“Wildfire’s” hot streak continues. Cathy Brady’s feature directorial debut has already been programmed at the Toronto International Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival, and now it has scored a major honor out of the latter. At a virtual ceremony held over the weekend, BFI London Film Fest announced Brady as the winner of the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award in association with the BFI. Northern Ireland Screen confirmed the news.
Awarded to a first or second time UK writer, director, or writer-director presenting work at the BFI London Film Festival, the Bursary is for £50,000, or about $64,800 USD.
Written by Brady, “Wildfire” tells the story of two sisters torn apart by the mystery of their mother’s death. The pair reunite just as more details about the tragedy begin to emerge.
“I’m deeply honored to receive the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary. In a year that has been so turbulent for so many, it feels like a safe harbor and for a first feature filmmaker, the chance to recalibrate, dream, and immerse myself in the next project is such an incredible gift. Thank you IWC and BFI,” said Brady.
“I May Destroy You” creator and star Michaela Coel served in the jury that decided the winner of the Bursary. She described “Wildfire” as “a compelling story, expertly told and unlike anything we had seen in UK filmmaking before. Cathy weaves an emotionally rich, intimate story of two sisters elegantly framed against a wider, politically charged backdrop, she says so much without saying very much at all. Great films make you think and jolt you out of your comfort zone, in the very best way ‘Wildfire’ was deliciously uncomfortable!”
Brady told us that she hopes “Wildfire’s” “audiences can understand and identify with characters who have been driven to extreme behavior and realize how fragile our perception of reality can be. That these sisters are not merely seen as ‘diagnoses’ of their illnesses, but instead as complex individuals. I hope audiences engage and question their own ideas about sanity and madness and can open up a dialogue about our attitudes towards mental health and vulnerable individuals,” she explained.
