The Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) is the largest organization of Location Managers and Location Scouts in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. Their membership plays a vital role in the creativ
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LMGI COMPASS | Spring 2024 • 13 The Banshees of Inisherin's Inis Mór Lands the 2023 EUFCN Location Award This year's European Film Commission Network (EUFCN) Location Award went to the Irish Aran Island's Inis Mór which was featured prominently in the film The Banshees of Inisherin. Banshees, which was managed by LM Eoin Holohan/LMGI and directed by Martin McDonagh, was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and winner of the 2023 BAFTA Award for Best Picture. Screen Ireland representative Michael Byrne accepted the award on behalf of Inis Mór. Screen Ireland is the development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry. In 2017, the European Film Commission Network began organizing an annual competition to recognize outstanding achievement in locations for projects filmed throughout Europe. Members of the EUFCN nominate a single location from a film or TV series filmed in their country and released within the same year. From the list of submissions, a jury comprised of five industry professionals narrows down the nominees to five locations, with the location receiving the highest number of votes from the general public receiving the award. "I am thrilled that Inis Mór won the EUFCN Award," said Holohan. "It's especially important to note that the location is the winner of this award, and that makes it extra special for me. I'm delighted for the Islanders that call Inis Mór home, as ultimately, we couldn't have filmed there without Irish Aran Island 's Inis Mór for The Banshees of Inisherin their help and assistance. This award belongs to them, and the beautiful island they inhabit. I'm just grateful they allowed us to film on Inis Mór and feature such a special location in our film." LMGI 1st Vice President Alison A. Taylor was among the jurists judging the awards this year and said, "I was surprised and honored to be selected as a judge for the EUFCN Location Awards. I had a blast reviewing the 24 nominee locations (most were spectacular) and sincerely enjoyed the discussions with the other four judges from around the world. I wish that I could have been in Berlin for the ceremony. Maybe next time!" Other members of the jury this year included Wendy Mitchell (journalist, moderator and film festival consultant), Andrea David (travel blogger | Filmtourismus), Venia Vergou (producer, Crew United Greece) and Jerry Odlin (sales director of Boutique Editions Ltd). Noted EUFCN Co-president Carlota Guerrero in a recent Screen Daily article by Mona Tabbara (Feb. 9, 2024): "In the same way an actor is not just a pretty face, I believe that a location is not just a pretty landscape. The EUFCN Location Award nominees are proof of that. The Location Award is a celebration of the complex process and the hard work behind the scouting and creative use of locations, the involvement of the film commissions, together with local authorities and local communities, as well as the economic and social growth generated by filming in a territory. It ultimately is about what's beyond locations." The four other nominees were Helsetkopen for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Norwegian Film Commission), Hotel Parque do Rio for Bad Living (Portugal Film Commission), Jotunheimen for Troll (Eastern Norway Film Commission) and Romsdalen Gondola for Succession Season 4 (Western Norway Film Commission). For more information on the EUFCN Awards, please visit: https://eufcn.com/eufcn- location-award/ Photos by Eoin Holohan/LMGI