One Million Dubliners, the award-winning film about Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, has won the prestigious Silver Medal for Documentary at the 2016 New York Festivals World’s Awards in Las Vegas.
The awards recognise the best in International TV and film and the honour is just the latest for the documentary which has enthralled audiences since its debut at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2014.
The film, which was commissioned by RTÉ and directed by Aoife Kelleher, reflects on some of the one million plus souls whose final resting place is in Glasnevin cemetery, including Irish heroes such as Michael Collins. The film also features the family, staff and visitors who have all been impacted in some way by this vast burial ground and its unique history.
For many though the heart and soul of One Million Dubliners was the late tour guide Shane MacThomáis, whose wit and enthusiasm was so well captured by the film.
The incomparable Shane MacThomáis
After last night's award, director Aoife Kelleher spoke of her delight and revealed that she is working on a new project about Knock in Co. Mayo, which is due for release this summer.
"We are honoured that One Million Dubliners has received such a prestigious international accolade and delighted that it will soon be followed by the release of our upcoming feature documentary about Ireland's miracle town, Knock. We are very grateful to the staff of Glasnevin, without whose support and generosity One Million Dubliners could not have been made, and to the family and friends of the incomparable Shane MacThomáis.... It's wonderful that audiences around the world have taken the film into their hearts.”
In addition to being honoured at the IFTAs, the documentary was also named Best Feature Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh, won at the Boston Irish Film Festival and was voted Best Irish Film of 2014 by readers of The Irish Times.
RTÉ also won a Silver World Medal and a Bronze World Medal for its documentary and investigative journalism programming at the prestigious awards.
Inside Bungalow 3, produced by the RTÉ Investigations Unit and aired on RTÉ One, won a Silver World Medal in the Current Affairs: Television - Documentary/Information Program category.
The programme examined the standards of care at the Áras Attracta Care Home in Co. Mayo, Ireland, which is a residential care facility for adults with intellectual disabilities. The programme demonstrated several very serious examples of substandard care much of which was described as “abuse” by care experts.
Tony O’Reilly: The Real Deal, a special hour-long documentary by RTÉ’s Business Editor David Murphy, which included interviews with Tony O’Reilly Junior, Seamus Mallon and Michael Smurfit, won a Bronze World Medal in the Business & Finance: Television - Documentary/Information Program category.
Gallipoli – Ireland’s Forgotten Heroes received a Finalist’s Certificate in the History & Society: Television - Documentary/Information Program category. In this story of bravery, tragic loss and forgotten history, RTÉ's Political Correspondent David Davin-Power returned to that rural Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli where is own grandfather fought and which claimed the lives of some 3,000 Irishmen.
In 2012, Inside Ireland’s Illegal Cigarette Trade won Gold at the New York Television & Film awards and a year later, Profiting from Prostitution took silver for the RTÉ Investigations Unit.
This is the latest round of awards for RTE. In 2013, Risk Factor and Breach of Trust, also produced by the RTÉ Investigations Unit, reached finalist level at the awards. In 2014, Fatal Failures was awarded the prize for Best Production at the GSK Irish Healthcare Media Awards. While in 2015 Fatal Failures and Kevin Dundon's Modern Irish Food won Silver World Medals at the 2015 New York Festivals International TV & Film Awards.
