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Awards for best short documentaries wrap up the 8th annual festival as IFI Stranger Than Fiction announces a new monthly series of year round IFI Stranger Than Fiction Screenings

The IFI has announced the winners of the IFI Stranger Than Fiction short documentary awards which took place last weekend. The jury, a panel of distinguished Irish and International filmmakers and industry figures, awarded Best Irish Short to Leticia Agudo & Aoibheann O’Sullivan for their fascinating look at Ireland’s most famous bathing spot in Forty Foot. The Best Irish Short is supported by Bord Scannan na hEireann/the Irish Film Board who award €500 and inclusion in their widely distributed annual programme of IFB Shorts. Forty Foot did more than impress the Jury and also scooped the Audience Award as voted for by the festival attendees. The Jury Award for Best International Short went to Keith O’Shea for Dear Matthew, the moving story of the family of missing painter Matthew O’Reilly.

The awards ceremony took place on the final day of another brilliant festival programme that featured true life stories about everything from Pop Idols in Afghanistan to 101 year old sex therapists. Audience participation was high again this year – the Irish Premiere of The Liberties sold out not just the scheduled screening, but also the extra screening programmed to try to cope with the huge demand.

Due to the ongoing popularity of the IFI Stranger Than Fiction Festival the IFI is now going to offer fans a monthly Stranger Than Fiction screening to catch up with the best new Irish and International documentary making throughout the year. The first screening on Tuesday 14th July at 8.20pm is of Burma VJ which tells the story of undercover Burmese video journalist’s defiant and subversive challenge to the military regime. The IFI will broadcast a live satellite introduction and post-screening discussion with the filmmakers as part of this screening.

Tickets from IFI Box Office: Tel: 01 6793477 or book online at www.ifi.ie

Posted in Awards News, Festivals News, Members News on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 Both comments and pings are currently closed.