Eavan King, Foyle Film Festival Competition Manger presenting the Light in Motion (LIM) award for Best Irish Short Film to Northern Ireland-born director and writer, Stephen Fingleton.
Enniskillen-born director and writer, Stephen Fingleton has made it one step closer to an Oscar nomination after picking up the Light in Motion (LIM) award for Best Irish Short Film at the Foyle Film Festival’s closing ceremony in Brunswick Moviebowl.
Born in Derry and raised in Enniskillen, Stephen was awarded the prize for his gripping film SLR, which follows Elliott, played by Liam Cunningham, who is obsessed with ‘voyeur pornography’ and after making a shocking discovery, forces him onto the trail of an anonymous photographer known only by his online username ANORAK.
Earlier this year Stephen made it onto Screen International’s prestigious annual shortlist of the Stars of Tomorrow.
The list boasts an impressive track record in successfully predicting the future success of stars including; Emily Blunt, Hayley Atwell, Andrea Riseborough, Gemma Arterton, Carey Mulligan and Tom Hiddleston.
This year’s Light in Motion winners also included; director Anthony Powell, for his documentary, Antarctica: A Year on Ice, while the Irish Animation award went to Eoin Duffy for The Missing Scarf, an entertaining take on the existentialist crisis facing a posse of very cute woodland animals.
Robert Grieves took home the Best International animation award for Sausage, a funny tale of turf wars in an artisan food market and Talkon Hamzavi won the Best Short film for Parvaneh, the beautifully executed tale of an unlikely friendship between an Afghan immigrant and a punk.
Since 1999, recipients of the Foyle Film Festival LIM Award, sponsored by City of Derry Crystal, qualify for consideration in the Short Films Category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run.
Previous competitors who have proceeded to win the Oscar® include: Terry George for The Shore (2012), Martin McDonagh for Six Shooter (2006), Adam Elliot for Harvie Krumpet (2003), and Eric Armstrong for Chubbchubbs (2002).
Speaking at the festival’s gala closing, Bernie McLaughlin, Foyle Film Festival director, congratulated all the winners: ‘The standard of entries to this year’s Light in Motion Awards, was incredibly high so our judges had a few hard decisions to make along the way. We wish all of the filmmakers continued success in their careers.
“As with previous winners it’s a case of ‘watch this space’.”
The festival wrapped last night in Brunswick Moviebowl after five days and nights of screenings and workshops.
The Foyle Film Festival is a flagship project of the Nerve Centre, supported by Northern Ireland Screen and Derry City Council.
