Award-winning docu-film, Nothing Compares, awarded the Rose d’Or Award for Arts
Date Posted: November 29, 2023
The SHOWTIME® and IFTA winning documentary, Nothing Compares was awarded the Rose d’Or Award for Arts at a ceremony in London on the evening of Monday 27th of November.
The documentary has been broadcast exclusively on Sky Documentaries and NOW from Saturday 29th July. The critically acclaimed documentary film charts Sinéad O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and how her iconoclastic personality resulted in her exile from the pop mainstream.
Directed by Belfast-born filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, the archive-led documentary takes viewers back to Sinead’s prophetic words and deeds from 1987-1993. It reflects on the legacy of a fearless artist through a contemporary feminist lens and features era-defining music videos and concert performances, previously unseen footage, and a present-day interview with Sinead. The docu-film is a tapestry of Sinead’s impact on the world around her and ties together intimate first-hand interviews and insights from contemporary artists, musicians and social commentators who introduce broader themes of Irish history, politics, and global activism, all the while reflecting on Sinead’s artistry and far-reaching, global impact.
Speaking of her fascination with Sinéad O’Connor, Kathryn Ferguson, Director said: “I grew up in Belfast during the 1980s and ‘90s. Women and their rights, particularly their reproductive rights, were very low down the pecking order. When Sinead burst into my consciousness as a young teenager, it felt like a door had been kicked open. Here was a bold Irish woman who said things that others didn’t feel they could say, and she said them loudly. The intention with this film is to disrupt the trope of telling iconoclastic women’s stories through the tragic heroine lens. Nothing Compares isn’t a regular music documentary, instead it’s a portrait of one unique artist, her cultural significance in Irish history and she has affected the lives of millions around the world.”
The film is produced by Tara Films and Ard Mhacha Productions, in association with Field of Vision, Screen Ireland, BFI Doc Society Fund (awarding National Lottery funding), ie: Entertainment and Northern Ireland Screen and distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
It was selected for the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition 2022, where it debuted before hitting cinemas last October. It has received over thirty award nominations internationally, including Critics Choice, IDA and PGA Awards, and has been awarded winner of both Best Feature Documentary, and Debut Director – Feature Documentary at BIFA 2022, Best Feature Documentary at the Irish Film Television Awards 2023, Best Irish Documentary at Galway Film Fleadh and winner of the Audience Award at Docs Ireland.
Nothing Compares is available on Sky Documentaries and NOW.
