Irish filmmaker Myrid Carten’s feature documentary A Want In Her scooped the audience award at the 23rd Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) on Sunday, March 2.
The film follows the filmmaker on a search for her missing mother, also won the documentary award. It premiered at International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2024.
Scroll down for all winners
“As is true of many of the most important things in life, I didn’t know if this film would work,” said Carten. “Many great people had to take a risk for this film to exist. So it is such a delight to have it connect so well with an audience.”
The festival also hosted the Dublin Film Critics’ Circle awards for which teh top prize went to Laura Carrerira’s On Falling for best film.
Italy’s Maura Delpero won best director for Vermiglio, while the best actress and actor prizes went to Shahana Goswami and Albrecht Schuch for Santosh and Peacock, respectively.
The ICCL Human Rights Award was given to Aoife Kelleher’s documentary Testimony which follows survivors of Ireland’s abusive Magdalene Laundries and mother and baby homes as the Justice For Magdalene (JFM) group attempts to hold the Irish government accountable.
Sandhya Suri’s Santosh won the world cinema award. The UK’s Oscar entry for international feature premiered in Cannes last year. It is set in India and follows a widow who inherits her husband’s job as a police officer.
Audience award runners up were José Miguel Jiménez’s documentary Amanda, following an isolated artist stepping into the spotlight; Claire Frances Byrne’s Irish coming-of-age comedy Ready Or Not; Kelleher’s Testimony; and Beat The Lotto, Ross Whitaker’s documentary exploring a group who tried to game the Irish lottery.
DIFF award winners
Audience award feature: A Want In Her, dir. Myrid Carten
Audience award short: Naked Lights, dir. Jeda de Brí
Discovery award: Cara Loftus, Clare Monnelly and Albert Hooi
Best documentary award: A Want In Her, dir. Myrid Carten
Dublin Film Critics’ Circle awards
Best film: On Falling, dir. Laura Carreira
Best director: Maura Delpero for Vermiglio
Best editing: Ramon Zürcher for The Sparrow In The Chimney
Best actress: Shahana Goswami for Santosh
Best actor: Albrecht Schuch for Peacock
Best ensemble: Backstage, dir. Afef Ben Mahmoud, Khalil Benkirane
Best documentary: Riefenstahl, dir. by Andres Veiel
Best cinematography: Sverre Sørdal for Sister Midnight
Best debut: Good One, dir. India Donaldson
Best screenplay: Tracie Laymon for Bob Trevino Likes It
Michael Dwyer Discovery: Ruby Conway Dunne, Molly Byrne, Alicia Weafer for Ready or Not
George Byrne Maverick: Carrie Crowley
Best Irish film: Beat the Lotto, dir. Ross Whitaker
Best Irish documentary: Born That Way, dir. Éamon Little
Special jury prize: Latina Latina, dir. Adrian Duncan
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