Ireland has bagged a total of 12 nominations for the famous golden statuettes ahead of the 2019 Academy Awards.
The Favourite netted ten of the Oscar nominations alone, the most ever for any Irish film and including nods for the biggies Best Picture and Best Director.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film is a co-production by Dublin-based Element Pictures and was partly post produced in the city. In it, Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) becomes increasingly ill, while her confidante and advisor Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and scullery maid Abigail (Emma Stone) fight for power and attention.
Colman, Stone and Weisz all earned nominations for their incredible performances, while Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan earned a much deserved nod for his work on the film.
There was good news for other Irish productions on the Oscars shortlist, with live action short
Detainment and animated short
Late Afternoon, written and directed by Louise Bagnall, getting nominated.
Bagnall’s film takes a poignant look at a woman with dementia as she seeks to reassemble past memories. It was produced by Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon which has previously been Oscar nominated three times for Best Animated Feature.
This is the fifth ceremony in a row where Irish filmmaking talent has been front and centre at the Academy Awards. However, Irish star Saoirse Ronan missed out this time around, despite having earned rave reviews for the title role in
Mary Queen of Scots.
Aged just 24, she has already been nominated for an Oscar three times in her career, for
Atonement (2007),
Brooklyn (2015) and last year for her performance in
Lady Bird, which did earn her a Golden Globe.
Irish creative filmmaking talent has been recognised on the international stage over the years and has won almost every major international award. In addition to its acting, production and writing talent,
Variety magazine has said that “Ireland has become a capital of filmmaking” in recent years, establishing itself as “one of the world’s most attractive production environments.”
This has involved a large number of high-profile productions, including
Star Wars and
Game of Thrones being shot at a range of stunning locations around the island.
The 91st Oscars® will be held on Sunday, 24 February at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
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