Two young Cork film-makers win accolades at national ceremony

TWO young Cork filmmakers have won prizes at this year’s Young Filmmaker of The Year Awards, which took place earlier this week at Limerick’s Troy Studios.

Nora Twomey and Eoin Murphy were among 17 winners whose work was selected from 42 shortlisted films.

Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards, the culmination of the Fresh Film Festival, recognise the best in young Irish talent. All entrants must be under 18, and the work is produced by young people who work on all sides of the camera, including script writing, directing, and cinematography.

Nora Twomey’s documentary Devil May Care, which won the Radharc Award, chronicles her journey to uncover her great-grandmother, May Casey’s involvement in the Irish Civil War, a chapter of history often overlooked.

The actor Faye Shortt presented the award and explained what the Radharc jury looks for in a winning film.

“The Radharc Jury always looks for a film that helps the audience understand the world a little better. 

This year, the jury was very impressed with the range of stories, the technical standards and the passion to highlight issues that affect young people.

Twomey, who dedicated the award to her great-grandmother, wanted to highlight the many forgotten stories about women’s role in history.

“I wanted to highlight the activities of women during the Civil War, which, for a long time, were never spoken about, not even in schools. It was very important for me to make this documentary to write her back into history.”

The jury selected Twomey’s documentary as the winner, saying it demonstrated excellence in research, used a range of production techniques, and was personal and relevant to the filmmaker.

This is Twomey’s second award for the documentary. She recently won Best Documentary at the First Cut Youth Film Festival in Youghal.

The second Cork winner was Eoin Murphy, who won Best Animation for his dark stop-motion animation Inferno, inspired by Dante’s Inferno. The animation follows a character’s descent into hell.

The animation award is a collaboration between the Fresh Film Festival and Animation Ireland. It recognises and celebrates excellence in young people’s animation work. The jury loved the film and recognised the skill and labour involved in making it.

Murphy thanked his family in his acceptance speech and quoted a proverb. 

Only a fool tests the water with both feet. A true filmmaker jumps all the way in.

Throughout the awards ceremony, pre-recorded video slots with several of the festival’s participants were screened, including Bishopstown Community School, who spoke about what it means to be a part of the festival with the actor Demi Isaac Oviawe.

The winning films are available to view on the Fresh YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@freshfilmfestival