It' showbiz awards season in the USA, and Ireland picked up another win this week. No Worries, took home the Mariposa Dorada for Best Animated of the Year and the Palma Dorada for Best Animated Short of the Winter Season at the San Diego Short Film Festival.
The short animation, commissioned as park of the Sparks initiative for RTÉ KIDS, was Directed by Chris Dicker and Produced by Lena Byrne of Dublin's D11 Stories and stars PJ Gallagher, Cillian Sullivan and Emma Doran.
It tells the story of 10-year-old PJ, played by Cillian Sullivan, whose anxiety manifests as a 300-pound gorilla only he can see - played by PJ Gallagher! Now he has to face his fears, a smelly schoolbag and last year’s lunch.
No Worries is streaming now on RTÉ Player!
Director and Co-Writer Chris Dicker said: "We're incredibly proud to see No Worries do so well on the festival circuit. From the start, we wanted to tell an honest story about how anxiety can show up, unapologetically and without warning. It doesn't care who you are.
"If the film helps even one person through a tough moment, then we’ve done our job. And hopefully it helps keep the conversation around mental health going, a conversation PJ has so bravely started.
The award-winning short was inspired by PJ Gallagher and the play Madhouse - written by PJ and Una McKevitt.
PJ said: "It's great to see our little project win so big across the water and in San Diego. It's a 2-minute film and it’s now travelled all across the world and it's winning the awards.
"It means an awful lot that you can just open your mouth and talk about anxiety and have it relate to not just to an Irish audience, but a global audience, not just to kids but to adults as well. It's something we can all be pretty proud of and here’s hoping we get to do it all again."
Eimear O'Mahony, Executive Producer from RTÉ KIDS said: "I'm thrilled to see No Worries appeal being recognised far and wide. It goes to show no matter how uniquely Irish a film is a good story will have global appeal."
No Worries is part of Sparks: School's Out, a magnificent series of seven short original Irish animations, each offering a unique take on the end of the school term - but perfect to stream any time of the year!
From robot classrooms and shifting seasons to the quiet loneliness of a school caretaker after the final bell, these bite sized stories capture the joy, curiosity, and unexpected emotions that come with the start of summer.
Stream Schools' Out and Home from the Sparks series here now on RTÉ Player.
