After a very successful screening at the Irish Film Institute on Thursday, 30th November in the presence of our Guests of Honour Bríd Ní Neachtain and Cleona Ní Chrualaoi, WFT is delighted to announce the winners of this year’s WFT Ireland 2023 Members Showcase!
- Honourable Mention: WFT Member NATALIE BRITTON for MISS PATTI
- Best Film Runner Up: WFT Member CLAIRE BYRNE for WAITING DAY
- Best Non-Narrative Film: WFT Member ZLATA FILIPOVIC for DOLOROSA
- Best Script: WFT Member SINEAD O’LOUGHLIN for LAMB
- Best Cinematography: WFT Member ALBA FERNANDEZ for STABLE
- Best Film: WFT Member KATE STANLEY BRENNAN for PANTO
The much-anticipated 2023 Short Film Showcase took place last Thursday, 30th November, and we were delighted to see so many attendees and talented filmmakers fill the room at the Irish Film Institute.
Our Chair, Dr. Susan Liddy, president of WIFT International shared: “The WFT Short Film Showcase 2023 was a wonderful event and spotlighted the talent of WFT members and their filmmaking teams. There was also a confidence and assuredness not only in the work but in the approach to the industry and to future career paths that bodes well for the future. These are the professional filmmakers of tomorrow. The screening was followed by an awards ceremony presided over by two consummate professionals – actor Bríd Ní Neachtain and producer Cleona Ní Chrualaoi who also joined in the post-screening festivities in the IFI. There was such great camaraderie which I found particularly heartening. This is undoubtedly an unmissable annual event!”
The sixth annual screening event was a partnership with the IFI and was funded with the generous support of the Coimisiún na Meán. Special thanks to our prize sponsors for the 2023:
- Production People
- Windmill Lane
- Element Post-Production
- Dublin International Film Festival
- The Tara Building
- Docs Ireland
- WGI
- Irish Film Institute
- Screen Ireland
- Eilish Kent Consulting
- Apollo Lighting
- Vast Valley
- Celtic Grips
- Elisabeth Hopper from the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund
The success of the event was in no small part due to the exciting films lined up for this year’s prizes, each of the films being a testament to the hard work, talent and dedication of the production teams behind them.
Kate Stanley Brennan
Writer / Director / Producer, Panto – Best Film
“I’m beyond honoured to receive this award. Thank you WFT, IFI and all the sponsors and to Screen Ireland and Bow Street and a very special thanks to everyone at Element Post Production who worked on this labour of love. Written, directed, produced and shot by women (with a rare fully female camera crew) with a female editor, grader, composer, lighting, production and costume designer, along with a cast and crew of legendary women and men, this is an acknowledgment for everyone who brought this story to life.”
Claire Byrne
Producer, Waiting Day – Best Film Runner Up
“Being a member of WFT Ireland has been a constant source of support throughout my career in film and the annual showcase has always been a night to celebrate that and all its members. The calibre of work every year is so inspiring and we are so thrilled with the recognition for our short film Waiting Day.”
Zlata Filipovic
Producer, Dolorosa – Best Non-Narrative
“On behalf of the whole creative and production team of Dolorosa, we just wanted to thank WFT for their kind recognition of everyone’s work. We would like to thank the Arts Council for making it possible and all our team members for their hard work in realising the creative vision. The calibre of dance films in Ireland has really risen and we are delighted to be contributing to the growth of this genre.”
Alba Fernandez
DOP, Stable – Best Cinematography
“It feels great to be recognised by the WFT Ireland and share a screen with so many powerful films and the women behind them.”
Sinéad O’Loughlin
Writer/Director, LAMB – Best Script
“Thank you so much to Women in Film and Television Ireland for this award, the Lamb script was very important to me so to win Best Script is very meaningful. It’s always great to get recognition for your work and competition is fierce with so much talent and great work by female filmmakers in Ireland. Thank you to Women in Film and Television for showcasing the work of their members through this annual event, it is a great opportunity to see a diverse programme of work and to meet other makers.”
Natalie Britton
Producer, Miss Patti – Honourable Mention
“As a producer, I am drawn to stories that amplify under-represented voices and give a platform to societal issues. Miss Patti is a prime example of that and I couldn’t have been prouder to screen in the IFI alongside some of the best women filmmakers in Ireland today. When I founded our L.A based company “Queen’s Gambit Films” in 2018 with partner Kate Hamilton (writer & co-director of Miss Patti), we were committed to ensuring all of our sets were crewed with over 75% women, with an emphasis on inclusivity and diversity from the outset. As a white woman coming up in the industry today, I endeavour to use whatever privilege I have to give a platform to under-represented talent whenever possible and, in turn, the stories that I produce benefit tenfold from these eclectic teams. As an Irish producer and actor, only recently back in Ireland, the support & welcome I’ve received from the Irish filmmaking community and WFT in particular, has been terrific and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to create meaningful work here over the coming years..”
