Irish Oscar buzz: Cillian Murphy, Poor Things, and Andrew Scott are early contenders
Andrew Scott, Jessie Buckley and Cillian Murphy are all in Oscar contention
Following a record-breaking year in which Ireland had the most Oscar nominations ever, there’s lots more Irish interest emerging as awards season hots up following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
As movie stars return to the red carpet for the first time in months, a clearer picture is emerging of the potential movers and shakers as the movie industry gears up to recognise the year’s most celebrated films.
At the heart of it all are two films that had their Irish premieres at Cork International Film Festival. CIFF opener Poor Things, written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite, The Lobster) and produced by Ireland’s Element Pictures, is being mooted for a huge run at awards season, including multiple Oscars nominations.
All Of Us Strangers - the critically acclaimed new drama from Andrew Haigh - is also generating strong momentum for its two leading Irish stars, Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal.
Cillian Murphy is regarded as a major contender for best actor in the coming months for his role in Oppenheimer. He plays physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, who headed a team of scientists to design the world’s first atomic bomb, changing the course of history. Christopher Nolan’s film was both a critical and commercial success when it was released this summer, with Murphy’s performance widely singled out for praise.
The film was famously released on the same day as fellow Oscars favourite Barbie, leading to strong cinema attendances for both films.
According to the awards-season predictions website Gold Derby - which pools the views of critics across leading publications - Murphy is not just guaranteed multiple nominations this awards season, but is regarded as a strong contender to win.
The Cork actor is currently listed as Oscar’s Best Actor favourite on the site, narrowly ahead of Bradley Cooper (Maestro) and Leonardo Di Caprio (Killers of the Flower Moon).
Ireland’s Element Pictures - following recent awards-season hits including Room, The Lobster and The Favourite - will once again be at the party. Yorgos Lanthimos’s fantastical tale of a young woman brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist will likely land multiple nominations.
They could include Best Picture, director, actress, screenplay and cinematography for Irish lensman Robbie Ryan. Emma Stone, in particular, is getting strong backing for her performance in the critically acclaimed movie.
Like last year’s Aftersun - which garnered a Best Actor nomination for Paul Mescal this year - All Of Us Strangers is regarded as the low-key drama that could make a late charge. Buzz has been building for the film since it first started to screen on the festival circuit in September, with word of mouth especially strong for its two Irish leads, Mescal (again) and Andrew Scott. The movie, released here in January, centres around two neighbours in a London tower block and the relationship that builds between them.
Other possibilities in the conversation as awards season approaches include Michael Fassbender for his role as a conflicted assassin in The Killer, Barry Keoghan for his scene-stealing turn in the newly released Saltburn, Eve Hewson as a mother who turns to music in Flora and Son, and Jessie Buckley for her role in the sci-fi romance Fingernails.
Following a record-breaking 14 nominations for Irish movies and stars at the Oscars earlier this year, our native talent is looking increasingly likely to be at the races again.
As far as top filmmaker John Carney is concerned, the sheer and ongoing depth of Irish talent coming through internationally is not a great surprise. He feels it is the result of years of building a strong indigenous film industry, which is now making waves worldwide.
“If you think about it, Irish people always loved going to the pictures,” Carney told the Irish Examiner during a recent interview for his drama Flora and Son, which is being put forward by Apple TV as a potential contender this awards season.
“We love it and that is in the blood. The absolute key to the Irish film industry and all of the Oscar talk is Screen Ireland and the fact that we have subsidies.
“Do you remember back in the 1990s? There was Neil (Jordan) and Jim (Sheridan). There were two or three directors and if somebody got to the Oscars, it was once every five years and it was a massive story.
“Now you’d throw a stone at the Oscars, you’d hit some Irish person. And that’s brilliant, but it’s because we’ve collectively agreed to nurture filmmakers, actors, film writers, composers.”
- Dec 11: Golden Globes nominations announced.
- Dec 21: Academy Awards shortlists announced for nine categories: live action short, international feature, visual effects, etc.
- Jan 7: Golden Globe awards ceremony.
- Jan 23: Nominations announced for main Academy Awards categories.
- March 10: Academy Awards ceremony.
- Come and Go, 10.30am, Triskel: João César Monteiro’s comedy drama gets a 20th anniversary screening as part of CIFF’s retrospective programme.
- Histories in Progress, 1pm, online event (free, advance booking required): An online conversation between the artist Myfanwy Frost-Jones and artist and researcher Andrea Stultiens.
- Tiger Stripes, 5.30pm, Triskel: A Malaysian-language horror centred around a 12-year-old girl who discovers a terrifying secret about her body.
- Documentary Gala: Is There Anybody Out There?, 8pm, Triskel: While navigating daily discrimination, filmmaker Ella Glendining - born without hip joints and with shortened femurs - aims to find someone she can physically relate to.
- Super Cine Saturday: Cork International Film Festival has teamed up with six Cork city and county venues: The Reel Picture Ballincollig and Blackpool, Cinemax Bantry, Gate Cinemas Midleton and Mallow, and the Regal Cinema in Youghal, to screen A Taste of CIFF.
- Robot Dreams, 12 noon, in all participating cinemas: CIFF’s family programme includes this critically acclaimed new animated feature from Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger. The story is set in 1980s Manhattan and focuses on a lonely dog who decides to build himself a robot companion.
- One Night in Millstreet, 2.30pm in all participating cinemas: Andrew Gallimore’s lively and colourful documentary recalls that night over St Patrick’s Weekend in 1995 when Steve Collins took on Chris Eubank in a world championship boxing match in Millstreet’s Green Glens Arena.
- Fallen Leaves, 4.30pm in all participating cinemas: Top filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki’s much anticipated comedy-drama won the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival this year. Set in contemporary Helsinki, it focuses on two lonely people who meet by chance in a karaoke bar.
- Anselm, 12 noon, Triskel: Acclaimed German director Wim Wenders chronicles the work of his fellow countryman, painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer.
- Deep Sea, 2.30pm, Triskel: A young girl encounters a sea monster and embarks on an epic journey in this Chinese animated film.
- The Holdovers, 6pm, Triskel: Sideways director Alexander Payne is reunited with Paul Giamatti - his leading man from that classic - in a drama set in a New England school in 1970.
