The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) has announced the 2023 IFTA Nominations for the Irish Academy Awards across 28 categories in Film & Drama.
Over the past few months, Irish Academy Members have been busy viewing, deliberating, and shortlisting the very best work from across great Irish films, dramas, performances, and craftsmanship. Nominations have been shortlisted by Irish Academy Members as well as specialist Jury panels of industry experts from around the world.
The Best Film Nominees this year, showcase a diverse and exciting lineup of Irish feature films.
Leading the pack with 11 nominations is The Banshees of Inisherin is Martin McDonagh’s warmly humourous dark comedy, set on a remote island in the west of Ireland. It is closely followed with 10 nominations by Frank Berry’s moving Aisha, which stars Letitia Wright as a young Nigerian woman living in Direct Provision. Charming Irish-language drama Róise & Frank received 6 nominations and focuses on a widow who discovers she can still connect with her late husband via a stray dog. Also with 6 nominations is The Wonder, a haunting drama starring Florence Pugh, which follows an English nurse in 1862 caring for a young Irish girl who has stopped eating. God’s Creatures, which received 5 nominations, stars Emily Watson and Paul Mescal and strikingly tackles themes of abuse in a small-town community. The deeply affecting drama Lakelands (4 nominations) focuses on a young midlands GAA player whose life is thrown into disarray by a sudden injury.
On the Irish TV Drama side Sharon Horgan’s all-star comedy thriller Bad Sisters leads with a staggering 12 nominations; Element Pictures have 15 combined with 8 for darkly humorous family drama The Dry and 7 for modern Dublin romance Conversations with Friends, adapted from the Sally Rooney novel. The gripping third series of Treasure Entertainment’s Smother received 5 nominations, tied with the second series of the historical epic Vikings: Valhalla. Irish TV drama has firmly established itself on the global stage, ushering in a new phase of Irish storytelling worldwide.
What an exciting time right now for the Irish screen industry. This superb line-up of Nominees in the running for Irish Academy Awards, showcases to the world the high calibre of acting, filmmaking and storytelling we have in this country. The Irish Academy is proud to acknowledge and reward their great work and we look forward to celebrating their achievements at the Ceremony.
Áine Moriarty, CEO – IFTA
I would like to congratulate all of the Nominees and IFTA on the occasion of their 20th Anniversary. This is a really exciting time for the Film and TV Industry and the IFTA awards night on 7th May will be a night full of glamour, excitement, and most importantly, a celebration of the incredible talent we are so lucky to have in this country.
Catherine Martin T.D. – Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
The upcoming 20th Anniversary IFTA Awards Ceremony, hosted by Deirdre O’Kane, will take place on Sunday, May 7th at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. This milestone 20th Anniversary Ceremony will see the Irish Academy welcome guests from all around the world for a great gathering of industry peers in Dublin, to mark this incredible year for the Irish screen industry. RTÉ will broadcast the ceremony, and highlights from the IFTA Red Carpet, the awards ceremony and backstage will also be distributed to over 120 news channels worldwide.
FILM CATEGORIES
BEST FILM
- Aisha
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- God’s Creatures
- Lakelands
- Róise & Frank
- The Wonder
DIRECTOR – FILM
- Aisha – Frank Berry
- The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
- It Is In Us All – Antonia Campbell Hughes
- Joyride – Emer Reynolds
- Let the Wrong One In – Conor McMahon
- Róise & Frank – Rachael Moriarty & Peter Murphy
SCRIPT – FILM
- Aisha – Frank Berry
- The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
- God’s Creatures – Shane Crowley
- Joyride – Ailbhe Keogan
- Let the Wrong One In – Conor McMahon
- Róise & Frank – Rachael Moriarty, Peter Murphy
LEAD ACTOR – FILM
- Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Daryl McCormack – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
- Éanna Hardwicke – Lakelands
- Liam Neeson – Marlowe
- Ollie West – The Sparrow
- Paul Mescal – Aftersun
LEAD ACTRESS – FILM
- Alisha Weir – Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
- Bríd Ní Neachtain – Róise & Frank
- Danielle Galligan – Lakelands
- Kelly Gough – Tarrac
- Seána Kerslake – Ballywalter
- Zara Devlin – Ann
SUPPORTING ACTOR – FILM
- Andrew Scott – Catherine Called Birdy
- Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Colin Farrell – The Batman
- Paul Mescal – God’s Creatures
- Pierce Brosnan – Black Adam
SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FILM
- Aisling Franciosi – God’s Creatures
- Eileen Walsh – Ann
- Elaine Cassidy – The Wonder
- Jessie Buckley – Women Talking
- Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin
- Kíla Lord Cassidy – The Wonder
DRAMA
BEST DRAMA
- Bad Sisters
- Conversations with Friends
- Derry Girls: The Agreement (Extended Special)
- Smother
- The Dry
- Vikings: Valhalla
DIRECTOR – DRAMA
- Bad Sisters – Dearbhla Walsh
- Conversations with Friends – Lenny Abrahamson
- Maxine – Laura Way
- Severance – Aoife McArdle
- Smother – Dathaí Keane
- The Dry – Paddy Breathnach
SCRIPT – DRAMA
- Bad Sisters – Sharon Horgan
- Conversations with Friends – Mark O’Halloran
- Derry Girls: The Agreement (Extended Special) – Lisa McGee
- Smother – Kate O’Riordan
- The Dry – Nancy Harris
- Top Boy – Ronan Bennett
LEAD ACTOR – DRAMA
- Aidan Turner – The Suspect
- Conleth Hill – Holding
- Jason O’Mara – Smother
- Kerr Logan – North Sea Connection
- Stephen Rea – The English
- Vinnie McCabe – The Noble Call
LEAD ACTRESS – DRAMA
- Alison Oliver – Conversations with Friends
- Caitriona Balfe – Outlander
- Dervla Kirwan – Smother
- Roisin Gallagher – The Dry
- Sharon Horgan – Bad Sisters
- Siobhan McSweeney – Holding
SUPPORTING ACTOR – DRAMA
- Brian Gleeson – Bad Sisters
- Ciarán Hinds – The Dry
- Daryl McCormack – Bad Sisters
- Michael Smiley – Bad Sisters
- Moe Dunford – The Dry
- Tommy Tiernan – Conversations with Friends
SUPPORTING ACTRESS – DRAMA
- Anne-Marie Duff – Bad Sisters
- Brenda Fricker – Holding
- Eva Birthistle – Bad Sisters
- Eve Hewson – Bad Sisters
- Genevieve O’Reilly – Andor
- Sarah Greene – Bad Sisters
OTHER AWARD CATEGORIES
GEORGE MORRISON FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
- The Artist & The Wall of Death
- The Ghost of Richard Harris
- How To Tell A Secret
- Million Dollar Pigeons
- North Circular
- Nothing Compares
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
- An Irish Goodbye
- Call Me Mommy
- Don’t Go Where I Can’t Find You
- Lamb
- Wednesday’s Child
- You’re Not Home
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
- Candlelight
- Dagda’s Harp
- Red Rabbit
- Soft Tissue
CRAFT CATEGORIES
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Conversations with Friends – Suzie Lavelle
- How To Tell A Secret – Eleanor Bowman
- It Is In Us All – Piers McGrail
- The Dry – Cathal Watters
- Vikings: Valhalla – Peter Robertson
COSTUME DESIGN
- Aisha – Kathy Strachan
- The Banshees of Inisherin – Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh
- Disenchanted – Joan Bergin
- Enola Holmes 2 – Consolata Boyle
- Vikings: Valhalla – Susan O’Connor Cave
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- Aisha – Tamara Conboy
- Bad Sisters – Mark Geraghty
- Mr. Malcolm’s List – Ray Ball
- Róise & Frank – Padraig O’Neill
- Vikings: Valhalla – Tom Conroy
HAIR & MAKE-UP
- Aisha – Dumebi Anozie, Liz Byrne
- The Banshees of Inisherin – Orla Carroll, Lynn Johnston, Dan Martin
- Mr. Malcolm’s List – Eileen Buggy, Sharon Doyle
- The Wonder – Lorri Ann King, Morna Ferguson
- Vikings: Valhalla – Joe Whelan, Tom McInerney
SOUND
- Aisha
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- Conversations with Friends
- The Sparrow
- The Wonder
ORIGINAL MUSIC
- Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – Stephen Rennicks
- Lakelands – Daithí
- Nothing Compares – Irene Buckley, Linda Buckley
- Róise & Frank – Colm Mac Con Iomaire
- The Dry – Sarah Lynch
EDITING
- Aisha – Colin Campbell
- Elvis – Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa
- Death on the Nile – Úna Ní Dhonghaíle
- Nocebo – Tony Cranstoun
- Nothing Compares – Mick Mahon
VFX
- The Banshees of Inisherin
- Marlowe
- Stranger Things
- The Woman King
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
- Aftersun
- All Quiet on the Western Front
- Elvis
- Tár
- The Fabelmans
- Top Gun: Maverick
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTOR
- Albrecht Schuch – All Quiet On The Western Front
- Austin Butler – Elvis
- Cosmo Jarvis – It Is In Us All
- Felix Kammerer – All Quiet On The Western Front
- Josh O’Connor – Aisha
- Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS
- Cate Blanchett – Tár
- Emily Watson – God’s Creatures
- Florence Pugh – The Wonder
- Letitia Wright – Aisha
- Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans
The IFTA Awards are funded by Screen Ireland, and also supported by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) and Tourism Ireland.