The Irish Film and Television Academy has announced the shortlist of nominees for the 7th Annual Irish Film and Television Awards, which will take place on Saturday 20th February at the Burlington Hotel, Dublin.
Awards will be given in 37 categories reflecting a wide range of accolades for both film and TV. All of the categories have been shortlisted by Academy Members and Jury panels of experts from around the world.Five movies are up for the prestigious Best Feature Film, and these include Margaret Corkery’s drama Eamon; Conor McPherson’s supernatural thriller The Eclipse; Neil Jordan’s modern fairytale Ondine; Tomm Moore’s animated feature The Secret of Kells and John & Kieran Carney’s comedy Zonad.
Jim Sheridan leads the directors category for his big budget remake of the Norwegian movie Brothers, with Neil Jordan, Conor McPherson and John & Kieran Carney also nominated.
The male acting categories are dominated by big name star. Colin Farrell (Ondine), Ciarán Hinds (The Eclipse) and Stephen Rea (Nothing Personal) being the biggest in Lead Actor, while last year’s double winner Michael Fassbender is nominated for his performance in Fish Tank in the Supporting Actor Film category. TV star Simon Delaney (Happy Ever Afters), the legendary Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince) and screen constant Aidan Quinn (The Eclipse) are also vying for the award.
The nominees in the Lead Actress category includes favourite Saoirse Ronan for her moving portrayal of a murdered girl in Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones. Previous IFTA winners Anne Marie Duff (Nowhere Boy) and Ger Ryan (Happy Ever Afters) are nominated once again for Supporting Actress, a category in which Dervla Kirwan receives her first IFTA nomination for Ondine.
A personal favourite, The Yellow Bittern – The Legend of Liam Clancy is up for the George Morrison Feature Documentary Award, where it will compete with The Bass Player: A Song for Dad, Colony and His & Hers.
International nominees echo the recent Golden Globes with The Hurt Locker, Up in the Air and Nine all nominated. The surprise inclusion though is Let the Right One In, the wonderful Swedish vampire film that was a huge audience favourite in 2009.
The full list of Film nominations is:
Film
Eamon
The Eclipse
Ondine
The Secret of Kells
Zonad
Director Film
John Carney, Kieran Carney – Zonad
Neil Jordan – Ondine
Conor McPherson – The Eclipse
Jim Sheridan – Brothers
Script Film
John Carney, Kieran Carney – Zonad
Margaret Corkery – Eamon
Neil Jordan – Ondine
Billy Roche, Conor McPherson – The Eclipse
Actor in a Lead Role
Colin Farrell – Ondine
Darren Healy – Savage
Ciarán Hinds – The Eclipse
Stephen Rea – Nothing Personal
Actress in a Lead Role
Janice Byrne – Zonad
Amy Kirwan – Eamon
Saoirse Ronan – The Lovely Bones
Jade Yourell – Happy Ever Afters
Actor in a Supporting Role
Simon Delaney – Happy Ever Afters
Michael Fassbender – Fish Tank
Michael Gambon – Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince
Aidan Quinn – The Eclipse
Actress in a Supporting Role
Anne Marie Duff – Nowhere Boy
Dervla Kirwan – Ondine
Nora Jane Noone – Savage
Ger Ryan – Happy Ever Afters
Feature Documentary
The Bass Player: A Song for Dad
Colony
His & Hers
The Yellow Bittern – The Life & Times of Liam Clancy
International Film
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Let the Right One In
UP
Pantene Best International Actress Award – People’s Choice
Marion Cotillard – Nine
Penélope Cruz – Broken Embraces
Anna Kendrick – Up In The Air
Meryl Streep – It’s Complicated
International Actor
Sam Rockwell – Moon
Vincent Cassell – Mesrine: Killer Instinct
Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
More info including the TV nominations is available at IFTA.ie