After drawing a blank yesterday, there was a Scottish success today on this, the second day of the Celtic Media Festival, which celebrate the best of broadcasting, film and 'interactive talent' from the 'Celtic nations and regions', including Scotland and Brittany.
The festival – taking place in Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, and which has attracted 350 delegates – saw the Factual Entertainment Award go to Na h-Òganich, by BBC Gàidhlig / BBC ALBA. Says a statement from the festival organisers: “The programme charts the return of legendary Gaelic group Na h-Òganich to the recording studio to see if they can recapture their old magic.”
This is the 32nd Celtic Media Festival and there are 98 entries shortlisted for 'Bronze Torc' awards across 19 categories. Some 450 entries were submitted from across Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, the Isle of Man and Ireland.
The festival ends tomorrow.
Yesterday's first batch of Bronze Torcs went mainly to entries from ireland, with various Scots nominations ending only as runners-up.
Today's batch were for – as well as Factual Entertainment – Feature-length Drama, Short Drama, Marketing Campaign, and Drama Series, plus the Kieran Hegarty Award for Interactivity.
The runners-up in the Factual Entertainment category were An Cór (Ireland) by Sideline Productions / RTÉ and Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience (Wales) by Presentable / BBC One.
Seven of BBC ALBA’s programmes have been shortlisted for awards. Na h-Òganich was produced by Alasdair MacLean.
In a statement issued by MG ALBA – one of the partners in BBC ALBA – Alasdair Morrison, its chair, is quoted, saying: “It is particularly pleasing that Na h-Òganaich has been recognised in winning best documentary in the factual entertainment category as documentaries and music are both key strands of our programme offering on BBC ALBA.
“The level of creative content produced by all Celtic nations involved in this year’s Celtic Media Festival is testament to the high calibre of talent available, which we should all be hugely proud of and congratulations go to Alasdair MacLean and his team at BBC Gàidhlig on this fantastic achievement.”
Na h-Òganaich will be broadcast again on BBC ALBA on the seventh of next month, at 9pm.
Elsewhere, Irish contender, Na Cloigne, took the Bronze Torc in the Drama Series category. The three-part Irish language drama for TG4 was directed by Robert Quinn (Cré na Cille) and produced by Ciarán Ó Cofaigh at Galway-based production company, ROSG. Says the festival: “The supernatural thriller tells the story of a young couple, Seán and Nuala, both ‘ordinary decent people’ who become embroiled in the horrible and gruesome murders of two young women.”
The runners-up were:
Istoriou Breizh (Brittany) by Pois Chiche Films / France 3
Lip Service (Scotland) by Kudos Film & Television / BBC Three
Pen Talar (Wales) by Fiction Factory / S4C
Sherlock (Wales) by Hartswood Films / BBC One
Single Father (Scotland) Red Production Company / BBC One
Best Feature-length Drama went to irish entry, The Runway, by Fastnet Films. Says the festival: “This drama follows citizens of Ireland's County Cork, who come to the aid of a South American pilot who has crash landed in their town.”
The runners-up were:
Donkeys (Scotland) by Sigma Films
Ryan a Ronnie (Wales) Boomerang+ / S4C
Deep End Dance, by Wildfire Films, and another Irish entry, picked up the award for Short Drama. Says the festival: “Deep End Dance follows the story of a fully-dressed man who is pushed into a swimming pool by his mother. He brushes himself off and starts dancing underwater, always aware that she's watching. After a while she joins him, and they play out the story of their relationship through the underwater dance.”
The runners-up were:
I Love Luci (Scotland) Sigma Films
Nadger (Wales) Levain
Passing (Ireland) Tilted Pictures
Trois Silences (Brittany) Film Academy Vienna
S4C's Umpires Haka Promo took the Best Marketing Campaign prize.
The runners-up were:
Aitheantas Staisiún TG4 (Ireland) by Big Fish Productions / TG4
Lip Service (Scotland) Kudos Film & Television / BBC Three
The Kieran Hegarty Award for Interactivity Award went to Split Thread by Must See Productions which was made by students at Dundalk Institute of Technology.
