And the Ifta goes to… a movie you couldn’t get to see
MORE than half of the films nominated by the Iftas for performances by their actresses have not been released in Ireland.
Of the nine films that received nominations for their actresses, five didn’t get a commercial release here.
The nominees for Actress in a Leading Role (Film) are: Caoilfhionn Dunne, for In View; Seána Kerslake, for A Date For Mad Mary; Aisling Loftus, for Property Of The State; Ruth Negga, for Loving, and Catherine Walker, for A Dark Song.
Of those five feature films neither In View nor Property Of The State received a theatrical release yet in Ireland. According to the Irish Film Classification Office, A Dark Song will go on release on April 7.
In the category of Actress in a Supporting Role (Film), the nominations are Charleigh Bailey, for A Date For Mad Mary; Simone Kirby, for Notes On Blindness; Susan Lynch, for Bad Day For The Cut; Hilary Rose, for The Young Offenders, and Fiona Shaw, for Out Of Innocence.
Both Bad Day For the Cut and Out Of Innocence have yet to be released to cinemas in Ireland.
A spokesperson for the Ifta awards said: ‘To be eligible for submission, titles must be first screened in Ireland or internationally within the awards period between January 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. This can be a paid public screening at a festival, or a theatrical independent screening or have been broadcast during the qualifying period.’
The spokesperson said that members of the Iftas academy have access to films submitted for nomination via private screenings and an online viewing platform. Voting members have a ‘viewing season’ in which to review nominations.
The cost of submitting a nomination ranges from €26 to €100.
Voting members are divided according their areas of expertise and will generally vote on nominations in those disciplines. The 14 disciplines each have their own jury. Voting takes place in two rounds: the first to shortlist the nominations, with the second round taking the form of a series of chaired-jury meetings to choose winners. ‘All jury members must view all contenders,’ the spokesman said.
According to Irish Film Board figures, Irish cinema audiences spent €108.9million going to the movies last year. Of that sum, €4.6million was spent on home grown films.
The top ten Irish films released in cinemas last year were: 1) Room; 2) The Young Offenders; 3) Sing Street; 4) Brooklyn; 5) A Date For Mad Mary; 6) Love And Friendship; 7) Bobby Sands: 66 Days; 8) Norm of the North; 9) Viva; and 10) Wild Goose Lodge.
‘Jury must see all contenders’