Whilst Belfast rap group Kneecap have been tipped to win an Oscar for their film biopic, they are not the only Irish talent hoping for glory at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2.
Directed by Rich Peppiatt, Kneecap’s comedy drama is a semi-fictionalised tale about the rise to fame of the groundbreaking Irish-language rap trio.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Caireallain and J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, known by stage names Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí, play themselves in the movie, which also features X-Men star Michael Fassbender and Belfast’s Josie Walker.
Kneecap’s song, Sick in the Head, has also been shortlisted in the Original Song category. A total of 89 songs were eligible in this category and 15 were chosen for the shortlist.
Other Irish films hoping for a full nomination are film shorts Room Taken and Clodagh and The Apprentice shortlisted in the Makeup and Hairstyling category.
Veteran Belfast actress Brid Brennan stars as Victoria, an elderly blind woman, who is unknowingly joined in her home by Issac (Gabriel Adewusi), a newly-arrived migrant in Dublin, in desperate need for a place to stay.
Written by Michael Whelan and executive produced by Colin Farrell, the film showcases the touching and unexpected bond that forms between the pair.
Also hoping to follow in the footsteps of 2023 winner A Long Goodbye, in the Live Action Short Film category, is Clodagh, directed by Portia Buckley.
Winner of the shorts competition at Belfast Film Festival’s Long Short Weekend, this film follows a lonely, devout, and rigorously honest housekeeper (Bríd Ní Neachtain) whose discovery of a young Irish dancer (Katelyn Rose Downey) provokes a moral and spiritual dilemma.
Directed by Ali Abassi and written by Gabe Sherman, The Apprentice is a dive into the underbelly of the American empire. It charts a young Donald Trump’s ascent to power through a Faustian deal with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn.
Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Sunday January 19.
