Coming-of-age drama Dating Amber, Element Pictures’ Herself, and Oscar nominee Wolfwalkers are among the best film contenders at this year’s Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTAs).
Element and BBC TV series Normal People leads the overall nominations, shortlisted in 15 categories.
Scroll down for the list of nominations
Nominations across 25 categories in film and TV drama have been announced, with the awards to take place virtually and be broadcast on Virgin Media One on Sunday, July 4.
Across all film categories including craft and technical, David Freyne’s Dating Amber, about two closeted teenagers in 1990s Ireland, garnered eight nominations, the most of any feature. Phyllida Lloyd’s Herself, co-written by Malcolm Campbell and Clare Dunne, received six nominations. It stars Dunne as a mother who builds a new home in a bid to escape her abusive partner; the film is set for a VoD release via Element Pictures in September, having had its theatrical release postponed in October 2020 due to the pandemic.
Writer/director Cathy Brady’s Wildfire, starring Nika McGuigan and Nora Jane Noone as two sisters forced to confront their past, received five nominations, as did Paddy Slattery’s crime thriller Broken Law and Lorcan Finnegan’s sci-fi drama, Vivarium.
Wolfwalkers, Here Are The Young Men and Gretel & Hansel all secured three nominations.
In TV drama, Element’s Normal People is the frontrunner with 15 nominations across many of the major acting, technical and craft categories, including director Lenny Abrahamson. Family murder mystery Smother recorded 11 nominations with six for Victorian drama Dead Still.
The nominees for the feature documentary award include Breaking Out, Michael McCormack’s portrait of late Irish musician Fergus O’Farrell; Gabriel Clarke and Pete Thomas’ Finding Jack Charlton about the Englishman who became an Irish football legend; Henry Glassie: Field Work, director Pat Collins’ portrait of the American folklorist; and Songs for While I’m Away, Emer Reynolds’ documentary on Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott and his musical legacy.
Also nominated are The 8th, Aideen Kane, Lucy Kennedy and Maeve O’Boyle’s documentary on the campaign to repeal abortion laws in Ireland; and Gillian Marsh and Gretta Ohle’s Tomorrow Is Saturday, about the life and work of Irish collage artist Sean Hillen.
Nominations have been shortlisted by Irish Academy members along with a specialist jury panel of industry experts.
IFTAs 2021 nominees
Best film
- Broken Law
- Dating Amber
- Herself
- Vivarium
- Wildfire
- Wolfwalkers
Director film
- Cathy Brady – Wildfire
- David Freyne – Dating Amber
- Lorcan Finnegan – Vivarium
- Paddy Slattery – Broken Law
- Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart – Wolfwalkers
Script film
- Cathy Brady – Wildfire
- Clare Dunne, Malcolm Campbell – Herself
- David Freyne – Dating Amber
- Paddy Slattery – Broken Law
- Will Collins – Wolfwalkers
Lead actor film
- Ciarán Hinds – The Man In The Hat
- Fionn O’Shea – Dating Amber
- Gabriel Byrne – Death of a Ladies Man
- Moe Dunford – Knuckledust
- Tristan Heanue – Broken Law
Lead actress film
- Clare Dunne – Herself
- Jessie Buckley – I’m Thinking of Ending Things
- Lola Petticrew – Dating Amber
- Nika McGuigan – Wildfire
- Nora-Jane Noone – Wildfire
Supporting actor film
- Barry Ward – Dating Amber
- Brian Gleeson – Death of a Ladies Man
- Colm Meaney – Pixie
- Conleth Hill – Herself
- Ned Dennehy – Undergods
Supporting actress film
- Ally Ni Chiarain – Broken Law
- Kathy Kiera Clarke – A Bend in the River
- Molly McCann – Herself
- Saoirse Ronan – Ammonite
- Sharon Horgan – Dating Amber
Best drama
- Blood – Season 2
- Dead Still
- Line of Duty – Season 6
- Normal People
- Smother
- Vikings – Season 6
Director drama
- Dathaí Keane – Smother
- Dearbhla Walsh – Fargo
- Imogen Murphy – Dead Still
- Lenny Abrahamson – Normal People
- Steve St. Leger – Vikings – Season 6
Script drama
- Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson – The Salisbury Poisonings
- John Morton – Dead Still
- Kate O’Riordan – Smother
- Lisa McGee – The Deceived
- Sally Rooney – Normal People
Lead actor drama
- Adrian Dunbar – Line of Duty – Season 6
- Brendan Gleeson – The Comey Rule
- James Nesbitt – Bloodlands
- Michael Smiley – Dead Still
- Paul Mescal – Normal People
Lead actress drama
- Aisling Franciosi – Black Narcissus
- Catherine Walker – The Deceived
- Dervla Kirwan – Smother
- Eve Hewson – Behind Her Eyes
- Niamh Algar – Raised By Wolves
Supporting actor drama
- Andrew Scott – His Dark Materials
- Colm Meaney – Gangs of London
- Desmond Eastwood – Normal People
- Éanna Hardwicke – Smother
- Fionn O’Shea – Normal People
Supporting actress drama
- Fiona Shaw – Killing Eve
- Gemma-Leah Devereux – Smother
- Nicola Coughlan – Bridgerton
- Sarah Greene – Normal People
- Seána Kerslake – Smother
Feature documentary
- Breaking Out
- Finding Jack Charlton
- Henry Glassie: Field Work
- Phil Lynott: Songs for While I’m Away
- The 8th
- Tomorrow is Saturday