Dublin director’s moving film wins festival awards

DUBLIN animator Damien O’Connor has won two awards at the Limerick Film Festival for his heart-warming short animated film about a Russia orphan.

‘Anya’, which charts 20 years in the life of a little girl in a Russian orphanage, won the Best Overall Short Film and Best Sound at the Short Film Awards hosted as part of the prestigious film festival.

The five-minute short was the end result of 14 months’ work at Brown Bag Films, the twice Oscar-nominated studio.

When Damien was originally approached to produce a short advert to highlight the work that the Clontarf-based

‘To Russia With Love’ charity do with abandoned and orphaned children in Russia, he decided that a short film would be a more effective approach.

“The idea was simple,

? he explained at the time.

“We make an engaging piece of animation, one that ideally packs an emotional punch.

“If people are charmed or moved by it, they show their appreciation by sending a donation directly to To Russia With Love.

“Unlike an advert, people are more likely to share a film online with friends or family, which of course helps spread the word about the charity.

“It’s

‘visual busking’ in a way,

? he added.

“We’re all used to charity singles and calendars, so we applied the same approach to a full five-minute computer animated film instead.

?

This unique approach paid off as Anya proved an online hit that generated much-needed funds for the charity run by hard-working Dublin mum, Debbie Deegan.

Founded in 1998, the charity has transformed the lives of thousands of abandoned and orphaned Russian children through providing programmes of care that teach life skills for a brighter future while providing them with improved living conditions, healthcare and education.

O’Connor, a professional director, writer, editor and producer, has been nominated twice for a prestigious Irish Film and Television Award.

He said he was delighted to be among the winners at the festival that included Brown Bag Films, where he works, which picked up a Peabody Award for their cartoon Doc McStuffins during the week. The show has also been nominated for a Daytime Emmy award.

“I was absolutely delighted to win Best Sound and Best Overall Film at this year’s Limerick Film Festival,

? he told Southside People.

“It is one of the great Irish festivals and the director Simon McGuire and his team do a fantastic job hosting it.

“It also always has a great selection of films, guest speakers and events. Long may it continue.

?

Anya was produced by Edel Byrne and the original music for the film was composed by Darren Hendley. The film has been publicly endorsed by top stars in Russia and is narrated by Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova while Irish singing star Lisa Hannigan features on vocals.