The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA)has announced that award-winning Irish actress and comedienne Deirdre O’Kane will host the 2016 IFTA Film & Drama Awards, taking place at the Round Room of Dublin’s Mansion House on Saturday April 9th. The ceremony will be broadcast on TV3 on Sunday 10th April at 9pm.
O’Kane is no stranger to IFTA ceremonies having received no fewer than six nominations since the inaugural ceremony in 2003, winning the IFTA for Best Actress Film in 2015 for her layered and multi-faceted portrayal of humanitarian Christina Noble in Stephen Bradley’s ‘Noble’. Other feature film credits of Deirdre’s include the BAFTA winning Festival for Channel 4, Intermission directed by John Crowley for Parallel Films, Killing Bono directed by Nick Hamm for Cinema Three and Dollhouse, directed by Kirsten Sheridan for Factory Films. Well-received television roles include Paths to Freedom, The Clinic, Fergus’s Wedding, The Fitz, Bittersweet, and all three series of Moone Boy, created by and co-starring Chris O’Dowd.
[quote title=”Áine Moriarty – Irish Film & Television Academy, CEO”]The Academy is delighted to introduce Deirdre O’Kane as the host of the 2016 IFTA Film & Drama Awards. Not only is she one of Ireland’s most successful stand-up comedians but also an acclaimed dramatic actress, as she indelibly proved last year with her IFTA win for her mesmerizing performance in Noble. In what has been a phenomenal year for Irish film and drama, we look forward to a great night of acknowledgement and celebration of this work and some great fun too with Deirdre at the helm.[/quote]
[quote title=”Deirdre O’Kane”]What an honour to be asked to host the IFTA Awards especially on such a fantastic year for Irish film and drama. All the success abroad in this golden year means that it is especially important to recognise and reward these accomplishments at home and I am delighted to be a part of such a prestigious and significant event.[/quote]
The IFTA Film & Drama Awards will honour the finest work produced by Irish screen talent in the past 12 months. The Nominees were announced March 14th and amongst the 2016 shortlist are: Saoirse Ronan, Michael Fassbender, Lenny Abrahamson, John Crowley, Colin Farrell, Emma Donoghue, Domhnall Gleeson, Evanna Lynch, Caitriona Balfe, Aidan Turner, Ruth Bradley, Martin McCann, Barry Keoghan, John Carney, Stephen Fingleton, Moe Dunford, Sarah Greene, Eva Birthistle, Liam Cunningham, Stephen Rea, Jack Reynor, Ruth Negga, Victoria Smurfit, Mark O’Halloran, Colin Teevan and Michelle Fairley, among many others.
IFTA 2016 also will see actor Liam Neeson receive the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award, a tribute to his career that spans 30 years with credits that include Schindler’s List, Michael Collins, Taken, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Kinsey and Batman Begins. The Award will be presented by Michael D Higgins, the President of Ireland.
Actress and producer Roma Downey, famed for her portrayal of Monica in the world-renowned drama series Touched By An Angel as well as for producing the award-winning epic series The Bible, will receive the inaugural Irish Diaspora Award, which recognises Downey’s extraordinary achievements and vision as both a Producer and an Actress alongside her charity and humanitarian work worldwide.
The ceremony will be broadcast on TV3 on Sunday, April 10th at 9pm.