Consolata Boyle, Gabriel Byrne, Jeremy Thomas and Brendan McCaul to receive first four Volta Awards.

The inaugural Dublin International Film Festival Volta Awards for excellence in film were launched this evening by actor Stephen Rea. Oscar nominee Consolata Boyle (Costume Design - The Queen) became the first recipient of the award, for career achievement, at a ceremony in Dublin prior to returning to Los Angeles where she has been taking part in the Oscar trail for The Queen.

The other recipients of Volta Awards during the film festival (Feb 16-25) will be Gabriel Byrne whose film Jindabyne will open the festival, legendary producer Jeremy Thomas whose Fast Food Nation premieres at DIFF, and Brendan McCaul, outgoing Vice President and General Manager of Buena Vista International (Ireland) and a great supporter of Irish film.

The awards are named after Ireland's first dedicated cinema, the Volta, which was opened in Dublin in 1909 by James Joyce. The recipients are chosen at the discretion of the festival's board of directors.

Accepting her award, Consolata Boyle said, 'I am delighted to accept this beautiful award from the Dublin International Film Festival. It makes me very proud to be the recipient of the very first Volta, a wonderful name for an Irish Award with its connections to Joyce and Dublin's first cinema. I would like to congratulate my fellow recipients with whom I am very proud to share this distinction: Jeremy Thomas, Gabriel Byrne and Brendan McCaul and to be here surrounded by so many people that I have worked with over the course of my career.'

Topics