First time filmmaker wins 'Best Director' award

A talented Shercock teenager won the 'Best Director' award at the Young Filmmaker of the Year.

Alanna Corcoran Cusack took home the award for her short film Reprisal at the Fresh International Film Festival in Limerick.

The prestigious awards were televised on RTÉ on Wednesday evening.

Alanna used her speech to thank her family, friends, actors and her Colaiste Dún an Rí teacher Ms Dunne - "I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for her" - for their support, and urged other young people to give filmmaking a go.

"Filming is such an amazing experience," she said collecting her award. "If you are a young and are out there and love movies, get your script together, get your cast and start filming!

The judges said that Alanna showed "great control over the whole process", and added that she demonstrated "a clear and assured hand over of what was difficult material".

Her six-minute film ‘Reprisal’ sees her main protagonist Michael stumbling upon his brother Sean being mugged. In defending his brother an unfortunate incident occurs, which raises the stakes for all concerned. Michael’s worst fears are bloodily realised as the drama unfolds.

The 15-year-old's achievement is all the more remarkable since she is only a newcomer to the art form and Reprisal was her first film.

"I can't believe I'm holding this right now," Alanna told RTÉ's camers. "It's insane, it's amazing, I can't even describe it."

A Dublin student, Max Hendrickson took the overall award as Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year 2023, for his short animated film The Tell-Tale Heart, a re-telling of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short story.