.
