Category: Film Festival

CATALYST BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD

Amy-Joyce was the winner of the Best Short Screenplay Award 2023 for her screenplay Perspective at the Catalyst International Film Festival. This prestigious award is sponsored by the Writers Guild of Ireland, of which Amy-Joyce now becomes a member. Catalyst International Film Festival, now in its 5th year, is a festival championing diverse voices and it was founded by the president of Women in Film & Television International, Dr. Susan Liddy.

The award was adjudicated by writer/director Frank Berry (Aisha, Michael Inside) and writer Ursula Rani Sarma (Smother). Amy-Joyce additionally enjoyed screenwriting and directing workshops at the festival with renowned director Aisling Walsh (Maudie).

Perspective was recently a finalist for the Kerry International Film Festival Screenplay Award, and the Pune Short Film Festival Screenplay Award, as well as a previous winner in the screenplay category of the Hammond House International Literary Festival. The script is a current screenplay finalist for the upcoming Waterford International Film Festival.

Perspective is a short film book-ended with two Halloween nights, one year apart. A young girl, Hazel, loses her eye in a firework attack. Instead of giving in to despair, her natural optimism and resilience allows her to reimagine herself, in the process inspiring the adults around her.

The project is currently in development with Danú Media (producers Nadine Flynn and Louise Richardson attached) to bring the project to screen.

International Screenings for WHO WE LOVE

Who We Love had its North American premiere at the prestigious LGBTQ+ Outshine Film Festival in Miami where it was awarded the Best Feature Audience Award runner up in May.

This was followed up with a New York screening where the film was a New York Times Weekend Arts Pick. Amy-Joyce and director Graham Cantwell attended the screening and a Q&A at the New York Irish Centre on Sat June 11th, along with US cinematographers The Ray Sisters, with thanks to CraicFest and Culture Ireland.

At home in Ireland the film screened at the Catalyst International Film Festival. The Irish Film & Television Academy hosted a special Academy Screening and Q&A with director/co-writer Graham Cantwell, co-writer Katie McNeice, and actors Clara Harte, Dean Quinn and Amy-Joyce Hastings at the Lighthouse Cinema Dublin on 4th July 2022.

Who We Love was screened as part of a five-city Australian tour at Palace Cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra from 25 August – 25 September presented by Irish Film Festival Australia, where Cantwell, Harte and Hastings took place in a remote Q&A for the Australian premiere in Sydney.

Recently Who We Love screened at the blue riband LGBT event – the Iris Prize Festival in Wales on October 15 with Cantwell, McNeice, Harte and Hastings attending as guests of the festival.

WHO WE LOVE wins at Kerry International Film Festival

Who We Love has won the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2021 Kerry International Film Festival, and co-writer Katie McNiece was awarded the ‘Taking Flight’ Rising Talent Award for her contribution to the film.

The LGBTQ+ drama had a sold out in-person screening at the Cinema Killarney on Saturday night leaving the audience emotional.

Directed by Graham Cantwell the film stars Clara Harte, Dean Quinn, Amy-Joyce Hastings, Venetia Bowe, Danielle Galligan, Lynette Callaghan, Paul Ronan, Aisling O’Neill and Alison McGirr.

Cinematography was by American duo the Ray Sisters, and the film was produced by Cantwell, Alan Fitzpatrick and Edwina Forkin.

WHO WE LOVE World Premiere

Who We Love, a feature length adaptation of the IFTA nominated multi award winning short film Lily, will have its world premiere on Saturday 24th July at the 33rd Galway Film Fleadh. Amy-Joyce reprises her role as Oonagh, for which she won the Underground Cinema Best Supporting Actress Award in the short film version.

The LGBT drama is generating a lot of positive buzz ahead of its world premiere with previews on the RTE Six One News (below) and RTE.ie, as well as publications such as The Galway Advertiser, Scannáin and IFTN.

RTE Six One News
Beo as Baile Interview

In addition both Amy-Joyce Hastings and Clara Harte were featured in the line up of ‘Women to Watch’ by Galway Now Magazine, and Harte has been nominated for the prestigious Bingham Ray New Talent Award at the 2021 Fleadh.

The film was directed by Graham Cantwell and the screenplay was written by Cantwell and Katie McNiece. The film stars Clara Harte, Dean Quinn, Amy-Joyce Hastings, Venetia Bowe, Danielle Galligan, Lynette Callaghan, Paul Ronan, Aisling O’Neill and Alison McGirr.

Cinematography was by American duo the Ray Sisters, and the film was produced by Cantwell, Alan Fitzpatrick and Edwina Forkin.

SCREENINGS & SELECTIONS – ROUNDUP

Close to Nothing At All received second place in the prestigious City of Salzburg Simon S. Film Award. The hard hitting drama, written and directed by Lisa Bröckl, has been selected for two festivals in April 2021 – it will screen at the Underground Cinema in Dun Laoghaire, and at the Montreal Independent Film Festival.

Meanwhile the multi-award-winning QED, directed by Amy-Joyce Hastings, is screening on RTE 2 on Monday 29th March, and will be available on the RTE Player until April 28th.

Her latest directorial outing Sign of The Times, recently screened at the Chicago Irish Film Festival, as well as its premiere as part of the Galway Film Centre’s One Minute Film Festival at the Fleadh last July, plus subsequent screenings in Miami and Los Angeles.

BFI PANELLIST

Amy-Joyce was invited to speak as a panellist on micro-filmmaking at the BFI London yesterday, as part of the 60 Second International Film Festival. Her award winning short film Body of Christ will be screened at various 60SIFF events worldwide as part of the multi city festival.

SAN FRANCISCO IRISH FILM FESTIVAL

Amy-Joyce attended the San Francisco Irish Film Festivalas a special guest, sponsored by Culture Ireland. She is pictured here with the festival director Kate Gunning, and being interviewed by UC Berkeley’s Professor of Irish Studies Catherine Flynn, following the screening of Irish Shorts at the Delancey Street Theater.

The shorts program was a particularly excellent curation by Frank Kelly and Róisin Hunt and Amy-Joyce Hastings’ multi award winning short QED was in great company in this lineup of films: Little Bird, Early Days, Time Traveler, Earthly Encounters, City of Roses, QED, Gustav, Rhinos and Wave.

She is most grateful to the festival sponsors Culture Ireland for a truly immersive cultural experience of Irish Cinema abroad. The final night screened two incredible Irish features back to back – Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner and Frank Berry’s Michael Inside.

FROM MEXICO TO SCHULL

More great news for Amy-Joyce’s film QED which has won the Golden Palm Jury Award for Narrative Short Film at the Mexico International Film Festival!

Amy-Joyce is en route to beautiful Schull to support the film which is screening this week at the 10th Fastnet Film Festival. Fastnet is a wonderfully intimate Irish film festival, which attracts the best of Irish filmmaking talent.