Wednesday’s Child has won the coveted Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama at the annual Galway Film Fleadh. The award is one of three Academy Award-qualifying categories at the Fleadh and sees the film automatically added to the longlist for the Oscars in March 2023.
Director Laura O’Shea, from Limerick, collected the award at the Town Hall Theatre at the closing ceremony of the festival on Sunday.
The film tells the story of Marie, who faces her first day on the job as a social care worker. Despite her optimism, a house call to a family in crisis quickly brings her down to reality.
Wednesday’s Child, which cost a modest €6,000 to make, was self-funded by Caroline Harvey, who co-produced and acted in the short alongside IFTA award-winner Charleigh Bailey.
Laura has previously won awards for her short film work at BAFTA Qualifying Festivals such as Belfast Film Festival. She recently worked as a shadow director alongside Paddy Breathnach on the upcoming RTE series The Dry.
I am so overwhelmed and grateful to receive this incredible award from the Galway Film Fleadh. Having attended some of the short film screenings during the festival, I was blown away by the talent on screen and felt lucky just to be in the mix with such talented filmmakers.
This is really an honour that I won’t take lightly. I am so proud and appreciative of the wonderful cast and crew that made this film what it is. They are all stars. A massive thank you to the festival for giving us this push, it’s a huge confidence booster to see the underdog take home the award.
Laura O’Shea, Director
