IFTN launch the Irish Film & Television Awards

The Irish Film & Television Awards was officially launched at a star studded party on Wednesday evening in the ICE bar in the Four Season’s Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
At the star studded launch party were Keira Knightley, Antoine Facqua (Director of ‘King Arthur’, ‘Training Day’), Italian actress, Stefania Orsola Garello (King Arthur), Liz Bonnin, Caroline Morahan, Louise Loughlin, Alan Hughes, Debbie O’Donnell, leading members of cast of Fair City and The Clinic, to name but a few.
Film and Television heavyweights attending included: Kevin Linehan, Entertainment Commissioning Editor for RTE, Kevin Moriarty, Ardmore Studios, Stuart Switzer producer of Cabin Fever, Tim Morris of Windmillane, Larry Bass, producer of ‘You’re a Star’, Alan Moloney of Parallel Producers, Orla McKibben and Julian Simmons of UTV, amongst others.
In her speech, Aine Moriarty, CEO IFTN said: “It is important to have a platform to honour and celebrate outstanding Irish achievement; to have an Irish benchmark; to set an Irish standard for young Irish craftspeople to aspire to in the future; to receive recognition within an Irish awards system that has international profile and status”.
Those voicing support for the Awards included the Minister for the Arts, Sports and Tourism, John O’Donoghue. He said: “In any industry, the opportunity to celebrate achievement and innovation is important. This is also the case with the film industry and I welcome Irish Film and Television Network’s contribution to this celebration. The IFTN Awards is focused on bringing international status and profile to the Irish film and television industry by showcasing the wealth of Irish talent and expertise. This is an important opportunity for the industry to increase its standing internationally, to gain a higher profile with Irish and international audiences and more importantly to celebrate the talent of Irish filmmakers, actors and craftspeople”.
Jim Sheridan, a member of the Awards Committee, added: “This is a great initiative. I’m delighted to be associated with the Awards, as I think it is a good thing to award Irish successes, and as it’s important to remind ourselves of how much creative talent there is in this country.”
The Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday November 1 in Dublin, and will be televised on primetime RTE.
Organisers, IFTN, opened a call for entries for award nominations on Friday August 1 and this will close on Friday August 29.
Visit www.iftn.ie/awards for the entry form and further details.
(SP)