Irish films shortlisted for the Oscars

Final nominations will be announced on January 22

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced their shortlists of films in consideration for the 91st Oscars earlier this week and two Irish productions featured among the nominees.

Late Afternoon, written and directed by Louise Bagnell, was shortlisted in the animated short film category. It tells the story of an elderly woman reflecting on her past. The film is a product of the Kilkenny-based animation studio Cartoon Saloon, whose previous credits include acclaimed animated features The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea and Secret of Kells, all three of which eventually went on to be nominated for Academy Awards.

Bagnall’s film was funded under the Screen Ireland/RTÉ Frameworks short film scheme. In response to the news, Screen Ireland chief executive James Hickey said: “I’m really delighted to see Louise and the Late Afternoon team make it through to this stage of the Academy Awards process. The film tells a universal story which has appealed to international audiences around the world and particularly in North America.”

Irish writer and director Vincent Lambe also had cause to celebrate with the shortlisting of his film Detainment in the live-action short category. The 30-minute short depicts the harrowing police interviews of two young boys suspected of murdering a toddler and is based on transcripts from the investigation into the notorious 1993 killing of two-year-old James Bulger in England.

Speaking to The Sunday Business Post Vincent Lambe said: "None of us can really believe we've actually made it to the shortlist of the Oscars. As a filmmaker, you always dream about making it to the Oscars some day, but it's a very strange feeling to get this close."

The appearance of Three Identical Strangers on the shortlist for best documentary feature is also worth noting as the film’s editor Michael Harte hails from Donegal. Following the lives of three young men who by blind luck discover in their late teens that they are actually identical triplets, the film would face stiff competition should it make the final list in what’s been a very strong year for documentary cinema.

The final nominations will be announced on January 22 with the 91st Academy Awards ceremony to take place on February 24 in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Actor Kevin Hart was set to be the 2019 host but stepped down after a series of homophobic tweets resurfaced and resulted in widespread backlash. A new master of ceremonies has yet to be confirmed.