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Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Cork-shot film directed by Brendan Canty wins Best Irish Film at Galway Film Fleadh
A Cork-shot feature film directed by Irish director Brendan Canty won the Best Irish Film prize at the 37th edition of the Galway Film Fleadh earlier this week. Christy, which was written by Alan O'Gorman, directed by Brendan Canty and produced by Marina Brackenbury, Meredith Duff and Rory Gilmartin, won Best Irish Film in association with Element Pictures at the Fleadh. The Fleadh welcomed filmmakers and audiences from around the world to celebrate bold storytelling, new voices, and cinematic excellence. Christy, based on Canty's short film of the same name, follows a 17-year-old after he is thrown out of his foster home and moves in with his estranged older half-brother in Cork. Danny Power, Emma Willis, and Chris Walley star in the UK-Ireland co-production, which is due to be released in Irish cinemas on August 29. The acclaimed coming-of-age story received its world premiere as the opening film of the Generation 14 plus competition at Berlinale 2025 and won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury in Berlin in February. A total of 97 feature films, including 44 Irish features, and more than 100 shorts from Ireland and the rest of the world were screened over six days at this year's Fleadh. The festival closed with a sold-out screening of The Life of Chuck, directed by Mike Flanagan and based on the novella by Stephen King, which was followed by the presentation of this year's awards. The Best Irish First Feature went to Horseshoe, the Best Irish Feature Documentary was awarded to Sanatorium, the Bingham Ray New Talent Award was awarded to Jessica Reynolds for her role in The Wolf, The Fox & The Leopard, the Best Irish Language Feature Film was awarded to Báite, and the James Horgan Award for Best Animation Short, was awarded to Éiru. Donncha Gilmore's Girls & Boys and Eamonn Murphy's Solitary won Best Independent Irish Film, and the Audience Award went to Lance Daly's Trad. Several awards were also given to projects presented at the Galway Film Fair, including Gary Lennon's John Lennon's Island (Best Documentary Project, supported by Impronta Films) and Fiona Ashe's Beneath the Surface (Audience Design Award, supported by Síle Culley).
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Cork director Brendan Canty 'floored' by top prize at Galway Film Fleadh for feature debut Christy
Brendan Canty, the director of the acclaimed new Irish film Christy, has told RTÉ Entertainment he is "floored" by the response to the coming-of-age drama and its Best Irish Film win at the Galway Film Fleadh last weekend. Written by Alan O'Gorman, Christy stars newcomer Danny Power (The Young Offenders) alongside Diarmuid Noyes (Pure Mule: The Last Weeken d, Five Minutes of Heaven). The film follows troubled teenager Christy (Power) after he is thrown out of his foster home and moves in with his estranged brother Shane (Noyes) and his young family on Cork's northside. Watch: The trailer for Christy Christy opens in cinemas on 29 August. "I always knew the home screening would be something special, but I wasn't prepared for just how powerful it would be," Cork director Canty told RTÉ Entertainment after his feature debut's Irish premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh earlier this month. "It was honestly one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. To then go on and win - that was the cherry on top." "Even before the screening, during our panel talk, I could feel it - the audience were really hanging on our every word," he continued. "There was such a buzz in the room. And when the film played, the atmosphere was full of warmth and genuine love. You could sense that people were rooting for it, and that kind of support really floored me." Christy 's cast includes Emma Willis (Vikings, The Young Offenders, Dating Amber), Alison Oliver (Saltburn, Conversations with Friends), Chris Walley (Bodkin, The Young Offenders), and Helen Behan (The Virtues, This Is England '90). The film also features members of The Kabin Studio, a Cork-based community arts collective known for its work in hip-hop and spoken word, and whose Kabin Crew enjoyed a viral hit last summer with The Spark, recorded in collaboration with Lisdoonvarna Crew. The Dublin-based Sleeper Films is among the producers of Christy, which has been funded by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and BBC Film. Earlier this year, Christy won the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival. Now, director Canty is relishing an Irish cinema release after his debut's success at the Galway Film Fleadh. "I've always believed in this film - the community behind it, the heart that went into it - but seeing how it connected with an Irish audience has made me even more sure," he said. "It's a deeply Irish film, full of hope, humour, and heart. I think it'll really land with people when it hits cinemas." The Galway Film Fleadh winners in full: Best Irish Film: Christy Best Irish First Feature: Horseshoe Best Irish Feature Documentary: Sanatorium Best International Short Animation: Luz Diabla Joe McMahon Award for Best International Short Drama/Fiction: Heat Me Best International Short Documentary: The Miracle of Life and We Were the Scenery (joint winners) Best First Short Animation: One Track Mind James Flynn Award for Best First Short Drama: Internal Bleeding Best Cinematography in a Short Film: The Axe Forgets Peripheral Visions Award: Vitrival - The Most Beautiful Village in the World Generation Jury Award: Where the Wind Comes From Best International Feature Film: Dragonfly Best International Documentary: Gerry Adams - A Ballymurphy Man Best International Independent Film: Adult Children Best Cinematography in an Irish Film: Listen to the Land Speak Best Documentary Project: John Lennon's Island Audience Design Award: Beneath the Surface Best Marketplace Project: Ten Mickeys Pitching Award: The Body + Blood Bingham Ray New Talent Award: Jessica Reynolds Best Irish-Language Feature Film: Báite James Horgan Award for Best Animation Short: Éiru Best Independent Irish Film: Solitary and Girls and Boys (joint winners) Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama: Three Keenings
