Closing Night and ‘The Francies’ Awards

Closing night at CFF has come to mean only one thing – ‘The Francies’. Named in honour of Francie Brady in Pat McCabe’s ‘The Butcher Boy’, the awards have been designed by Jason Crowley. Jason responded to the motif of the pig, which is central to ‘The Butcher Boy’, and fashioned these memorable awards in solid bronze.

So, who is going to win one of these gems this year...?

Awards are presented to the winners of Best Fiction / Experimental, Best Documentary and Best Animation from our short film programmes. We will also present an audience award to the most popular film on the night, chosen by the viewers from the three aforementioned winners and our commissioned film. It is a gala night not to be missed and since its inception has been a booked-out affair. The awards ceremony will once again take place in the historic surroundings of the Courthouse.

This year will see the fifth(!) world premiere of our CFF-commissioned ‘Long Shorts’ film. Chosen from a large number of very strong proposals by the selection committee, ‘The Wall’ was shot by Director Jason Brannigan’s and his team in September. You might have seen them work at some prominent locations in and around Clones. ‘The Wall’ tells the story of a grieving father and daughter who try to reconcile their relationship in the wake of a personnel tragedy. The film stars, among others, Joe Hanley and Nadia Forde as well as a host of local sights and, as always, the people of Clones were more than generous in supporting the crew. Thank you!

Afterwards, make your way over to the Festival Club to see the festival out with us, singing (well, belting out) your favourite tunes with Aoife McElwain and the Sing Along Social in Adamson’s Bar.

Don’t say you haven’t been warned… book your seat early for the glitz and glamour of Clones’ very own Oscars night!