Corona Cork Film Festival

… all those Irish filmmakers nominated for the Academy Awards. It’s a wonderful shot in the arm for all those working in the Irish film sector and, I guess, for the country as a whole that Irish short filmmaking talent has once again been recognized by the Academy.

Ever since Louis Marcus’ ground-breaking in the ’60s, Ireland has been punching above its weight at the Oscars’ short film categories. Recently nominations were the animations, Fifty Percent Grey and Give Up Yer Aul Sins and last year New Boy was nominated in the Live Action Shorts category. And of course Six Shooter won the Live Action Short Oscar in 2006!

And now the wonderful news that Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (Dir. Nicky Phelan) has been nominated in the Short Animation category and The Door (Dir. Juanita Wilson) in the Live Action Short category. Juanita’s film won Best First Short by an Irish Director in Cork in 2008.

Congrats also to all involved with The Secret of Kells (Dir. Tomm Moore) nominated in the Best Animated Feature category.

…all at Venom Films! Their first feature-length documentary His & Hers (directed by Ken Wardrop and produced by Andrew Freedman) recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival and we have just learned that it won the award for Best Cinematography in an International Documentary! The cinematographers are Kate McCollough and Michael Lavelle (a previous Cork-winner with Out Of The Blue). Congratulations to all!