14/01/2008

The Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) have announced the shortlist of nominees in 33 categories for the 5th Annual Irish Film and Television Awards.

Tom Collins’ Irish language feature film Kings led the way with a total of 14 nominations, followed closely by Lenny Abrahamson’s Garage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ed Guiney
interview: Jean-François Deveau
interview: Lenny Abrahamson
film profile] with 11.

Both films will compete for the top Film Award alongside the Jane Austen biopic Becoming Jane [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Richard Attenborough’s Closing the Ring (Closing the Ring ) (shot in Northern Ireland) and Paddy Breathnach’s horror film Shrooms [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Kings and Garage also scored nominations in the Director, Script, Costume and Production Design categories amongst others. The films’ stars Colm Meaney and Pat Shortt were both among the Lead Actor nominees. Also competing for the award are Cillian Murphy (Sunshine [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: AndrewMacdonald
interview: Danny Boyle
film profile] ), Gabriel Byrne (Jindabyne) and Hugh O’Conor (Speed Dating).

Garage director Lenny Abrahamson and writer Mark O’Halloran received nominations in television too with a second nomination each in the Director TV and Script for Television categories respectively for the RTE drama Prosperity, which received five nominations in all.

Other dual nominees are actors Don Wycherley, with nominations for Supporting Actor Film and Lead Actor Television, and last year’s Best Actress winner Fionnula Flanagan, who is shortlisted for her lead role in Brotherhood and supporting role in Paddywhackery. The Clinic actresses Amy Huberman and Dawn Bradfield and The Tudors actress Maria Doyle Kennedy also got nods for Supporting Actress.

In the Supporting Actress Film category, newcomer Saoirse Ronan (Atonement [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Strength and Honour actress Gail Fitzpatrick both received their first IFTA nominations this year alongside previous IFTA winner Anne Marie Duff (Garage) and previous IFTA nominee Elaine Cassidy (And When Did You Last See Your Father? [+see also:
trailer
film profile]).

Other first time IFTA nominees include the young cast members of Prosperity Siobhan Shanahan and Leroy Harris, veteran actor Michael Gambon (Celebration) and actor turned writer/director Stuart Townsend (Battle in Seattle).

Single Documentary nominees include At Home with the Clearys and Ireland’s Nazis, along with Cathal Blacks’ The Undertaking, Bloody Sunday: A Derry Diary, Get Collins and Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

In addition, the four nominees for the Pantene Best International Actress Award are Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Jodie Foster for The Brave One, Keira Knightley for Atonement and Hilary Swank for P.S. I Love You. The Irish public votes for this award. Previous winners include Knightley and Helen Mirren.

IFTA CEO Aine Moriarty said, “It has been another strong year for Irish talent with world-class Irish production and IFTA Academy Members have selected titles across a very interesting mix of genres and styles with the Irish language a strong feature coming through this year across both film and television.”

The ceremony takes place February 17 at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre.