Galway Film Fleadh Announce Award Winners 2019

Winners of the Galway Film Fleadh were chosen amongst 150 short films and almost 100 Irish and international cinematic features.

In total, not less than 21 awards were attributed to a plethora of talents from the industry, after an hectic five days of screenings, national and international premieres, workshops and discussions.

Here is a summary of the main winners announced during the annual film festival awards ceremony.

The title of Best International First Feature was awarded to the movie The Best of Dorien B, directed by Anke Blonde and produced by Dries Phylpo, Jean Claude Van Rijckeghem and Marien Slot. It has been praised for its realism and its compex synopsys which revolves around relational drama.

Still from The Best of Dorien B

Stage: The Culinary Internship, directed by Abbie Ainsworth and produced by Jamie Kastner & Lindsey Kutner won the Best International Documentary award. It exposes how Michelin star restaurants rely on unpaid interns.

The Best International Film award was received by director Patrick Wang and producers Daryl Freimark, Matt Miller, Patrick Wang for their movie A Bread Factory. The comedy/drama film comes in two parts. It features characters Dorothea and Greta, the owners of a bread factory turned into an arts space threatened by big changes in their small town.

Still from A Bread Factory

After the Silence, both directed & produced by Sonam Larcin was awarded Best International Short Documentary. Also awarded by French Festival International du Film d'Anglet (FIFAVA) and by Ghent International Film Festival,  After the Silence paints the story of a man seeking to obtain refugees statuts and had to leave behind the man he loves to do so.

Still from After the Silence

The Best International Short Animation was attributed to Roadkill, directed and produced by Leszek Mozga - a stop-motion puppet animated thriller.

Directors Mike Ahern and Enda Loughmanand producers Katie Holly and Ailish Bracken and their movie Extra Ordinary won the top title of Best Irish Film in Association with Danu Media. Set in rural Ireland, the comedic horror parody movie revolves around Rose, a lonely driving instructor who has supernatural abilities.

Still from Extra Ordinary

The Best Irish Documentary award was attributed to director Michael McCormack and producers Aideen O’Sullivan & Michael McCormack for their work on Breaking Out, a featured documentary on the life of the late Irish musician Fergus O’Farrell who struggled with muscular dystrophy.

Other awards include:

Best International Short Fiction: Brotherhood directed by Joobeur Meryam and produced by Maria Gracia Turgeon and Habib Attia

Best Human Rights Film in association with Amnesty International: For Sama, directed by Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts and produced by Waas Al-Kateab

Don Quijote Award for Best Animated Short Film: Featherweight, directed by Kayleigh Gibbons and produced by Richard Gordon

Best Animated Sequence in A Short Film in Association with Brown Bag Films: Abe's Story, directed by Adam H Stewart and produced by Eilish Kent

The Donal Gilligan Award for Best Cinematography in a Short Film in association with Irish Society of Cinematographers: Rip to the Rescue! directed by Paudie Baggott and produced by Sarah Barr

Best Short Documentary Award in association with Gresan na Mean Skillnet Training: HYDEBANK directed by Ross McClean and produced by Noe Mendelle, Flore Cosquer, Christine Morrow and Chris Kelly

Best First Short Drama in association with Mazars: Bainne, directed by Jack Reynor and produced by Laura Hickey and Emer O’Shea

Best First Short Animation Award: Archie’s Bat, directed and produced by Shannon Egan

The James Horgan Award for Best Animation: Streets of Fury, directed & produced by Aidan McAteer

The Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama in association with Network Ireland Television: Cynthia, directed by Jack Hickey and produced by Laura Hickey

Best Cinematography in an Irish Feature in association with Teach Solais: Finky - Director Of Photography Cathal Watters

Pitching Award in association with 101 Films: What Would Rocky Do? pitched by Roisin Jones

Best Marketplace Project Award in association with Bankside Films: Watermelon Seeds - Project Owner Kate Swan (Bonnie Film)

Best Irish First Feature in Association with Saffrey Champness: A Bump Along The Way, directed by Shelly Love and produced by Louise Gallagher

The Bingham Ray New Talent Award in Association With Magnolia Pictures: Lola Petticrew (A Bump Along The Way)

The Galway Hooker Award for Outstanding Achievement: James Schmaus, Ros Hubbard, Jon Hubbard