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AWARDS Ireland

Colony makes First Appearance at IDFA

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Debut Irish feature documentary Colony, directed by Ross McDonnell and Carter Gunn, has won the First Appearance Award at the International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam (IDFA).

The jury chose Colony over Garbo: The Spy [+see also:
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(Spain) and Talhotblond (US) to win the title and the prize money of €5,000. The documentary looks at the disappearance of more than 1/3 of the United States’ bee population in recent years, in a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder, whereby bee colonies disappear without trace after swarming and was one of seven Irish films to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September.

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Colony documents this time of unprecedented crisis in the world of the honeybee through the eyes of both veteran beekeeper David Mendes and Lance and Victor Seppi, two young brothers getting into beekeeping when most are getting out. As Mendes tries to save the nation’s collapsing hives, the Seppis try to keep their business alive amidst a collapsing economy.

McDonnell said, “Myself and Carter are delighted that Colony has received this award. The film is currently being sold internationally by E1 entertainment so this is a huge boost for the film.”

Morgan Bushe and Macdara Kelleher of Fastnet Films produced Colony with funding from the Irish Film Board (IFB).

Alan Maher, Productive Executive at the IFB, said, “To be named the winner of the First Appearance Award at the largest documentary festival in the world from such an esteemed jury is a terrific achievement for the filmmakers. Colony is a beautifully cinematic film and further underlines the world class talent working in the Irish film industry.”

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