Low budget street-life film wins £10,000 arts prize

Date
1 December 2015

A film formed of videos of Belfast street-life that “blur[s] the lines between observational footage and experimental art” has won the £10,000 Film London Jarman Award. The award, which celebrates art films, was given to Belfast-based Seamus Harahan to recognise his films that “are disarmingly simple, and suggest an absent-minded gaze alighting on moments of humanity,” according to Film London. His work will now be commissioned for Channel 4’s Random Acts strand.

The other shortlisted artists chosen by a panel including Whitechapel Gallery director Iwona Blazwick and Random Acts editor Pegah Farahmand included Adam Chodzko, Gail Pickering, Alia Syed, Bedwyr Williams and Andrea Luka Zimmerman.

Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission said: “This year’s shortlist demonstrated the breadth of artist filmmaking across the UK, and choosing between them was the toughest decision to date for our jury. Exploring deep issues with a knack for playfulness and a true artist’s eye for detail, Seamus’ work is challenging and experimental while also humorous and accessible, all of which makes him a worthy winner of this year’s Award.”
The £5,000 Jules Wright Prize recognising the work of a female creative technician was given to cinematographer Noski Deville.

As with previous years, the Jarman Awards identity was created by Kent Lyons, and exists only as a sculptural, physical entity.

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Seamus Harahan: Holylands, 2003 (still)

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Seamus Harahan: Before Sunrise (still)

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Seamus Harahan: Splitting in Two (still)

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Emily Gosling

Emily joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in the summer of 2014 after four years at Design Week. She is particularly interested in graphic design, branding and music. After working It's Nice That as both Online Editor and Deputy Editor, Emily left the company in 2016.

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