A Donegal family's film premiered at a VIP black tie event this weekend.

A Letterkenny boy and his family are celebrating an unforgettable day out after winning big at the LauraLynn Children’s Hospice Oscars Ceremony.

Conall Shiels, aged 3, his parents Alice and Kieran, and his siblings Senan and Cara, enjoyed a great triumph for a film they created for the LauraLynn families competition.

Aoife Shiels, Conall Shiels, Kieran Shiels, Baz Ashmawy at the 3rd annual LauraLynn Oscars

Conall and his family won Best Fantasy Movie Oscar for their short film “Conall and Book of Spells”. They all starred in the heart-warming film inspired by the popular Harry Potter franchise where Conall has been given the responsibility of protecting the most precious book of spells on earth. The film was shot on location in the atmospheric Glenveagh Castle.

The Odeon Cinema in Charlestown, Dublin 11, was the location for the third annual LauraLynn Oscars ceremony on Saturday 24th March, which saw eight wonderful short films made by LauraLynn families premiere at a black tie event featuring limos, a red carpet reception, screaming fans, and an invite-only exclusive screening. The evening ended with each movie receiving its very own ‘LauraLynn Oscar’, presented by 2FM radio presenter Tracy Clifford.

Conall was born with hydrocephalus, a build up of fluid in the brain. He and his family enjoy time each year at LauraLynn House, Ireland’s only children’s hospice.

Kieran Shiels, Conall Shiels, Tracy Clifford, Cara Shiels, Senan Shiels, Aoife Shiels, Baz Ashmawy at the 3rd annual LauraLynn Oscars

The LauraLynn Oscars is a much-loved event in the hospice’s calendar and involves LauraLynn children, their siblings, and their parents writing, producing and starring in their very own short films with the generous help of industry professionals.

Shot on location in various counties around Ireland, the films span a range of genres, including comedy, action, animation and drama, with all films edited and produced by Windmill Lane Studios.

Each year the Oscars aim to foster whole family engagement while therapeutically supporting anticipatory loss within the family, with the final output of the project providing a tangible, post-bereavement legacy for families to cherish.

LauraLynn, the only dedicated children’s hospice in the State, provides clinical care, healthcare support, and palliative care services to children with exceptional and life-limiting conditions. It costs €5.2m per year to run LauraLynn’s Children’s Hospice, €4.2m of must be generated through fundraised income from events and activities.

Of the 3,840 children with life-limiting conditions in Ireland, it is estimated that more than 700 of them require specialist hospice care. Close to 350 children with a life-limiting condition die each year, most within the first year of life.

For more information about LauraLynn or to support the hospice, visit www.lauralynn.ie.