Jack King’s “The Ceremony” Wins Sean Connery Prize at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2024
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) 2024 has announced the winners of its newly established prizes for filmmaking excellence. The awards, introduced this year, are named in honor of two iconic figures in cinema—Sean Connery and Thelma Schoonmaker.
Jack King's feature film "The Ceremony" was awarded the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence. The prize, which includes a £50,000 grant to support future projects, was decided by an audience vote. The film was among ten feature-length World Premieres that competed in this category. The other competitors included Arash Rakhsha’s urgent documentary "All The Mountains Give," Mary Jiménez and Bénédicte Liénard’s poetic "Fugue (Fuga)," and Will Seefried’s haunting queer drama "Lilies Not For Me." Also in the running were Daisy-May Hudson’s stirring "Lollipop," Abdolreza Kahani’s subversive comedy "A Shrine," Bryan Carberry’s AI-focused "smiles and kisses you," Nina Conti’s absurdist road movie "Sunlight," Kelsey Taylor’s psychological thriller "To Kill A Wolf," and Manuela Irene’s moving "Xibalba Monster."
The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence was awarded to Trevor Neuhoff for "Manny Wolfe." This prize, also determined by audience vote, comes with a £15,000 award for future projects. Neuhoff’s film was selected from a strong lineup of short films, including Lisa Clarkson’s realist "Paternal Advice," Jamie Di Spirito’s powerful "Homework," and Gavin Reid’s poignant documentary "My Dad and The Volcano." Other contenders were Liberty Smith’s experimental documentary "My Exploding House," Max Olson’s haunting "Nico," Inés Villanueva’s Argentine comedy "Shoal (Cardumen)," and Wilma Smith’s innovative "Jubilee," which blends live-action with stop-motion animation.
The awards were presented during a ceremony at Edinburgh’s historic Cameo Cinema. Jason Connery, representing The Connery Foundation, and Thelma Schoonmaker, the celebrated film editor, were on hand to present the awards.
EIFF Director Paul Ridd expressed his delight at the success of the inaugural awards, noting, "We are so pleased to be presenting these inaugural awards for excellence in filmmaking to two incredibly exciting films and filmmaking teams. These new EIFF awards were set up to support new and emerging filmmakers in their careers. Both these films show immense vision and skill at connecting with audiences and we wish both filmmakers the very best for the future.”
The EIFF 2024, which ran from August 15 to August 21, was supported by Screen Scotland, the BFI Audience Projects Fund, and other significant contributors, reflecting the festival's commitment to celebrating and promoting new voices in cinema.