Cillian Murphy and Kneecap among IFTA nominations

Cillian Murphy att last year's Oscars ceremony.  Picture: Patrick T. Fallon

Cillian Murphy and Kneecap are among the nominees across 29 categories for the 2025 Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) Awards.

Winners will be announced at the 22nd annual IFTA Awards at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre on February 14.

Small Things Like These, the book adaptation featuring Cork actor Cillian Murphy received nine nominations, including Murphy’s nomination for Best Actor in the Film category.

Kneecap received 10 nominations across a range of categories, including Best Film, Best Director and Lead Actor for the three members of the hip hop group — Naoise Ó Caireallain, J.J. Ó Dochartaigh and Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh.

The Belfast trio will play two sold-out shows in Cork City Hall on February 12 and 13.

Other nominations across the Film categories include Kathleen is Here with seven nominations, Abigail with six, while Spilt Milk and The Apprentice picked up four apiece.

Say Nothing picked up 10 nominations in the Drama category, with Bad Sisters picking up 8, and The Dry and Bodkin securing seven nods apiece.

Academy CEO, Áine Moriarity said this year’s nominees “reinforces the fact that Irish talent is not amongst the best in the world.” “The 2025 Nominees shortlisted for Irish Academy Awards this year, is an incredible showcase of work that reinforces the fact that Irish talent is now amongst the best in the world, delivering such high standards of filmmaking, storytelling and performances that resonate with audiences worldwide.

“The Irish Academy is proud to showcase their great work and reward their achievements. Congratulations to all the Nominees - so well deserved,” Ms Moriarity said.

2025 marks the inaugural year of IFTA’s Casting Award, recognising the pivotal role of casting directors. Nominees include Lucy Amos and Nina Gold of Say Nothing, Emma Gunnery of Baltimore, Maureen Hughes from Small Things Like These, Louise Kiely from Bodkin, and Carla Stronge of Kneecap.

Full details of the IFTA Awards Ceremony will soon be announced including Ceremony Host, Guest Presenters, Rising Star nominees, and international guests. The Irish Academy Awards are funded by Screen Ireland and Coimisiún na Meán.

IFTA Awards 2025

Film Categories

Best Film 

Kathleen Is Here

King Frankie

Kneecap

Small Things Like These

Spilt Milk

The Apprentice

Director - Film

Eva Birthistle - Kathleen Is Here

John Crowley - We Live in Time

Brian Durnin - Spilt Milk

Damian McCarthy - Oddity

Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor - Baltimore 

Rich Peppiatt- Kneecap

Script - Film

Eva Birthistle - Kathleen Is Here

Cara Loftus - Spilt Milk

Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor - Baltimore Rich

Peppiatt - Kneecap

Stephen Shields - Abigail

Enda Walsh - Small Things Like These

Lead Actor - Film

Peter Coonan - King Frankie

Paul Mescal - Gladiator II

Cillian Murphy - Small Things Like These

Naoise Ó Caireallain - Kneecap

J.J. Ó Dochartaigh - Kneecap

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh - Kneecap

Lead Actress - Film

Carolyn Bracken - Oddity

Jessie Buckley - Wicked Little Letters

Hazel Doupe - Kathleen Is Here

Saoirse Ronan - The Outrun

Eileen Walsh - Small Things Like These

Alisha Weir - Abigail

Supporting Actor - Film

Peter Coonan - Kathleen Is Here

Michael Fassbender - Kneecap

Barry Keoghan - Bird

Brían F. O'Byrne - Conclave

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor - Baltimore

Steve Wall - Oddity

Supporting Actress - Film

Zara Devlin - Small Things Like These

Clare Dunne - Kathleen Is Here

Fionnuala Flaherty - Kneecap

Simone Kirby - Kneecap

Saoirse Ronan - Blitz

Jessica Reynolds - Kneecap

Drama Categories

Best Drama

Bad Sisters

Say Nothing

The Dry

Bodkin

Blue Lights

Crá

Director - Drama

Paddy Breathnach - The Dry

Brian Kirk - The Day of the Jackal

Michael Lennox - Say Nothing

Lisa Mulcahy - Sanctuary

Hannah Quinn - The Boy That Never Was

Dearbhla Walsh - Bad Sisters

Script - Drama

Baz Ashmawy - Faithless

Ronan Bennett - The Day of the Jackal

Nancy Harris - The Dry

Sharon Horgan - Bad Sisters

Adam Patterson, Declan Lawn - Blue Lights

Kirsten Sheridan, Joshua Zetumer - Say Nothing

Lead Actor - Drama

Anthony Boyle - Say Nothing

Colin Farrell - The Penguin

Michael Fassbender - The Agency

Ciarán Hinds - The Dry

Andrew Scott - Ripley

Aidan Turner - Rivals

Lead Actress - Drama

Elaine Cassidy - Sanctuary

Nicola Coughlan - Bridgerton

Siobhán Cullen - Bodkin

Roisin Gallagher- The Dry

Sharon Horgan - Bad Sisters

Lola Petticrew - Say Nothing

Supporting Actor - Drama

Anthony Boyle - Masters of the Air

Liam Cunningham - 3 Body Problem 

Michael Smiley - Bad Sisters

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor - Say Nothing

Chris Walley - Bodkin

David Wilmot - Bodkin

Supporting Actress - Drama

Siobhán Cullen - The Dry

Hazel Doupe - Say Nothing

Eve Hewson - Bad Sisters

Ruth Negga - Presumed Innocent

Fiona Shaw - Bad Sisters

Victoria Smurfit - Rivals

International Film Award Categories

Best International Film

Anora Conclave Dune Part Two 

The Brutalist

The Outrun

The Substance

Best International Actor

Adrien Brody - The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet - A Complete Unknown

Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain

Ralph Fiennes - Conclave

Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice

Denzel Washington - Gladiator II

Best International Actress

Cynthia Erivo - Wicked

Angelina Jolie - Maria

Mikey Madison - Anora

Demi Moore - The Substance

Florence Pugh - We Live in Time

Emily Watson - Small Things Like These 

Other Award Categories

George Morrison Feature Documentary

Face Down: The Disappearance of Thomas Niedermayer 

Don't Forget to Remember Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story

The Flats 

Mrs Robinson 

Brendan Gleeson's Farewell to Hughes's

Live - Action Short Film

Clodagh

Farmers!?

Room Taken

Turnaround

Two Mothers

We Beg to Differ

Wife of the Future

Wrecker

Animated Short Film

Dembaya

Every Other Weekend

Homebird

Nightpay

Craft Categories

Casting

Baltimore - Emma Gunnery

Bodkin - Louise Kiely

Kneecap - Carla Stronge

Say Nothing - Lucy Amos, Nina Gold

Small Things Like These - Maureen Hughes

Cinematography

Bird - Robbie Ryan

Fréwaka - Narayan Van Maele

Kneecap - Ryan Kernaghan

Say Nothing - Stephen Murphy

The Penguin - Darran Tiernan

Costume Design

Abigail - Gwen Jeffares Hourie

House of the Dragon - Caroline McCall

Kneecap - Zjena Glamocanin

Spilt Milk - Gwen Jeffares Hourie

Vikings Valhalla - Susan O'Connor-Cave

Production Design

Abigail - Susie Cullen

Bodkin - Paki Smith 

Kneecap - Nicola Moroney

The Tourist - Philip Murphy

Vikings Valhalla - Tom Conroy

Hair & Makeup

Abigail - Linda Gannon, Liz Byrne

Kneecap - Liz Boston

Small Things Like These - Lorraine Glynn, Lynn Johnston

The Apprentice - Sandra Kelly, Tom McInerney

Vikings Valhalla - Joe Whelan, Tom McInerney

Sound

Abigail - Hugh Fox

Blackshore - John 'Bob' Brennan, Mark Henry, Fionan Higgins

Kneecap - Aza Hand, Brendan Rehill, Chris Woodcock

Oddity - Aza Hand, Hugo Parvery

Small Things Like These - Hugh Fox, Senjan Jansen

Original Music

Fréwaka - Die Hexen

The Apprentice - David Holmes

The Dry - Sarah Lynch

The Magic Reindeer: Saving Santa's Sleigh - Eimear Noone, Craig Stuart Garfinkle

The Song Cycle - Ray Harman

Editing

Bad Sisters - Derek Holland

Kathleen Is Here - Colin Campbell

Kneecap - Julian Ulrichs & Chris Gill

Paddington in Peru - Úna Ní Dhonghaíle

Say Nothing - Edel McDonnell

VFX

3 Body Problem - Ed Bruce, Liam Neville

Bodkin - John Kennedy, Lisa Maher

Sanctuary - Dan Cullen Shögun - Ed Bruce, Andrew Barry