Branchage Film Festival Blog: Branchage Festival announces 2009 Award Winners!

We are delighted to announce the very deserving and talented Branchage Festival 2009 award winners:

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ISLANDERS AWARD (£2000)
Tell, directed by Laura Brocken

RUNNER UP ISLANDERS AWARD SUPPORTED BY LONDON FILM ACADEMY (£500 worth of LFA training)
Taken By The Air, directed by Mark Jones

Jury: Rebecca Mark-Lawson (Lizesize Pictures), John Davey (Spearpoint), James Mullighan (Shooting People), Michael Pearce (Director and winner of the Islanders Award 2008).

The Islanders Award Jury chose Laura Brocken (Tell) as the overall winner, taking home £2,000, whilst Mark Jones (Taken by the Air) as the runner up with £500 of London Film Academy Training. The jurors noticed with interest that both films were made with a good degree of collaboration, and that some of the others in the field suffered from a lack of that. To that end, John Davey and Thomas Dingle of the Jersey Arts Trust have additionally awarded both filmmakers bursaries to attend short film festivals on the mainland. Laura will be hosted at Encounters Short Film Festival in Bristol in Mid November, whilst Mark is invited to attend the London Short Film Festival in January.

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CUTTING HEDGE AWARD (£2000)
Girl Like Me, directed by Roland Jobson

Jury: Edward Fletcher (Soda Pictures), Claire Cook (BBC Film Network), Kobi Prempeh (Future Films & Projector TV)

"For it's compelling and arresting story, subtly handled by both director and excellent cast the Branchage Cutting Hedge Award Jury awarded Best Short Film to GIRL LIKE ME. We chose to award a Special Mention - PLANE DAYS for its notable cinematography and unique subject matter." - Jury member Kobi Prempeh, Future Films & Projector TV

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BUDDING TALENT AWARD (£2000)
Echoes, directed by Rob Brown

Jury: Gillies McKinnon (Director), Christine Bardsley (British Council), David Moats (The Quietus).
"An elegant film which says a great deal in a short space of time. The female leads are made into sympathetic, fleshed out characters with an economy of dialogue and image." - Jury member David Moats, The Quietus (pictured)

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MATTER DOCUMENTARY AWARD (£2000 + £1000 to a charity of filmmaker's choice):
Burma VJ, directed by Anders Østergaard

Jury: Simon Chinn (Producer), Rajesh Thind (OpenCircuit), Robert West (Working Films)
"In a strong line up of campaigning docs, the overwhelming consensus for the prize was Burma VJ. With its simple and unvarnished narrative, it offers - via the raw and powerful footage of this group of brave citizen journalists - a unique window on a closed and brutal regime and the heroic efforts to undermine it. Here's hoping that the cash prize will go some small way to boosting the urgent campaign to bring democracy to Burma's oppressed people." - Jury member Simon Chinn, Producer and Branchage Patron)

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Filmmakers in attendance were handed their awards by Jury Members on the festival's Closing Night at the beautiful Jersey Opera House on 4th October.

Thanks to ALL the wonderful filmmakers who entered their films into the festival. The quality of films screening this year across all the events was very impressive and completely outstanding.

Choosing who the awards went to was a naturally a very tough one!...