Five Irish-language programmes commissioned by Teilifis na Gaeilge have qualified for the 1999 International Film and Television Festival, to be held in Scotland in March.
Among the final selection is An Bealach O Dheas, the travel and environment series presented by writer and mountaineer Dermot Somers, and Ealu on Antarctic, the epic documentary on the attempted re-enactment in 1997 of Shackleton's sea journey from the Antarctic to South Georgia in 1915.
Both were produced by the Crossing the Line/Murray Media team. The team took one of the major awards at last year's Celtic Film and Television Festival in Tralee, Co Kerry, with another programme also presented by Somers.
The three other qualifying programmes in Irish include two short dramas - Lipservice, written and directed by Paul Mercier, and Cosa Nite, a black comedy thriller set in a Connemara pub and written by Darach O Scolai.
Spre Rosie Ryan, a documentary on the impact made on west Kerry by the shooting of the film Ryan's Daughter, was also selected.
This is the highest number of Irish language programmes to compete in the festival and confirms the "success story of TnaG", according to its head, Mr Cathal Goan.
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