Carmel Winter’s "Float Like A Butterfly" has picked up its first big award, the International Federation of Film Critics Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Set in 1970s Ireland, "Float Like A Butterfly" stars new talent, Hazel Doupe as a young Traveller girl who is trying to follow her dream of boxing. She idolizes Muhammad Ali, and tries to prove to her dad, who's recently released from prison, how tough she is.
The film won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Prize for the Discovery Programme at the Toronto International Film Festival. The jury called it a:
"...pastoral and traditional bucolic film, capturing the familiar angst and anxiety a young adult woman undergoes in order to have her say in the scheme of things in a predominately male-driven patriarchal society."
Director Carmel Winters herself came in for praise too as did the young lead, with the jury noting:
"Through [Carmel's] spectacular and deft narrative, nuanced understanding of the dilemmas women face, and a pitch-perfect performance by Hazel Doupe, this film is a triumph of free spirit.”
Carmel, who was born in Cork, already has some awards under her belt. Her debut feature, Snap won a clutch of awards after its release in 2011, including Best Film and Best Director from the Dublin Critic’s Circle at Dublin International Film Festival.
During her acceptance speech for the TIFF award, she called the win "the icing on the wedding cake" – alluding to the fact that she got married in Toronto the day before her film’s premiere!
What do you think? Could this be the next "Billy Elliot"? Let us know in the comments section below.
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* This article was originally published in our sister publication, Irish Talter.
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