Double win for The Secret of Kells filmmakers at Cartoon Movie 2009
The filmmakers of the Irish animated feature film The Secret of Kells, which is on release in cinemas nationwide today, have scooped two major awards at the 11th Cartoon Movie in Lyon, France. Tomm Moore who directed the film has been named Director of the Year, while its producers, Cartoon Saloon have been named Producers of the Year.This is the second Producer of the Year award Cartoon Saloon have received after already scooping the Producer of the Year accolade at Cartoon Forum in Ludwigsburg, Germany last September. Cartoon Saloon is a multi-award winning animation company based in Kilkenny. The Secret of Kells has been receiving critical acclaim since being officially selected for the Generation KPlus section of the Berlin International Film Festival and screening as the closing gala event at the Dublin International Film Festival last month while their television series Skunk Fu!, directed by Aidan Harte has been sold to television stations all over the world.
Tomm Moore was the winner of 'The Directors Finders Series' last year which resulted in The Secret of Kells being showcased in the Director's Guild of America Theatre, Sunset Boulevard, L.A to an audience of American distributors and industry personnel last September.
Cartoon Movie is a co-production forum for feature-length animation where European producers have an opportunity to present their animation projects to about 500 professionals in order to negotiate financing, to find partners and to interest distributors.
The Secret of Kells received funding from the IFB, BCI, France 2 Cinema, Eurimages, Media programme, Canal+ Cine cinema, Conseil General de la Charente, Piste rouge, Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté Française de Belgique et des Télédistributeurs Wallons, Promimage and Wallimage.
The film is released in cinemas nationwide from Friday 6th March by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International (Ireland).