03/02/2006

Six Shooter, the first foray into filmmaking by renowned Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Live Action Short Film category.

Written and directed by McDonagh, the 27-minute black comedy takes place almost entirely on a train where a man (Brendan Gleeson from Breakfast On Pluto [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) who has just lost his wife encounters a strange and possibly dangerous teenager (Ruaidhri Conroy of When the Sky Falls).

Awarded several times in 2005, including at the last British Independent Film Awards in London, where it received the accolade of Best British Short Film of the Year, Six Shooter was produced by UK producers Mia Bays from Missing In Action Films, Kenton Allen’s Funny Farm Film, and Irish co-producer John McDonnell from Fantastic Films (Song For a Raggy Boy). The Irish Film Board and Film Four Lab in the UK also contributed to the film’s hefty 185,000€ budget, and the film marks the first collaboration between the two organisations as part of their strategy to develop new film talent together.

Commenting on Six Shooters’ Oscar nomination, Simon Perry, the IFB’s new CEO said: “This is fantastic news and we congratulate all involved with this hugely successful short film”.

MacDonagh stands a good chance of winning the coveted statuette for Best Live Action Short Film against its German opponent, The Runaway, the UK’s Cashback, the Icelandic The Last Farm and US entry Our Time Is Up. While waiting for the final results to be announced on March 5 in Beverly Hill’s Kodak Theatre, McDonagh is busy developing a feature film for the UK’s Working Title.