Ciaran Cassidy’s Housewife of the Year to compete for inaugural Latin American Critics‘ Award for European Films
Posted: 25th April 2024
Ciaran Cassidy's Housewife of the Year has been selected as one of 23 European films competing for the new Latin American Critics‘ Award for European Films, which was announced by European Film Promotion (EFP) for the first time today. 34 Latin American film critics from 13 Latin American countries will first decide on their top three favourites before announcing and presenting the winning film during the Guadalajara Film Festival (7 – 15 June, 2024).
Housewife of the Year was selected as Ireland's submission following its World Premiere at the prestigious CPH:DOX festival in March.
A staple of Irish television between 1968 and 1995, it would be hard to believe ‘Housewife of the Year’, the surreal television competition celebrating the role of the housewife, actually existed – if it were not for the treasure trove of archive footage and accounts from ex-contestants. Through the testimonies of past contestants, Ciaran Cassidy's documentary looks back on a beige-coloured chapter in Irish TV history and explores the shocking gap between what the audience saw on television and the reality of life for women in Ireland at the time.
Housewife of the Year is produced by Maria Horgan for Little Wing Films. It is proudly supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, RTÉ, SVT, DR and NRK.
The other selected European films are Veni, Vidi,Vici by Daniel Hoesl (Austria), Holly by Fien Troch (Belgium), Excursion by Una Gunjak (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Dyad by Yana Titova (Bulgaria), Embryo Larva Butterfly by Kyros Papavasiliou (Cyprus), Brothers by Tomáš Mašín (Czech Republic), The Invisible Fight by Rainer Sarnet (Estonia), Once Upon a Time in a Forest (Finland), The Teachers’ Lounge by İlker Çatak (Germany), Animal by Sofia Exarchou (Greece), Pelikan Blue by László Csáki (Hungary), Solitude by Ninna Rún Pálmadóttir (Iceland), Phantom Youth by Luàna Bajrami (Kosovo*), Wolfkin (Kommunioun) by Jacques Molitor (Luxembourg), Zivi Zdravi/Forever Hold Your Peace by Ivan Marinović (Montenegro), Bad Living by João Canijo (Portugal), Guardians of Formula by Dragan Bjelogrlić (Serbia), Observing by Janez Burger (Slovenia), Together 99 by Lukas Moodysson (Sweden), Reinas by Klaudia Reynicke (Switzerland), Sweet Dreams by Ena Sendijarević (The Netherlands) and Layla by Amrou Al-Khadi (UK).
With the first Latin American Critics’ Award for European Films, EFP is now focusing on the Central and South American continent and aims to boost the visibility and circulation of European films and “festival hits” in Latin America.
The Latin American Critics’ Award in cooperation with the Guadalajara Film Festival is made possible thanks to the national film promotion institutes. LatAm cinema and Cineuropa are the media partners.