The IRISH FILM FESTA 2022 Short Film Awards go to An Irish Goodbye by Tom Berkeley and Ross White (Drama), Memento Mori by Paul O’Flanagan (Animation), and Nothing to Declare by Garret Daly (Documentary).
Members of the Jury Davide Abbatescianni (journalist, Cineuropa), Ciara Chambers (Head of Film and Screen Media, University College Cork), Irene Rosignoli (journalist, Impero Disney) and Nino Tropiano (filmmaker), gave the following motivation:
🏆 An Irish Goodbye, Tom Berkeley & Ross White
With both levity and depth of feeling, An Irish Goodbye tackles a delicate subject: two estranged brothers dealing with the sudden loss of their mother. Brilliant performances by the two leads bestow even greater strength on a poetic, refreshing narrative.
🏆 Memento Mori, Paul O’Flanagan
As rigorous as a scientific essay, Memento Mori hovers between science and superstition, fact and mystery. The film makes the audience hold their breath until the very end, when a not-so-obvious truth is revealed: that very detail to which we failed to pay attention in the immediate emerges to haunt us ever after.
🏆 Nothing to Declare, Garret Daly
Nothing to Declare screens an unbelievable true story: the author’s approach, which makes no concession to emphasis , reveals great empathy and an outstanding sense for visual storytelling.
🏅 Audience Award: The Bridge, Mark Smyth
The Audience Award, chosen by in-person and in-streaming spectators, goes to The Bridge by Mark Smyth.
Susanna Pellis: «Giving our shorts the attention they deserve»
«One of the reasons why we divided this year’s festival in two – says artistic director Susanna Pellis – was to give our shorts the attention they deserve, screening them in the main theatre at the Casa del Cinema, and making them available in streaming too. We were rewarded by a top-quality selection, our best in years, perhaps. It was not easy either for us to choose the final line-up or, I believe, for the jury and the audience to cast their vote».
