CAPITALISE ON OSCAR SUCCESS

I was waiting with bated breath this week to hear the Oscar shortlists. It’s something I’m always interested in but this time I had a personal investment as Colm Bairéad and Cleona Ní Chrualaoi, the director and producer of the stunningly beautiful An Cailín Ciúin, are friends of mine. I can’t tell you the excitement in our WhatsApp group when the news came in. It’s quite surreal to think that someone I know well is nominated for an Oscar. How wonderful it was too to see them joined by Paul Mescal, Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson and Martin McDonagh in the shortlists. It’s wonderful to see The Banshees of Inisherin getting nine nominations – a record for an Irish film. And, of course, An Cailín Ciúin being the first Irish-language film to get the

Oscar nod. The two films are also in the running for several BAFTAs. The news is an unbelievable coup for the Irish film industry but it will no doubt filter down into other elements of society too. The tourism industry in particular is bound to enjoy a huge boost as both films are seen by wider audiences. I forecast this summer will be one of the busiest the Aran Islands, the setting for The Banshees of Inisherin, in particular has ever known. But that’s not the only knock-on that can be expected. I was in Nashville last week, a city that is enjoying incredible growth. A member of the tourist board there said something that has stuck with me since: ‘Creativity breeds creativity.’ So while the city is best known for its music, the proliferation of quality entertainment has led to artists, poets, dancers, chefs, etc relocating there and enjoying growing their own industry. They bounce ideas off each other and forge unique collaborations together which are beneficial to all strands of the arts. That’s what we must also strive to do here. The film industry’s success can be a boon to so many others, it’s just a matter of recognising the best way to capitalise. That’s why it was particularly disappointing to see the comments from Fine Gael’s spokesperson for Arts and Culture Ciaran Cannon this week, when he tweeted of the band Sprints, ‘I’ve heard better music from slightly embarrassed

[Transition Year] students’, following their appearance on The Tommy Tiernan Show. This is a man who is responsible for promoting and boosting the music industry in our country and he’s telling the world that he doesn’t like a particular band. I’m not saying he needs to like every kind of music out there, but he does need to support it. That’s literally his job. The entertainment industry suffered so badly during and since the pandemic and needs all the help it can get to return to its former glories. This week’s Oscar announcements are a huge step but it has to be capitalised on. Fingers crossed we see some statues returning to Ireland in the near future.