GFC Awards 2009

The winners of the Galway Film Centre / RTÉ Short Script Awards have just been announced. Each of the recipients will receive €9,500, as well as access to the Galway Film Centre's equipment and facilities.

The winners are:

• "The Toll", by first time writer/director Medb Johnstone
• "Tarp" by writer/director David Freyne
• "The Ottoman Empire" by writer/director James Phelan

Declan Gibbons of the Galway Film Centre commented; "These awards have been running for over ten years and to date we have completed more than thirty short films. This year we had over one hundred submissions and the standard of short-listed finalists was very high. It remains a very competitive award scheme and a vital fund for aspiring film-makers to get the chance to make a short film."

The Commissioning Editor Drama in RTÉ, Jane Gogan agreed: "This has been a long standing gratifying partnership and is indicative of RTÉ's support for the development of new film talent. The awards are not just an acknowledgement of writing, producing and directing talent in Ireland; the films also demonstrate the talents of a diverse range of television and film craftspeople and actors. They are therefore an important showcase for creative skills within the industry in Ireland."