Galway filmmaker Jamie Costello was announced as the winner of one of the major categories at the Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year awards last night.
The young director took home the RTÉ Factual Award at the for his documentary Buzz, which focused on upcoming local indie rock band Bees & Sawdust.
The short documentary takes an intimate look into the band’s inner chemistry, how they came together and how their music affects the people of Galway.
Seventeen-year-old Dublin student Max Hendrickson was named the overall Young Filmmaker of the Year 2023 for his short animated film The Tell-Tale Heart, a re-telling of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short story.
Hailing from Cabra, Max is no stranger to the awards having entered the globally renowned international event annually since the age of 12, scooping the Outstanding Animation award at Ireland’s Junior Filmmaker of the Year in 2018.
Speaking of Max’s film, Fresh International Film Festival Director Jayne Foley said: “We have watched Max Hendrickson grow as a filmmaker and storyteller over the last five years, honing his skills, exploring new formats of the art form and bringing stories to life through animation.
“Fresh Film looks forward to seeing Max’s personal journey in film unfold in the coming years and we have no doubt that he will feature strongly in Ireland’s exciting animation and filmmaking industries.
“All 34 nominees this year produced outstanding work, the level of creativity, imagination and skill is inspiring, and we are immensely proud to continue to nurture, mentor and showcase Ireland’s future filmmaking talent with the support of so many generous partners.”
Hendrickson was one of thirteen award recipients at the 2023 IYFTYs, which were broadcast on RTÉ2 on April 12, hosted by Stephen Byrne and Gemma Bradley.
All 34 shortlisted films, made by young people, for young people, can be seen on the Fresh International Film Festival YouTube Channel.
Second place went to 16-year-old Glen Bowler from Kerry for his film The Legend of Patrick Greenwood, while third place went to 15 and 16-year-old cousins Ella and Caoimhe McGuigan from Dublin for their film Sticky Note.
Seventeen-year-old Dubliner Eve Duffy won Best Performance for her role in Shell which she also wrote and directed.
Eighteen-year-old Kerryman Malachaí Ó Ciardhubháin won Best Screenplay for his Irish language short Nellie, while 15-year-old Limerick Director Izzy Dalton and Emerging Limerick Filmmakers were awarded the prize for Best Group for their film Killer Krush.
Avondale Community College students from Wicklow had a double success on the night winning Best School with director Maria Nogales Cid’s short Vivamus, Moriendum Est, while Killian Foley was awarded the RTÉ 60 Second Award for his short form work A New Terrain.
Alanna C. Cusack (15) from Cavan took home the award for Best Director for her short film Reprisal and 18-year-old Dubliner Luka Magot was awarded Best Art Direction for his short Doomed Choice.
The Best Animation award went to Westmeath’s Tristan Seery for Friends Forever, Rhianna Woods from Leitrim won the Radharc Trust Award for her short I’ll Know and young Galway director Jamie Costello won the RTÉ Factual Award for his music documentary Buzz.
Presented annually by Fresh International Film Festival, RTÉ and Screen Ireland, the IYFTYs celebrate the filmmaking work of young people aged 7 to 18 years.
They reflect both the unique stories and shared experiences of global youth. This year, Fresh International Film Festival, generously supported by the Arts Council and many other partners and sponsors, welcomed more than a thousand short film submissions.
