Hungry For Prizes

Along with news that Hunger, the Northern Ireland-made film from the multi award-winning creative team of British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen and Irish writer Enda Walsh has won the top prize at the Sydney Film Festival's inaugural competition, another UK-made production has scooped two gold Lions at this year's Cannes Lions 2008
The Australian judges choose Hunger for "its controlled clarity of vision, its extraordinary detail and bravery, the dedication of its cast and the power and resonance of its humanity".
Hunger is a 'challenging' film about the 1981 IRA hunger strike and the death of Bobby Sands (pictured) in the Maze Prison, and is produced by Laura Hastings-Smith from Blast! Films and executive produced by Robin Gutch with financing from Channel 4/Film 4, Northern Ireland Screen, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland and the Wales Creative IP Fund.
Hunger also won the Camera d'Or at the Festival de Cannes in May after opening Un Certain Regard section.
Meanwhile, Nexus Productions has announced that they have scooped a top two 'gold' Lions at this year's Cannes Lions 2008.
Both golds were won in the Film Lions category for Nexus' Damn Boots web film directed by Woof Wan-Bau working with new agency Johannes Leonardo.
One gold was won in the Clothing, Footwear & Accessories category and the second in the Best Use of Music category.
The two minute film is for the Nomis Sports AG football boots and takes the viewer through the twist and turns of a young footballer's career from glittering early success to an injury-plagued downfall.
The viewer follows the footballer as he watches scenes from his own life play out before him, his choice of football boot setting off a disastrous chain of events.
Woof Wan-Bau added: "The web film format of the spot allowed me to make something that didn't have to be squeezed into the normal 30-60 seconds which meant that we didn't have to rush the sequences along and that we could try something a little different.
"Pretty much everything was achieved in camera for aesthetic reasons, so it was a huge job for the art department and wardrobe to have everything ready and working on time."
In addition to the two golds, Woof Wan-Bau also won first prize at the cfp-e/shots Young Director Awards 2008 for 'Damn Boot's.
(BMcC)