16 February 2023
Five films, including three Irish entries, will be judged by a jury including Kin actress Clare Dunne and Virgin Media presenter Claire Brock
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has announced the five films which have been nominated for the ICCL Human Rights Film Award at Dublin International Film Festival.
The winning film will be decided by a six-strong jury chaired by disability and LGBTQ+ rights activist Suzy Byrne. Suzy is joined on the panel by activist and academic, Yara Alagha; TV presenter, Claire Brock; activist and founder of Black and Irish, Leon Diop; actor, writer and previous winner of the award, Clare Dunne; and director Emer Reynolds.
The five nominated films are:
406 Days
In the early days of the pandemic, the retailer Debenhams closed its Irish stores and filed for liquidation. As a consequence, staff began picketing, citing unfair terms of dismissal. The dispute became one of the longest in the history of Irish industrial relations, with workers holding the lines for 406 days until a court resolution. DIFF award-winning director Joe Lee charts the workers’ resilience as they refused to back down and squared off against a big business.
Showing Saturday 4 March, 8.00pm @ Light House Cinema, Dublin (DIFF Closing Gala)
Ann
Based on the true story that shocked Ireland and the world, Ciaran Creagh’s drama is set over the course of one day in 15-year-old Ann Lovett’s life. It’s 1984, and realising that she is about to give birth, the teenager (Zara Devlin) goes to the grotto of her local church. Frightened and alone, Creagh’s film shines a light on the tragedy of a young woman whose story invoked impassioned calls for change.
Showing Sunday 26 February, 5.40pm @ Light House Cinema, Dublin
My Imaginary Country (Mi País Imaginario)
It was an uprising that 80-year-old documentarian Patricio Guzmán had been waiting for his entire life. When a million and a half people took to the streets of Chile’s capital seeking justice under Pinochet’s oppressive regime, he felt a sense of hope. Guzmán’s intimate and very personal documentary recounts his own history of demanding a better way of life. Using powerful imagery, footage and photography, it is a testament to the power of protest.
Showing Friday 3 March, 6.30pm @ Light House Cinema, Dublin
Available to stream online from Friday 3 March, 7.30pm
Pray for Our Sinners
Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Sinead O’Shea trains her lens towards the everyday citizens pushing back against powerful establishments. In doing so, they confront the Catholic Church’s history of brutality against women and children, from corporal punishment to state-sanctioned mother and baby homes. In a deeply moving and personal film, O’Shea returns to her home town of Navan to chronicle the courage and stories of those who stood up to authority.
Showing Friday 3 March, 8.30pm @ Light House Cinema, Dublin
The Beasts
A French couple seek a simpler way of life in this mystery thriller from filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen (‘Madre’). Olga and Antoine have long settled in a picturesque village in Galicia – but their relationship with some locals is not as peaceful as they’d hoped for. When a dispute with neighbouring brothers escalates, there are terrible consequences in a film described by Screen International as “A terrific psychological thriller and a brooding, muscular piece of filmmaking”.
Showing Tuesday 28 February, 5.50pm @ Light House Cinema, Dublin
The winning film will be announced at the Dublin International Film Festival Awards on Sunday 26 February. Tickets to all the screenings are available from www.diff.ie.
Ends/
Available for comment: Jury members
For media queries: ruth.mccourt@iccl.ie / 087 415 7162
Jury Member Bios
Suzy Byrne (disability activist and chairperson of ICCL)
Suzy Byrne is a disabled woman, activist and broadcaster. She is Chairperson of the ICCL Board of Directors and regional manager for the National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities. Suzy was co-chairperson of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) during the campaign to decriminalise homosexuality in 1993 and has also chaired the International Lesbian and Gay Youth Organisation. (IGLYO).
Yara Alagha (activist and academic)
Yara Alagha is a researcher in equity in education at the University of Sheffield. She formerly served as a parliamentary researcher in the Seanad. Yara is a board member of Amal Women’s Association, working to improve the lives and conditions of migrant and Muslim women across the country. She previously served as a board member for Women for Election, an NGO working to support women success in Irish politics. She holds an MA in political communication from TU Dublin and is a guest lecturer at DCU in the Department of Education with focus on anti-racism education.
Claire Brock (TV presenter, Virgin Media)
With twenty years in broadcasting, Claire Brock is an experienced news presenter, interviewer and moderator. She is a presenter on Virgin Media News, where she fronts The Tonight Show. Claire’s career has spanned both television and radio where she has presented news and current affairs covering the major news stories of the day, special live events, and interviews.
Leon Diop (activist and founder of Black and Irish)
Leon Diop is a 28-year-old mixed-race man from Tallaght in Dublin. He attended Maynooth University where he received a degree in psychology and also served as student union president for two years. In 2020, he founded the organisation Black and Irish alongside two others. Black and Irish is now an organisation working on behalf of the black community across different sectors in Ireland.
Clare Dunne (actor, writer and previous winner of the award for ‘Herself’)
Clare is a writer and actress currently most known for playing Amanda in Kin on RTE. At first working mainly in theatre across numerous stages in the world, Clare eventually wrote her first feature film ‘Herself’, which she also starred in. It premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival and was the closing film for DIFF 2020, winning the Human Rights Film Award and an IFTA for Best Script in 2021. ‘One Good Conversation’ is Clare’s debut as a director and can be seen in the Shorts programme at this year’s Dublin International Film Festival.
Emer Reynolds (director)
Following a successful 20-year career as a film editor, spanning feature film, television drama and documentary, Emer Reynolds transitioned into directing. She began with feature documentaries, including the Grierson-nominated ‘Here Was Cuba’, the Emmy Award winning space documentary ‘The Farthest’ and the critically acclaimed ‘Phil Lynott: Songs for While I’m Away’. Emer’s debut narrative feature, ‘Joyride’, starring Olivia Colman and newcomer Charlie Reid, was released in 2022.
