How Ireland’s Film Sector Went From a ‘Cottage Industry’ to a Global Force (and Awards Season Darling)
variety.comAlex Ritman Ireland appears to be everywhere on screen at the minute — and it isn’t just a trend. Where 2022 and 2023 had “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Paul Mescal, “The Quiet Girl” and short film “The Irish Goodbye” making noise throughout awards season, plus John Carney’s “Flora and Son” being snapped up in Sundance by Apple TV+, 2024 has already shown that the Irish industry has become a global force.
Cillian Murphy — who is expected to soon add to his BAFTA leading actor win for “Oppenheimer” with an Oscar — leads the charge this time, followed by “Saltburn” star Barry Keoghan (with a dancing, naked behind, perhaps).
There’s also Yorgos Lanthimos’ awards-favorite “Poor Things,” produced by Irish powerhouse studio Element Pictures and shot by Dubliner Robbie Ryan (who earned his second Oscar nomination for the film).
The Murphy-led and -produced Irish indie “Small Things Like These” (which, like “The Quiet Girl,” was based on a novella by Irish author Claire Keegan) just opened the Berlinale to rave reviews, while raucous music biopic “Kneecap” — an Irish/Northern Irish co-production — was one of the standouts from Sundance, where it was swooped upon by Sony Pictures Classics.
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