Jersey thriller enjoys more award nomination success

Friday 07 June 2019

A thriller inspired by the Beast of Jersey is up for yet another award - this time pitted against an Oscar-nominee and a documentary by ‘Lord of the Rings’ director Peter Jackson.

Nominated in the film category of the prestigious South Bank Sky Arts Awards, 'Beast' - which is set and partly filmed in the island, as well as being written and directed by Jerseyman Michael Pearce – could add yet another accolade to its collection.

Off the back of Pearce’s BAFTA win, scooping the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, the film is enjoying yet more success at another London awards ceremony as it joins a star-studded nomination list.

The film follows misfit Moll (Jessie Buckley) as she embarks on a tumultuous relationship with mysterious stranger Pascal (Johnny Flynn), while murders of young women devastate the island. 

Pictured: Michael Pearce scooped a BAFTA at this year's ceremony.

Inspired by the infamous case of the ‘Beast of Jersey’, Pearce’s film has thrust Buckley into the spotlight as she has since been nominated for the BAFTA’s Rising Star award as well as the esteemed Times Breakthrough Award.

At the BAFTA’s Pearce’s thriller lost out to much-acclaimed 'The Favourite' for Best British Film, but there could be an opportunity for a rematch of sorts as both are battling it out for the top spot at the Sky Arts Awards. 

Also up for the award is Peter Jackson’s WW1 documentary 'They Shall Not Grow Old'.

In the nominations for the awards, Sky describes the Jersey Director as a “debutante” and notes especially that the thriller “proved an excellent platform for propelling talented newcomer Jessie Buckley into the mainstream.”

ArtHouse Jersey, an organisation which aims to nurture and support local artistic talent, have welcomed the news, especially given that they gave seed-funding for Pearce to develop his screenplay for ‘Beast’ in the very early stages of the project.

Director of ArtHouse, Tom Dingle, told Express: “I'm thrilled to hear that Michael Pearce's Beast has been nominated for a South Bank Sky Arts Award. We were pleased to be able to support Michael during the early development stages of the project through our Seed Funding and Artist Residency programmes."

Pictured: ArtHouse Jersey Director says he is "thrilled" that 'Beast' is enjoying further award success. (Holly Smith Photography)

“Beast's ongoing success proves that it is worth investing in the development of high quality art, particularly when it comes to building the island's reputation as a fertile environment for the creative industries. Congratulations to Michael and the whole team behind Beast on this exciting nomination!" he added. 

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards ceremony will take place in London in one month on 7 July.