YOUNG Cian Murphy and Matthew Lane from Limerick received very special awards last week when they stepped on to the red carpet for the LauraLynn children’s hospice Oscars.
Six LauraLynn families from across the country took part in the children’s hospice’s unique event and all six scooped an award for their movie making and acting talents.
Ten-year-old Cian from Rhebogue starred alongside his family in a thrilling movie titled ‘Zombie Influencers’.
Cian took home the award for best thriller. The action-packed display is summed up as ‘Shawn of the Dead’ meets ‘End of the World’ in County Limerick.
Seven-year-old year-old Matthew Lane, from Ballyneety, and his family gave a performance of a lifetime too in their adventure-packed movie. Matthew scooped the award for best adventure movie.
The LauraLynn Oscars is a ‘digital storytelling’ children’s hospice initiative that provides children with life-limiting conditions and their families a platform to create their own unique story.
It culminates in a glamorous red-carpet event, offering a once-in-lifetime cinematic experience for the entire family.
The idea for the Oscars Project started as a film workshop for siblings, which LauraLynn play therapist Michelle Hartnett organised after researching the topic of sibling loss.
Michelle envisaged the children being trained to lead their own families in making a home movie, but it quickly evolved into a family-focused film project.
At the outset, the whole family, including the participating children who attend LauraLynn services, sit down with a professional scriptwriter to discuss their ideas for a film before producing their film ahead of their big moment on the red carpet .
The project aims to capture a family’s creativity and imagination in a uniquely fun manner, becoming a legacy for the family and those who attend for the many years to come.
While each family creates an individual movie that reflects their own passions and personalities, the common bond is that the starring role is played by the child who attends the LauraLynn children’s hospice.
