As If I Am Not There Scores a Hat Trick at Irish Film and Television Awards
Juanita Wilson's debut feature film AS IF I AM NOT THERE has picked up three major awards at the Irish Film and Television Awards over the weekend.The Bosnian war drama which was written and directed by Wilson scooped the Best Film, Best Director and Best Script accolades at the ceremony which took place on Saturday night in Dublin's new Convention Centre. Wilson, whose short film THE DOOR was nominated for a Best Short Film Oscar last year was named as one of Variety's Ten Directors to Watch in 2011 earlier this year.
AS IF I AM NOT THERE will be competing against The Social Network, The Kings Speech and The Kids Are Alright at the Cinema for Peace Awards in Berlin tonight for the Most Valuable Movie of the Year. The film has been nominated for bringing attention to crimes against humanity and particularly women in Bosnia. The IFTA-winning Irish documentary THE PIPE is also up for an award having been nominated for the International Green Film Award.
ABOUT AS IF I AM NOT THERE
Juanita Wilson's critically acclaimed directorial debut AS IF I AM NOT THERE tells the story of a young woman from Sarajevo whose life is shattered the day a young soldier walks into her apartment and tells her to pack her things. Rounded up with the other women from the village and imprisoned in a warehouse in a remote region of Bosnia, she quickly learns the rules of camp life.
AS IF I AM NOT THERE premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September and received six IFTA nominations. It will screen at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival later this month. The film was produced by Nathalie Lichtenthaler and James Flynn for Octagon Films. It will hit Irish cinemas in March and will be distributed by Element Pictures Distribution.
ABOUT THE CINEMA FOR PEACE AWARDS
The annual Cinema for Peace Awards seek to promote valuable films and attract worldwide attention to important social issues covered in films. The main focus is on the humanitarian value of the films. Cinema for Peace rewards dedicated filmmaking in terms of communicating ethical values, tolerance and intercultural understanding, as well as raising critical awareness for current challenges of our time. Unlike festival awards, the Cinema for Peace Award honours not primarily the quality of the cinematic achievement, but first of all the social idea, the humanitarian dedication of the project as well as the significant contribution to a critical examination of ideal values such as freedom of opinion and democracy.