Best Dublin Short Story
Nominations:
– The Laughing Boys
– Long Balconies
Winner: The Laughing Boys, dir. Caroline Grace-Cassidy & Róisín Kearney
Judges comment: This deeply poetic elegy for St Teresa’s Gardens is delivered with warmth and humour and with clear-eyed recollection of difficult times past. Mary Murray’s engaging conversational style is a masterclass in authenticity, while the stark backdrops of boarded up flats speaks volumes. The writer, directors and actors all deserve high praise for this tribute to all those who lived, and laughed and loved and left St Teresa’s Gardens.
Special Mention: Long Balconies, dir Cara Gaynor
Best Literature Short
Nominations:
– How to Shoot a Ghost
– The Wilde Sisters
Winner: How to Shoot a Ghost, dir. Charlie Kaufman
€200 prize money sponsored by Chapters Bookstore
Judges comment: Sensitive and contemplative exploration of the would-be intertwining lives of two recently deceased strangers – both of whom are outsiders to the city of Athens. It’s as much an elegy to the ancient city as it is to two lost souls, as the characters encounter the harsh realities of contemporary urban life amidst the city’s ruins. Street photography and found footage are are delicately interwoven into their journeys, as they wander the streets much like characters from ‘Ulysses’ and we hear their interior monologue, combining to create a moving and hauntingly beautitful response to the subject.
Best Irish Poetry Short
Nominations:
– The Heart in the Black
– Keps
Winner: The Heart in the Black, dir. Luke De Brún
€200 prize money sponsored by the United Arts Club
Judges comment:A heartfelt meditation on loss, love, and how we communicate across generations. This film stood out to the judges for its ambition, imagery, and the aching relatability and sincerity of the poet.
Best International Poetry Short
Nominations:
– Sand Space
– Breath
– Algorithm
Winner: Breath, dir. David Van-Cauter
Judges comment: A real gem, this poetry short was captivating from the beginning. With the very clever use of simple graphics, we are brought on a painful journey of a failed pregnancy, told unusually from the father’s perspective. Very touching and memorable, a very worthy winner.
Special Mention: Sand Shape
Best Irish Experimental Short
Nominations:
– Species of Spaces
– Coalescence
Winner: Species of Spaces, dir. Megan O’Rourke
Judges comment: Megan O’ Rourke does a fantastic job in holding tension and the uncanny in this intriguing film.
Best International Experimental Short
Nominations:
– Transmutation
– A Slow Fire
Winner: Transmutation, dir. Charlie Jimenez
Judges comment: A mind-blowiing piece of filmmaking and design that feels more like a glimpse into a strange otherworld than a conventional film. Charlie Jimenez’s filmmaking is simply inimitable and we look forward to watching his personal mythology continue to unfold.
Best Joycean Short
Nominations:
– The Spirit Level
– The Bloom Mystery
– Far Calls
Winner: Far Calls, dir. Tristan Heanue & Olwen Fouéré
Judges comment: Far Calls is an assured poetic work boldly transposing passages from Finnegans Wake to the rugged depopulated landscapes of the west of Ireland. The film finds new, light-filled expanses of sea and sky against which the rich text can breathe afresh. Confidently employing static camera and elongated visual sequences, the filmmakers juxtapose captivating imagery with Olwen Fouéré’s disembodied voice whispering Joyce’s words with urgency throughout.
Outstanding Contribution
Godfrey Jordan
Best Feature
Luulur, dir. Raivo Kelomees
Judges comment: A completely unique film about a completely unique subject. Funny, surreal, fascinating, and with striking parallels to Joyce and Finnegans Wake, we were delighted to screen this wild and eccentric film in a Joycean context.
Best Overall Short
Breath, dir. David Van-Cauter
€1000 prize money sponsored by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation
