We were delighted to announce our winners on Sunday 2nd October at our red carpet event at Proud Embankment London.
After a fantastic four days of film screenings, the Discover Film Festival celebrated the best short films with entries from all around the world.
Here's who won our coveted prizes...
Winner 2022 - AN IRISH GOODBYE
Set against the backdrop of a working farm in rural Northern Ireland, 'An Irish Goodbye' is a black comedy following the reunion of estranged brothers Turlough (Seamus O’Hara) and Lorcan (James Martin) following the untimely death of their mother.
Directed by Tom Berkeley & Ross White
Tom & Ross are a British directing/writing duo from Belfast and Gloucester respectively. They founded the Northern Ireland based production company Floodlight Pictures in 2019. Their early work in theatre laid the foundations for their writing dynamic, with their early plays recognised by the Kenneth Branagh Award for Drama Writing, along with other prestigious prizes.
Their debut short ‘Roy’ was recently acquired by HBO after winning best British Comedy at Discover Film Awards and subsequently being long listed for a Bafta in 2021.
Joint 2nd - KILLING OURSELVES
Maya takes her parents and sister to the desert to film them for an additional scene in her film. But the day of filming turns into a never-ending family argument, and it becomes unclear whether they will even manage to cooperate and become a team. Light family comedy drama from Israel.
Directed by Maya Yadlin
Maya is a director from Tel Aviv, Israel.
Her short films have been awarded numerous prizes at top film festivals around the world. Her first short Fine, a sister film ‘Killing Oursleves’, won the Filmschoolfest Munich prize for ’Most Original Film’ and the audience award.
She is currently filming her next short film Khachapuri Tutorial and writing her first feature film.
Joint 2nd - MOFLE
After the accidental death of his opponent in an illegal street motorcycle race, Jimmy is left indebted and threatened by Milito, the local gang leader. When his daughter’s life is threatened Jimmy will do whatever it takes to solve this problem.
Directed by Fernando Emilio Henríquez
Director Fernando Emilio Henríquez also writes and edits his own films.
His previous short films ‘El Confesionario’ and ‘Enjenye’ were both successful of the festival circuit picking up several top awards.
Fernando describes MOFLE as “challenging the barriers between fiction and documentary”.
Best Documentary - WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
Each year during spring and fall migration over 1.3 billion birds die in North America because of window collisions. Together, a network of dedicated volunteers head out each morning to pick up the pieces.
Directed by Patricia Seaton
Patricia is a filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada.
She has used her photographic and film-making talents to assist many animal and conservation efforts: The Mad Dog Initiative, Hope for Wildlife, Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Trumpeter Swan Restoration, Great Lakes Cormorants, FLAP and many more.
She directed When Words Collide for the charity FLAP.
Best social impact - TWO KINDS OF WATER
A beautiful documentary exploring the divide between those living in the Guet Ndar fishing community on Senegal’s north coast – those who live for being at sea and those who fear it.
Directed by Dan McDougall
Dan is a British director and journalist based in Barcelona, Spain. He is the founder of the global content firm Miran and writes for both The Guardian and The Sunday Times of London Magazine on Human Rights issues.
Dan has won four Amnesty International Awards for Outstanding Human Rights Journalism and is a Martha Gellhorn Prize Nominee for War Reporting.
His film Open Water won laurels at film festivals across the world including the “Best Short Film Award” at the Munich, Stockholm, and Barcelona Film Festivals.
UK Student - NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREAD
When a power cut ruins Ruby's bedtime routine, she finds herself haunted by some unwanted guests. The only way for Ruby to get a peaceful night of sleep is to confront her visitors.
Directed by Ida Melum
Ida is a Norwegian animator and director who received her BA in Animation at Middlesex University, London. She worked as a stop motion animator on films such as the BAFTA winning “Poles Apart”, and “Facing It”, before deciding to get her master's degree in Directing Animation at the National Film and Television School.
Her stop motion films have been screened at several festivals, including Stuttgart and Monstra, and she won the Jury Award for her film “Abducted by Aliens” for the BBC TV-Licensing Campaign.
International Student - EARTHSHINE
Nura and her family have been relocated multiple times since fleeing Syria. They are now welcomed by a social worker to their newly assigned shelter - an isolated cabin hidden amidst the Austrian alps.
Directed by Theresa Katharina Eschbacher
Theresa is a director from Austria. She achieved her BA in Film Production at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. During her time in LA, she contributed in various positions to more than 60 short films and music videos.
Since graduating she has worked in production on various feature films, including ‘John Wick Chapter 4 ‘and ‘Where the Crawdads Sing.’
