IWC Schaffhausen and the BFI have revealed writer and director Cathy Brady has won the fifth annual IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award in association with the BFI.
Brady’s first feature Wildfire was in official selection at the BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express and premiered digitally on 10 October.
“All three finalists presented astonishing first and second feature films, further evidence of the UK’s exceptional filmmaking talent. Supporting filmmakers through the earlier stages of their career is one of our top priorities and we’re incredibly proud of how our partnership with IWC has contributed to this for the past 5 years, and hopefully many more. Congratulations to Aleem, Francis and Cathy, we can’t wait to see what you do next” – Ben Roberts, CEO of the BFI
The award was presented during the BFI London Film Festival Virtual Awards Ceremony, which was live-streamed online across the UK to mark the end of the Festival – which ran from 7-18 October. As the winner of the award, Brady will receive a unique bursary of £50,000, the most significant of its kind in UK film.
The IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award, in association with the BFI, is given in recognition of outstanding UK talent and is designed to support a writer, director, or writer/director with a first or second feature selected for the BFI London Film Festival providing them with the financial stability and time needed to develop their creativity.
Wildfire was initially chosen from thousands of entries to be officially selected for the Festival, before being shortlisted by a panel of industry experts chaired by Tricia Tuttle, Artistic Director of the LFF. Writer/directors Aleem Khan (After Love) and Francis Lee (Ammonite) were also shortlisted.
A Screen International Star of Tomorrow and NFTS graduate Cathy Brady is a two-time IFTA-winning director, for her short films Small Change and Morning.
Morning was also nominated for European Academy Award for Best short. In 2011 Cathy directed the BIFA-nominated TV drama Rough Skin for Channel 4’s Coming Up strand. In 2014, she directed an episode of Jack Thorne’s BAFTA-nominated series Glue and went on to co-develop and direct the first series of Stefanie Preissner’s Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope for RTE/BBC3/Netflix. In 2017 Cathy was one of fifteen female directors selected for BAFTA Elevate and in 2019 she was selected as one of The Irish Times ‘50 People to Watch’. Her debut feature Wildfire, (backed the by the BFI, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Ireland) which she wrote and directed, stars Nora-Jane Noone and Nika McGuigan.
Brady was chosen by a jury which included Ben Roberts, Chief Executive of the BFI, Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, and this year’s guest judge: acclaimed actor, director, screenwriter, producer and poet Michaela Coel (“Chewing Gum”, “Been So Long”, “Black Mirror”, “Black Earth Rising”, and “I May Destroy You”).
“We are delighted to be a part of the fifth annual IWC Bursary Award in association with the BFI. Since its launch the Bursary Award has given emerging and aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to amplify their creativity, giving them a platform from which they can convey their talent and showcase it to the world. The legacy that has been created from this award is something we are extremely proud of, and I do not doubt that all three finalists will go on to great things.”– Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen
The 64th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express came to a close last night with a virtual ceremony announcing the winners of the inaugural Virtual LFF Audience Awards.
Best Film went to Another Round, directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Best Documentary was bestowed upon The Painter and the Thief directed by Benjamin Ree. Best Short Film was won by Shuttlecock directed by Tommy Gillard and Best XR/Immersive Art went to To Miss The Ending directed by Anna West and David Callanan.
