Outstanding Success for Award-Winning Irish Short Film Runners in US
The award-winning Irish short film Runners, directed by Rob and Ronan Burke, has picked up the Best International Short Film at the Malibu Film Festival and has also been selected as a finalist at the Producers Guild of America's "Producers Challenge" which will take place during the "Produced By" conference in Los Angeles from 4th-6th June.
Runners, which stars Mark Butler (Song For A Raggy Boy) and Aidan Gillen (The Wire) tells the story of eighteen year old Derek, who is finding it increasingly difficult to juggle his ‘career' as a drugs runners while also maintaining a relationship and a family.
Produced by John Wallace for Black Sheep Productions (Corduroy), the short film has previously scooped the Best Short Film at the IFTAs and received a Jury Commendation at the Belfast Film Festival earlier this year. If will also screen at the Corona Fastnet Film Festival this month. It was financed through the IFB Signatures scheme.
Runners will now compete against three other short films selected for the Narrative Shorts category of the "Producers Challenge" which is intended to promote the work of emerging storytellers, spotlighting producers who demonstrate outstanding promise in the their respective fields and gaining access to top professionals.
The "Producers Challenge" will take place during the second annual "Produced By" Conference hosted by the Producers Guild of America at Fox Studios in Los Angeles from 4th - 6th June 2010.