FRANKIE wins Best Short Film at the European Film Awards
Darren Thornton's short film FRANKIE has scooped the European Film Academy Award for Best Short Film at the annual ceremony over the weekend. Thornton was in Copenhagen to pick up the award at the ceremony which was attended by the elite of European cinema.On winning the prize he said "We are so delighted with this award. The fact that short films are acknowledged at such a prestigious event shows the value placed on short films in Europe. We put this success down to Ryan Andrew's beautiful performance. It is so rewarding to have all our hard work recognized by the European Film Academy".
This is the second time in three years which an Irish film has received this prestigious prize with Ken Wardrop's Undressing My Mother winning the same award in 2005.
Produced by Collette Farrell for Calipo Picture Company, FRANKIE follows a day in the life of Frankie, a 15 year old boy who is preparing for fatherhood. It was produced as part of the Short Cuts scheme which is co-funded by IFB and RTE and has had a very successful year screening at many international festivals and picking up the UIP Prix Award for Best Short Film at the Berlinale Film Festival earlier this year.
The European Film Awards aim to promote European film culture and are Europe's equivalent to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards.