IRELAND’S Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards 2020 are giving young filmmakers a platform to shine as this year’s awards move online due to the current Covid-19 restrictions with Demi Isaac Oviawe star of RTEs ‘The Young Offenders’ hosting this year’s online awards. Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards 2020 were due to take place at Fresh International Film Festival in Limerick this past March but now because of the Covid-19 outbreak the awards are now taking place online with the Senior Finals taking place on Wednesday, May 13 at 7pm LIVE on Fresh Film Festival’s YouTube channel. The Junior Finals will follow one week later on at 4pm on Wednesday, May 20. Nineteen- year-old Demi is the perfect choice to host this year’s awards as she is very popular and well known by young people all over the country. In 2017, the Irish Examiner named Demi as one of their annual ‘Ones to Watch’ for 2018. Demi is best known for her role as Linda Walsh in the RTÉ/BBC-produced comedy series and also appeared on the 2019 series of the Irish edition of Dancing with the Stars. Demi said, “I am honoured to be hosting this year’s awards. Fresh International Film Festival encourages young people to tell their stories through film and the record number of submissions this year shows we have a nation of young storytellers with something to say and the creative means to say it. The future of filmmaking in Ireland is bright.” With the cancellation of
events and festivals nationwide due to Covid-19, Jayne Foley, Fresh Film and Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year Awards founder said, “The Fresh team at HQ have devised a virtual solution for this year’s awards as we have an amazing community of young filmmakers and while we can’t bring them together in one room for now, we can bring them together online.” Explaining further she added: “In the spirit of Fresh we want our online activities to connect, inspire and support young filmmakers.” Now in its 24th year, Fresh International Film Festival invites young people from Ireland and overseas, aged 7 to 18 years, to create, exhibit and share films. Further details are available from www.freshfilmfestival.com.
