Cemetery movie wins again

THE award-wining documentary about Glasnevin Cemetery that features legendary Northside historian, Shane MacThomáis, picked up yet another accolade last week.

One Million Dubliners won the TV prize at the Sanford St Martin’s Awards in London – the UK’s most prestigious award for religious broadcasting.

Directed by Aoife Kelleher, produced by Rachel Lysaght and written by James Mitchell, One Million Dubliners was made by Underground Films in association with RT� and Shoot for the Moon with the participation of Bord Scannán na h�ireann/The Irish Film Board.

The moving documentary has been an award winner from the off, picking up Best Feature Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh last year at its world premiere.

Since them it has gone on to win at the Boston Irish Film Festival and it was voted Best Irish Film of 2014 by readers of The Irish Times. Editor, Emer Reynolds, was honoured for her work on the documentary at the recent Irish Film and Television (IFTA) awards.

Roger Childs, Head of RTÃ? Religious Programmes, who commissioned the film which aired on RTÃ? One last November, said of its latest win:

“I’m so chuffed to see Aoife Kelleher, Rachel Lysaght and their team gaining the recognition they deserve for this beautiful film.

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He added:

“It’s also a poignant tribute to the late Shane MacThomáis, who was One Million Dubliners’ magnificent heart and soul.

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The Sandford St Martin awards were announced during a special ceremony held at Lambeth Palace. One Million Dubliners was described as

“a moving introduction to the people who work at Glasnevin, those who visit, and their stories of ritual, loss, love and redemption.

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Shane MacThomais was said to

“guide the viewer through the cemetery’s history, introducing us to some of its most prominent inhabitants as well as some of the finer details of the business of death, that he ensures the film is as much about life and its celebration as about its end and the aftermath.

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MacThomáis tragically took his own life while the film was being edited and footage of his funeral gives it a poignant ending.