Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) has announced that the winner of the inaugural Best New Irish Feature award at the Festival is Paul Mercier’s Prospect House.
In congratulating all five eligible filmmakers, and the teams who supported them, the Jury were unanimous in selecting, as the winning entry for the inaugural Cork International Film Festival ‘Best New Irish Feature Award’, supported by the Irish Examiner, Paul Mercier’s compelling film Prospect House.
The Jury comprised Academy Award®-winning film producer, education luminary and CIFF Patron, Lord David Puttnam; award-winning filmmaker Carmel Winters; and filmmaker / Head of Doc Station Berlinale, Zeynop Güzel.
The Jury decision was announced in front of a sold-out auditorium in The Everyman for the Irish premiere of All Of Us Strangers on Sunday November 19th.
Lord David Puttnam, Festival Patron and Chair of the Jury, said "As a Jury, we all felt it came across as a beautifully written, well-constructed and highly idiosyncratic parable. We felt it was a timely tale, a film which from start to finish kept its promise to its audience. Whilst always being very clearly Paul’s voice, it succeeded in achieving a seamless transition from its internal theatricality to a genuine cinematic experience in a way that spoke to all of us."
Fiona Clark, Festival Director and CEO, said “All five films in competition for Best New Irish Feature this year were remarkable examples of the diverse storytelling and dynamic energy of Irish filmmakers at the moment, and it was an honour to showcase every one of these features at Cork International Film Festival. We wish Prospect House every success with its ongoing journey reaching audiences in Ireland and beyond.”
Tom Fitzpatrick, Editor of The Irish Examiner, said "I am proud to have the Irish Examiner partner with CIFF on this inaugural award. Though there could only be one winner, each shortlisted entrant has now had their work adjudicated by CIFF patron and Academy Award®-winner Lord David Puttnam, a real testament to the quality of this Cork festival which is getting stronger every year and deserves all of our support."
Prospect House tells of a group of protesters who film a period re-enactment in a dilapidated 18th century house in a last ditch effort to save it from demolition. Through this film-within-a-film device, Paul Mercier’s satirical script gleefully blurs the lines between “real life” and dramatised events, while touching on a dizzying range of themes such as art, historical truth and conservation. The film is fuelled by an anarchic energy and propelled by Mel Mercier’s driving score. The Irish premiere screening was followed by a Q&A session with the film's director, Paul Mercier, and the producers, in The Everyman on Friday November 17th.
There were five films eligible for Best New Irish Feature at CIFF 2023: One Night In Millstreet; So This Is Christmas; The Days Of Trees; and All You Need Is Death, along with Prospect House.
Cork International Film Festival continues to run until Sunday November 26th across Cork city and county, attracting huge audiences to World Premieres along with Irish premieres, with many filmmakers in attendance.
Cork International Film Festival teamed up with six Cork city- and county-wide venues for ‘Super Cine Saturday’ on 25th November. The Reel Picture Ballincollig and Blackpool; Cinemax Bantry; Gate Cinemas Midleton and Mallow; and Regal Cinema Youghal will exclusively show a ‘Taste of CIFF’ with three specially selected feature films from the 68th Festival programme.
All tickets on sale now at corkfilmfest.org and the MyCIFF app.
The 68th Cork International Film Festival will run from Thursday 9th to Sunday 26th November, 2023. For more information and to view the full programme visit corkfilmfest.org.
