THE 2011 Kerry Film Festival

THE 2011 Kerry Film Festival drew to a successful close on Saturday with a star-studded awards ceremony at Tralee's Siamsa Tire.

The ceremony, hosted by radio and TV personality Dave Fanning, was the climax of a weeklong programme of events held in venues in Tralee, Killarney, Kenmare, Listowel and Dingle.

At Saturday's event guests were shown screenings of the winning short films as selected by this year's judges director Paul Greengrass, Norton Virgien and rising Hollywood star Cillian Murphy.

The highlight of the afternoon's proceedings was the presentation of the Kerry Film Festival Maureen O'hara Award.

The award, sponsored by Killarney Crystal, acknowledges women who have excelled in film and is named in honour of O'hara one of Hollywood's best-loved actresses.

Past recipients include Juliette Binoche, Rebecca Miller, and Brenda Fricker.

This year's award went to Fionnula Flanagan, whose lengthy film and TV career includes roles in hit TV show Lost and a part in recent Irish box office success The Guard.

"I am delighted and very honoured to be to receive the Maureen O'hara Award," said Flanagan.

"It is fitting and generous of Maureen to lend her name to an award that acknowledges the work of actresses following in her footsteps, who are as passionate about film as she herself proved to be in her long and successful career as a true Hollywood film star. I am proud to be able to support the Kerry Film Festival since in these troubling economic times, not just for Ireland, but for the whole world, I believe it is important to keep the arts alive," she said.

For her part Hollywood legend Maureen O'hara said she was "thrilled" to present Fionnula Flanagan with this year's award at the Kerry Film Festival.

"It's a pleasure to honour such a remarkable actress who epitomises all that the award has come too represent over the last four years," Maureen O'hara said.

The winning films at this year's festival were The Life, Death and Suffer Story by Anna Fitzsimmons which won the animated category.

Best Documentary went to Guy Natanel for his film Scent of Strawberrys. Best Narative Short went to Steve Earles for Bulldog.

The top prize, best short film, went to It's Natural to Be Afraid by Justin Doherty. RIGHT: Winners of the Kerry Film Festival Children's Art Competition Jack Nolan (left) and Darragh Goulding (right) with Maureen O'hara, Jason O'mahony, Dave Fanning and Fionnula Flanagan at the 2011 Kerry Film Festival awards at Siamsa Tire on Saturday