Newsmakers

You may think that the Oscars are for big-budget blockbusters that take in millions at the box office, and while this may be true in most cases, there’s still a little room for the little guy. In this case the “little guy” is a short Irish film known as The Shore.

The Shore managed to scoop the Academy Award for best live-action short film last night. Here are five things that you might not know about Ireland’s newest Academy Award winner...

1. The plot concerns two friends and an unusual love triangle

The Shore is about two men who were friends growing up. Joe and Paddy have the friendship shattered by the conflict in Northern Ireland and they find both of their lives taking very different paths. Twenty-five years later, Joe returns home from abroad to find that Paddy has married his former fiancée Mary. The film tries to illustrate the changing dynamics of friendship and examines the impact that old wounds can have on the present. It uses a unique mix of humour and emotion to get its point across. If you’re still not swayed enough to check out, we’ll take this moment to remind you that it just won an Oscar, so it’s worth a look.

2. It was written and directed by Terry George

Director/writer Terry George is originally from Belfast and the Oscar for The Shore marks his first Academy Award win. He’s already been nominated twice in the past – for his original screenplay for Hotel Rwanda and adapted screenplay for In the Name of the Father. He has written and directed multiple films about the troubles in Northern Ireland and The Shore is set in his homeland of Belfast. In fact, the film was shot at Terry George’s family cottage near Ardglass.

Director/Writer Terry George.

3. Terry George had a unique acceptance speech

At the Oscars, the man himself dedicated his win to “the people of Northern Ireland, Protestant and Catholic, who after 30 years of war sat down, negotiated a peace and proved to the world that the Irish are great talkers.”

4. The film stars some familiar faces

Ciaran Hinds (pictured top), from Belfast, plays the part of Joe in the film. You might remember him from films such as The Woman in Black, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and a quick cameo appearance in hilarious dark comedy In Bruges. Conleth Hill plays the role of Paddy. His acting repertoire includes Game of Thrones, Intermission and a few appearances in TV series Casualty.

5. It was up against some stiff competition in the live-action short film category

The Shore managed to beat off stiff competition from  fellow Oscar nominees Pentecost (another Irish short, written and directed by Peter McDonald), Raju, Time Freak and Tuba Atlantic to win the Academy Award.

Needless to say that The Shore clearly proved to be the best in the bunch. If you're curious and would like to check out the Oscar-winning film, visit the iTunes Store, where all The Shore and all the other nominated short films are available for download now.