A television documentary on the work of an Irish aid worker who spent over a quarter of a century fighting poverty and disease in African villages has scooped a top American film award, it emerged today.
The RTE programme When You Say Four Thousand Goodbyesbased on the life of Dubliner Dr Mike Meegan is to receive the Gold Hugo for the Best Production at the Intercom Film Festival in Chicago.
The award will be presented for the 41st year of the annual competition at a ceremony in Chicago on Sunday, October 9.
The documentary tells the story of his work in African villages devastated by Aids, malaria and TB.
The work was produced by Caroline Bleahen, presented by Jim Fahy and the cameraman was Michael Lee.
The aid worker, who was awarded an Irish People of the Year International Award in 2003, went to work among Kenya's Masai people in 1979.
He devoted his life to developing new scientific techniques to fight tropical disease and empower local people in devastated villages to tackle Africa's problems of disease and famines.
The aid agency which he founded, Icross, is involved in providing clinics and medical services for up to 200,000 people in Kenya and Tanzania.