Six vie for prestigious film award

THE shortlist for the fourth annual Irish Council for Civil Liberties Human Rights Film Awards has been announced in Dublin by a celebrity jury that includes Oscar winner Brenda Fricker, Oscar nominated director Kirsten Sheridan and Senator David Norris.

Announcing the shortlist in a ceremony at the Irish Film Censors’ Office in Smithfield, jury member Kirsten Sheridan said: “The six films shortlisted this year focus sharply on the need to improve respect for the human rights of vulnerable groups.

“The ‘stars’ of this year’s films are dissidents, exploited labourers, children separated from their parents, Travellers living in squalor, same-sex couples reluctant to express their love, and couples grappling with adoption dilemmas. Our shortlisted filmmakers capture the dignity of these vulnerable people as they struggle for the respect to which they are entitled.”