Short Doc ALIBI Scoops Special Jury Prize at Iranian Festival
Irish short documentary ALIBI which was written and directed by Darren Bolger scooped a Special Jury Prize at the Cinéma Vérité Iran International Documentary Film Festival which took place earlier this month in Tehran.ALIBI tells the story of Phyllis Murphy who is brutally murdered in a small Irish town while returning to her family for Christmas. When questioned by the police, Paddy gives his friend and workmate John a cover story. Twenty years later, Paddy's lies are exposed through the DNA tests of the police coldcase team. John is arrested for murder, and Paddy's seemingly innocent lie is now an alibi.
The close knit community is in turmoil. ALIBI looks at the personal impact of Paddy's decision on both families and the local community. Paddy has recently passed away, and in a town where most things remain unspoken, this may be the first time the families feel they can talk.
Produced by Caroline Campbell for Still Films through the BSÉ/IFB Reality Bites scheme, ALIBI premiered at the Corona Cork Film Festival last year and has since been selected to screen at numerous festivals including Edinburgh, JDIFF, IFI Stranger Than Fiction Festival, Curtocircuito International Short Film Festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Leipzig DOK festival and the Galway Film Fleadh where it received an honorable mention for Best Short Documentary Award. It is also set to screen at the upcoming Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin/Madrid, a showcase for New Cinema and Contemporary Art.
Oliver Grogan, the Irish Ambassador to Iran, attended the closing ceremony of the festival in Tehran and accepted the award for ALIBI on behalf of the filmmakers. The festival which took place from the 8th-12th November, is organised by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center and is the main centre for production, distribution and promotion of fiction, documentary, animation and experimental films in the Middle East.