Irish short film lands Italian award

An Irish animated film has scooped a prestigious award at the 51st Taormina Film Festival in Italy.

Agricultural Report, directed by Melina Sydney Padua, won the BNL Prize for Best Short at the Festival. Taormina is the oldest and second largest film festival in Italy, after the Venice International Film Festival.

The festival attracts a host of guests from the international film industry and this year the International Jury was presided over by Hugh Hudson and made up of legendary actor Malcolm McDowell, Moritz de Hadeln, Diego Lerer, and Laura Morante.

Agricultural Report beat off stiff competition from 12 other short films selected from all over the world, including the US and Australia, to pick up the much sought after Best Short Award and a cash prize of €5,000.

Producer Barry O’Donoghue, who flew out to the festival to collect the award, said “We are delighted to have been honoured with this major prize at such a prestigious festival, especially as we were the only animated film amongst such a strong selection.

"It is also fantastic to have Melina’s talent recognised on the international stage, especially as we are currently developing an animated feature together.“

Agricultural Report is a short comedy about the ignorance of bliss and was produced as part of the Irish Film Board Short Shorts scheme and has picked up a host of awards to date including the Prix de Public (Audience Award) at the Festival de Trés Courts 2005, and the Award for Creativity in 3D Animation at the Digital Media Awards 2005 amongst others.

Agricultural Report was also released in Irish cinemas with the feature film Super Size Me last year.

The new line up of Short Shorts will premiere at the 17th Galway Film Festival on Sunday July 9.