Neasa Ní Chianáin Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Young Plato comes last, alphabetically, on the list of documentaries qualified for Oscar consideration this year. But it may come in first in the hearts of many Documentary Branch voters as they cast their ballots determining the feature shortlist.

Best Feature DocumentaryAll that Breathes (India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe, HBO Documentary Films | Director/Producer: Shaunak Sen | Producers: Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer)All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (United States | NEON, Participant, HBO | Director/Producer: Laura Poitras | Producers: Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov)Fire of Love (United State, Canada | National Geographic, NEON | Director/Producer: Sara Dosa | Producers: Shane Boris, Ina Fichman)A House Made of Splinters (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine | Director: Simon Lereng Wilmont | Producer: Monica Hellström)Katrina Babies (United States | HBO Documentary Films, HBO Max | Director/Producer: Edward Buckles, Jr.

Manori Ravindran International Editor An uplifting documentary about an Irish teacher who uses Plato’s teachings to defuse violence among his young pupils is set to be adapted into a feature film by The Bureau, the producers of “Supernova.” Directed by Neasa Ní Chianáin (“School Life”) and Declan McGrath and produced by David Rane for Soilsiú Films, “Young Plato” was recently released in U.S. cinemas following a major 40-festival run. The film has won nine Irish and international awards, including the George Morrison Feature Documentary Award at the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) Awards, the ICCL Human Rights on Film Award, the Special Jury Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, and an Honorable Mention at Greenwich IFF.

Christopher Vourlias Simon Lereng Wilmont’s “A House Made of Splinters,” a tender and humane story of a children’s shelter in eastern Ukraine, earned the top prize at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, taking home the Golden Alexander Award at a ceremony on Sunday.The international competition jury praised Wilmont’s acclaimed documentary, which also won the best director prize at Sundance, as “an unforgettable film that shines a light on the burden carried by children for the horrors and mistakes perpetrated by the world of the adults who should be caring for them.”The jury also announced a Special Jury Award for “Young Plato,” by Declan McGrath and Neasa Ní Chianáin, calling it “a film that can only give us hope in future generations and their capacity to make the world a better place.” In handing out the awards, the jury described the prize-winning duo as “two profoundly moving and intricate films that, in many ways, struck us as companion pieces, and that deserve to be seen together.”In the Newcomers Competition for young and up-and-comings directors presenting their first or second features, the Golden Alexander “Dimitri Eipides” Award went to “Golden Land,” by Inka Achté, which the jury described as “a beautiful and moving family story of belonging in a way which changes the narrative of migration…[and] shows – in a non-didactic manner – a family’s struggles and dreams.” The Special Jury Prize went to “The Devil’s Drivers,” by Daniel Carsenty and Mohammed Abugeth.In the Film Forward Competition, which showcases the work of young and daring directors who challenge genre conventions, the Golden Alexander Film Forward Award went to “The Bride,” by Samira Guadagnuolo and Tiziano Doria, which the jury praised as a