21^st August, 2019: Innocent Boy, a ten-minute short film by Cluster Fox Films, was announced today as the winner of the Virgin Media Discovers Short Film Competition. The film will screen as part of the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival next year and will broadcast on Virgin Media Television, as well as featuring on Virgin Media’s On Demand service.

 

The winning entry was selected by five film and television industry experts: Actor Adrian Dunbar, IFTA and BAFTA award-winning Irish director Neasa Hardiman, Virgin Media’s Dublin International Film Festival director Grainne Humphreys, Executive Director at the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland Birch Hamilton and Director of Content at Virgin Media Television Bill Malone.

 

Over 600 aspiring screenwriters and film industry professionals from across Ireland, Scotland, England and America sent in their submissions under the theme ‘Discover Different’. The competition was designed to discover the most thought provoking and entertaining content and the next big name in Irish filmmaking. Entrants were invited to submit a 10 minute short film script and were challenged to be bold, different and fearless with their work.

Innocent Boy by Cluster Fox Films is a story about a young deaf Traveller boy’s love of his horse and the freedom he feels riding him unsaddled, in a silent world of unconditional acceptance.  This stands in stark contrast to the world he knows when he turns on his hearing aid, a world of toxic masculinity, bullies, and his deep insecurities with the people he loves, who see him as different, a poor “auld innocent boy”.

 

Tiernan Williams, Writer, Cluster Fox Films said: “We are delighted to have won the Virgin Media Discovers competition. This is a huge opportunity for our young company. Our script, "Innocent Boy" is a heart-warming story about  a young deaf Traveller boy who feels alone, isolated, and struggling to just fit into a world that doesn't understand him.”

 

Paul Farrell, Vice President of Commercial for Virgin Media, said: “We set out to push boundaries, discover different talents and were privileged to read multiple works of many talented people within this industry.  Innocent Boy was unanimously selected by our judging panel.  As Ireland’s leading connected entertainment provider and commercial broadcaster, we are invested in discovering and encouraging great talent and original storytelling. Virgin Media Discovers has proven to be a magnet for Irish film makers  and emerging storytellers and it is heartening to see such a huge response to the competition from Ireland’s creative sector.”

 

ENDS -

 

 

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