The Irish film industry has "a lot to be proud of", according to Peter Jackson, the director of King Kongand the Lord of the Ringstrilogy. As chairman of the international jury for tomorrow night's Irish Film and Television Awards (Ifta), Jackson expressed his admiration for the standard of this year's Irish entries.
Jackson and his screenwriting partner, Fran Walsh, who is also a member of the international jury, sent a report stating that the Irish entrants they viewed were “challenging and funny, passionate and lyrical – all of them unique stories, told with a singular Irish voice”.
Jackson and Walsh, who are from New Zealand, said: “Coming from a similarly sized country, with limited resources, we know how important it is to protect and preserve cultural identity and that funding is always a struggle.”
They added: “However, it is clear to us you are blessed with the most rare resource of all – an abundance of talent, both in front of and behind the camera. It was a pleasure to see such a wide range of truly adventurous film making; films that transcended the generic rules of Hollywood story- telling and succeeded on their own terms.”
The five Ifta nominees for best feature film are Hunger, Kisses, The Escapist, A Film with Me in Itand 32A. The Ifta ceremony will broadcast live on RTÉ at 9.40pm tomorrow.
