Cork drama Christy has been named Best International Feature Film at the Dingle Distillery International Film Festival.
Directed by Brendan Canty and starring Diarmuid Noyes and Danny Power, Christy tells the story of two estranged brothers confronting their troubled past. The film opened the festival on Friday night and has been adding to a string of recent accolades.
Now in its third year, the festival drew a mix of Irish and international talent to the Kerry town, with appearances from Game of Thrones star Aidan Gillen and producers Winston and Joe Azzopardi of Gladiator II.
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern joined audiences for a screening of Alan Gilsenan's documentary The Irish Question, which explores the future of a united Ireland and features contributions from Bill Clinton and Mary Lou McDonald. The film received a special mention in the Documentary category.
Among the weekend’s other award winners were Jeda de Brí’s Naked Lights, which won the Dovinia Award for Best International Short, and A New Kind of Wilderness by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, named Best International Documentary.
Aidan Gillen, who took part in a Paths to Success talk, praised the festival’s atmosphere, saying Daingean Uí Chúis (Dingle) "has a certain magic about it" and that the reopening of the Phoenix Cinema under the ownership of Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness would add even more to the event’s future.
The festival also placed strong emphasis on the Irish language, featuring bilingual screenings and workshops with filmmaker Ruán Magan, who spoke about the "fascinating" future of Irish-language storytelling.
