Cork Film Festival are delighted to announce that we will host the Jameson Short Film Award once again in 2004. The festival's national jury will award the prize to the Best Irish Short Film.

The Jameson Short Film Award is an initiative of the European Coordination of Film Festivals and Jameson Irish Whiskey.

Previous winners of the Jameson Short Film Award at Cork Film Festival

• 2003 - Full Circle - directed by Simon Fitzmaurice
• 2002 - The Last Time - directed by Conor Horgan
• 2001 - Give Up Yer Aul Sins - directed by Cathal Gaffney

'From Europe to the world' Announcement of expansion of successful Europe-wide John Jameson & Son Ltd. Short Film Awards

John Jameson & Son Ltd and the European Coordination of Film Festivals are proud to announce the expansion of the Award both within and outside of Europe. In 2001, when the Award was launched, 8 European festivals presented the prize. Increasing its presence on the festival circuit every year since then, this prize will be held in 15 European Festivals in 2004, plus 3 festivals outside Europe. The prize will reward the director of a short film representing the best in creative contemporary cinema with the potential to reach multiple audiences from one country to another. In 2004, participating Festivals are as follows:

EUROPE

• France: Festival Premiers Plans - January
• Finland: Tampere Film Festival - March
• Bulgaria: International Sofia Film Festival - March
• Hungary: Mediawave Festival - April
• Belgium: Festival du Court Métrage de Bruxelles - May
• Germany: Internationales Kurzfilmfestival Hamburg - June
• Norway: Kortfilmfestivalen Grimstad - June
• Portugal: Festival Internacional de Curtas-Metragens - July
• Italy: FilmVideo - July
• Croatia: Motovun Film Festival - August
• Denmark: Odense Film Festival - August
• Greece: Drama International Short Film Festival - September
• Ireland: Cork Film Festival - October
• Spain: Festival de Alcala de Henares - November
• Sweden: Stockholm International Film Festival - November

OUTSIDE OF EUROPE

• Thailand: International Bangkok Film Festival - January
• Brazil: Sao Paulo International Short film Festival - August
• South Africa: Cape Town World Cinema Festival - Sithengi - November

An action will also be held in the framework of the International's Critic's Week, in Cannes, May 13-21

This award received widespread praise and support from within the international film industry, as well as an enthusiastic welcome from film festivals and directors. The filmmakers who have won the prize since 2001 are linked internationally by success achieved nationally within their chosen profession. Each director possesses the creativity, enthusiasm, discipline and teamwork necessary to direct a winning short film. Several of the winners have gone on to achieve further commendation and win awards for their films.

The constant aim of the Jameson & Son Ltd Short Film Award is to present vital support to European filmmakers and European cinema by enhancing the profile of the winning directors and their films. The Awards are now open to other countries for directors of a short film with the potential to reach a multiple audiences within Europe and beyond. Fiction, documentary and animation short films in the national selection of the individual festival will be eligible for the award, which will be decided by the jury of the competition. Moreover, all 2003 winning films will be screened at key participating festivals in 2004.

Thom Palmen, President of the European Coordination of Film Festivals, said: 'According to the festivals directors who already hosted the prize, the John Jameson & Son Ltd Short Film Awards allowed their festival to be more attractive to the directors wanting to present a short film in the competition, and this led to an increase in the amount and quality of the films. With each festival hosting the prize being from different European countries (one per country) and now beyond, this allows for better exposure of the festival in the press and offers an incomparable visibility on a European level. As for the directors, besides being a substantial award to a national filmmaker, this prize is a wonderful opportunity to screen their film throughout Europe and beyond and to make their names, and is an undeniable financial support possibly to prepare their next production.'

Jacques Henry-Bezy, International Sponsorship Director, John Jameson & Son Ltd, said: 'The Award is an important communication platform allowing us to reach our consumers with a different perspective and to create for them, an enriching brand experience. For the short filmmakers, each prize of 6000 Euros makes the Awards one of the most valuable prizes for short film. In addition to the prize money a valuable trophy, itself a work of art, was commissioned especially from Kevin O'Dwyer, the well-known Irish artist in silver. This trophy is topped with a three-dimensional 'flight' of sterling silver, set on a cylindrical plinth of polished Kilkenny limestone, that evokes the opening of Europe to the rest of the world.