MacIntyre's 'Gangster' Garners 3 Leading Award Nominations
The Irish Film and Television Network (IFTN) organize the awards. Established in 1995, IFTN is the international gateway to the Irish film and television industry. This year's Awards ceremony will be held on the 5th of November in the RDS in Dublin. Awards presented at the ceremony will cover film, television, craft, People's Choice Awards and a Lifetime Achievement
Award.
Gangster the first in the series, saw MacIntyre spending time in the criminal underworld, with a disturbing look at a parallel society where in the absence of the Police, gangsters and local enforcers tackle problems as diverse as noisy neighbours and baby snatching. This episode followed the ups and downs of the lives of one of Manchester's most notorious crime families. Broadcasters FIVE won an 11th hour appeal (on the same day Greater Manchester Police were awarded a temporary injunction at the High Court sitting in Preston to block the screening) to show the documentary only two hours before the show was scheduled to air, as the brother of the featured gangland figure was stabbed to death at the weekend prior to the transmission date.
MacIntyre has also been short listed for a Grierson Award for Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue', named for Dr. John Grierson CBE(1898-1972) who was born in Perthshire, Scotland. A prolific director and producer, he was particularly influential through his creation of film units within the Empire Marketing Board and the Post Office, nurturing a whole generation of documentary makers. John Grierson established the National Film Board of Canada during World War II, and served as UNESCO's first Director of Mass Communications and Public Information in 1947. Throughout his long career, he was in some way responsible for the production of well over 1000 films and television programmes. The Grierson Awards are for original UK productions only, with the exception of the International Cinema Award. The awards seek to recognize documentaries which have made a significant contribution to the genre. The judges look for evidence of quality, integrity, creativity, and originality. The recipient of the award will normally be the director credited on the film. The winners of Grierson 2005: The British Documentary Awards - will be announced at the awards ceremony to be held on Sunday, 27 November at the Royal Institution in London.
The programme has also been chosen for the short list and entered in the competitive selection of the prestigious Festival Prix Europa which takes place from October 15 – 22, in Berlin. 650 programmes were entered for Prix Europa 2005 and pre-selection passed only 256 of those radio and TV productions.
Donal MacIntyre has indelibly left his mark on the world of investigative journalism. Utilizing a combination of striking, provocative and innovative subjects, he has brought to viewers some of the most fascinating and riveting television in recent years. "It is essential to look at one's work from an outside perspective. Awards encourage participants to strive for the highest standard of excellence among their peers."
MacIntyre continues his intrepid work directing, reporting and presenting for FIVE. His series "Killer Shark Live" had its debut early October.
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Jayjay Epega
SEAMUS LYTE MANAGEMENT
