Irish Film & TV Academy Winners; Javier Bardem Pic Rolls In Spain; Tallinn Black Nights Diversity Prize; Carol Rhyu To Helm ‘Chap And Grind’ – Global Film Briefs

Tom Grater
·3 min read

The winners of the 2020 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards were announced last night, with Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson pic Ordinary Love winning Best Film, presented by Martin Scoresese. Tom Vaughan-Lawlor won Best Actor in Film for Rialto, which also scooped the Scriptwriter prize for Mark O’Halloran. Paddy Breathnach took Best Director for Rosie. Jessie Buckley won two awards: Best Actress In Film for Wild Rose as well as Supporting Actress Drama for Chernobyl. Niamh Algar also took two prizes: Supporting Actress Film for Calm With Horses and Leading Actress Drama for The Virtues. Also on the TV side, Blood won Best Drama, Andrew Scott took Best Actor Drama for Black Mirror: Smithereens, Mark O’Halloran won Supporting Actor Drama for The Virtues, Dearbhla Walsh won Director Drama for The Handmaid’s Tale, and Mark O’Rowe won Scriptwriter Drama for Temple. Aisling Franciosi Won the Screen Ireland Rising Star prize. “Little did we know what strange times lay ahead that we are witnessing now, and it appears to me that we are all having to reinvent cinema now, and that’s a good thing, it is,” said Scorsese when presenting at the virtual ceremony. “Because now, more than ever, we need the moving image. We need vision, creativity and storytelling that takes us on a journey and opens us, enlightens us, opens our hearts and our minds, and there’s something about Ireland and Irish storytelling that is universal that connects with everyone in the world. John Ford knew that, and I know that.”

Filming is underway on the Javier Bardem-starring feature The Good Boss, which reunites the actor with filmmaker Fernando León de Aranoa after they previously shot pics including Mondays In The Sun back in 2002. The new project also reunites producers The Mediapro Studio and Reposado PC, and it will also explore many of the themes from the previous feature, which won the Golden Shell at San Sebastian as well as five Goyas. Bardem stars as an owner of a family business in this tragicomedy that takes a fierce and comical look at personal and industrial relations in the company of 50 employees. The project will shoot in Mardid and is aiming to wrap in December. Mk2 is handling sales.

Estonia’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival will introduce the DDA Spotlight Award this year to recognize an artist or filmmaker whose recent work takes a concerted step forward in improving diversity and inclusion in the film industry and cinema culture. The fest is teaming with communications company DDA on the award, which marks the outfit’s 50th anniversary this year. DDA founder Davidson has a long-standing relationship with the event having served as jury president in 2017. The recipient of the award will be announced in November, prior to the festival (November 13-29).

EXCLUSIVE: Carol Rhyu (Loves Park) will direct U.S. feature Chop And Grind. The horror-comedy, targeted to go into production in early 2021, tells of a butcher and her sister who struggle to keep the family deli open until a crime of passion turns a dead mobster into a wildly popular salami. Sheryl Robb and Marc Martinez of Robb Squad will produce alongside Jeremy Del Real, Eric Williford and Jeffrey Tompkins of Xennial Pictures. Robb Squad, run by industry vet Sheryl Robb of management company The Robb Company, and Marc Martinez, are currently producing a slate of thriller and horror features.

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