Mad Mary is Irish film of the year
DELIGHTED director Darren Thornton has spoken of the moment his film ‘A Date for Mad Mary’ scooped the golden prize at last weekend’s IFTA awards.
‘We’re absolutely over the moon. It was nominated in five categories so we hoped it might win something but best film is the one that you really want so it was amazing to get that, especially as it was up against some amazing films this year.’
IT was a date to remember last Saturday as hit local film ‘A Date for Mad Mary’ scooped the best picture accolade at the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs).
The film, which has garnered both critical and public acclaim since it’s release last summer, was nominated for five awards at the event, securing two after Charleigh Bailey also scooped the Best Supporting Actrress award at the event.
Speaking to the Drogheda Independent on Monday, director Darren Thornton said: ‘We’re absolutely over the moon. It was nominated in five categories so we hoped it might win something but best film is the one that you really want so it was amazing to get that, especially as it up against some amazing films this year.’
He said winning the best film award was completely unexpected and a surreal experience, with nerves and exhilaration mixed in with the excitement.
‘You’re so would up because you know you might have to speak and you have family there and you don’t know what you’re going to say and you have to remember who to thank,’ he explained. ‘We’re chuffed to have won, it was a brilliant night. They had a DJ in the Mansion House and we stayed there until about 2.30am, then we headed out to Lillie’s Bordello so it was about 6.30am by the time we got home to bed.’
‘A Date for Mad Mary’, which was directed by Darren and co-written with his brother Colin, has won rave reviews since it hit Irish screens last year and the team are hoping they can replicate that success in America as they prepare to travel to San Francisco this weekend for its American premiere followed by a US release in September. ‘We’re really excited and really keen to see what the reaction will be over there.’
The story centres around Mary (Seana Kerslake) who after a spell in prison, needs to find a date for her best friend Charlene’s (Charleigh Bailey) wedding.
‘We’ve been really blessed, it’s one of those bizarre things, usually films divide people but this has been embraced so much by audiences and its fanbase is very very vocal, which is brilliant for us, and particularly the LGBT community have really embraced it and said ‘ this is our film’ and they are talking about it on twitter and it’s had this second wave of popularity almost.