BSE documentary wins European TV award for RTE

RTÉ documentary 'Dead Silence', which tells the harrowing story of how BSE affected two Irish families and was shown as part of RTE's 'True Lives' documentary strand last October, has won a prestigious European television award.
Cork-born Producer/Director Adrian McCarthy, was presented with the Grand Prix Regional Documentary award at the 20th Annual Conference of Circom Regional in Kosice, Slovakia, on Tuesday May 28.
Judges were looking for "evidence of a strong storyline and outstanding professionalism in direction and technique".
RTÉ Commissioning Editor Ray McCarthy said: "Adrian did an outstanding job in committing a lot of time and energy to getting close to those families affected and this closeness enabled some remarkable stories to be told."
The 'True Lives' documentary, which recently received a special mention at the Celtic Film Festival, captures the traumatic and emotional moments which Irish farmers went through last year as they dealt with having their animals destroyed due to BSE.
'Dead Silence' was made by Wildfire Films for RTÉ and gives an insight into farming life in Ireland in the early 21st century - the hard grind of daily life on the farm and the relationship between farmers and their animals.
"It is their story and we talk about their lives as farmers and how they deal with the stigma, with neighbours, the financial implications, and of course the waiting for the animals to go and the day after - the silence," said Adrian McCarthy, whose previous
documentaries include 'To Russia with Love' and the
award-winning 'Blowing the Whistle' which investigated
the world of a Gaelic Football referee.
RTÉ, www.rte.ie
(GMcG)