JOHN MICHAEL McDonagh's hit comedy, The Guard,came out on top when nominations for the Irish Film and Television Awards were announced yesterday. The film received nine nominations, including best actor for Brendan Gleeson and best director and best screenwriter for McDonagh.
Two other films also received nine mentions: Stella Days, Thaddeus O'Sullivan's story of a priest's efforts to maintain a cinema in rural Ireland, and Alfred Nobbs, featuring Glenn Close as a woman forced to cross-dress in 19th century Ireland.
The most successful ever independently released Irish picture at the domestic box office, The Guard, must be regarded as a strong favourite for the big prize.
Gleeson has already received a Golden Globe nomination for his profane performance, and the picture was well reviewed on its US release.
Joining those three films on the shortlist for best film is Terry McMahon's Charlie Casanova.The story of a violent misanthrope adrift in contemporary Ireland shared the prize for best first feature at last year's Galway Film Fleadh.
As is often the case with the Iftas, most of the nominees for best film have a relatively low profile with general viewers. The Guardis the only one of the four to have received a commercial release in Ireland at this point.
The most puzzling of the nominations is for Ciarán Hinds as actor in a "lead role" for his performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Although reliably impressive, Hinds has only a handful of lines in the John le Carré adaptation. His role in The Debt– for which he received a nod for best supporting actor – is, if anything, slightly larger. Michael Fassbender, acclaimed as a sex addict in Steve McQueen's Shame, and Martin Sheen, star of Stella Days, compete with Hinds and Gleeson in the race for best actor.
Saoirse Ronan, nominated for the thriller Hanna, is up against Antonia Campbell Hughes, Marcella Plunkett and Aoife Duffin for the award for best lead actress.
The Iftas also acknowledge achievement in television. Love/Hate, RTÉ's gangland drama, was ahead of the pack with an impressive 10 nominations. Game of Thrones, the fantasy epic filmed in Northern Ireland, wheezes into a distant second place with five mentions. Created by Stuart Carolan, the distinguished playwright, Love/Hatehas received good reviews and strong viewing figures since its debut in 2010. Aidan Gillen, the show's star, received a nomination for best actor.
Other shows receiving multiple nominations include Corp + Anam, the Irish-language crime series, and the flouncy Arthurian epic Camelot.
Áine Moriarty, Ifta’s chief executive, said: “Ireland’s economic struggles have been well documented, but against this pressure it’s heartening to see how Ireland’s hard-working creative community continues to punch above its weight and really deliver.”
The awards will be handed out on February 11th at the Convention Centre in Dublin during a ceremony presented by actor Simon Delaney.
IFTA Nominations the best work in cinema and tv
BEST FILM
Albert Nobbs
Charlie Casanova
Stella Days
The Guard
DIRECTOR FILM
Rebecca Daly The Other Side of Sleep
John Michael McDonagh The Guard
Terry McMahon Charlie Casanova
Thaddeus O'Sullivan Stella Days
SCRIPT FILM
John Banville Glenn Close Albert Nobbs
John Michael McDonagh The Guard
Terry McMahon Charlie Casanova
Antoine O'Flaherta Stella Days
BEST ACTOR
Michael Fassbender Shame
Brendan Gleeson The Guard
Ciarán Hinds Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Martin Sheen Stella Days
BEST ACTRESS
Aoife Duffin Behold The Lamb
Antonia Campbell Hughes The Other Side of Sleep
Marcella Plunkett Stella Days
Saoirse Ronan Hanna
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Liam Cunningham The Guard
Brendan Gleeson Albert Nobbs
Ciarán Hinds The Debt
Chris O'Dowd Bridesmaids
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Doyle Kennedy Albert Nobbs
Fionnula Flanagan The Guard
Brenda Fricker Albert Nobbs
Amy Huberman Stella Days
INTERNATIONAL FILM
Bridesmaids
Drive
Senna
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
BEST TV DRAMA
Corp + Anam
Game of Thrones
Love/Hate
The Borgias
BEST ACTOR (TV)
Diarmuid de Faoite Corp + Anam
Aidan Gillen Love/Hate
Chris O'Dowd The Crimson and the White Petal
David Pearse Trivia
BEST ACTRESS (TV)
Maria Doyle Kennedy Corp + Anam
Michele Fairley Game of Thrones
Ruth Negga Shirley
Aisling O'Sullivan Raw
ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME
Hardy Bucks
MasterChef Ireland
Mrs Brown’s Boys
The Savage Eye