Kneecap and Say Nothing lead IFTA Awards nominations

January 15, 2025
Kneecap and Say Nothing lead IFTA Awards nominations

The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) has unveiled the 2025 nominees, honouring outstanding achievements in Irish film and television drama across 29 categories.

Winners will be revealed during the 22nd annual IFTA Awards Ceremony, which takes place on 14 February, at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre.

Kneecap leads the film categories, with 17 nominations, including Best Film, Acting, and Directing categories. Other prominent films include Small Things Like These with nine nominations, Kathleen Is Here with seven, and Spilt Milk and The Apprentice, both with four.


Watch: Kneecap leads this year's IFTA Awards nominations

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In the television drama categories, Say Nothing secured 10 nominations, followed by Bad Sisters with eight and The Dry and Bodkin with seven each.

This year introduces a new award category for Casting, which recognises the contributions of Ireland's casting directors. Notable nominees include Lucy Amos and Nina Gold for Say Nothing, Emma Gunnery for Baltimore and Maureen Hughes for Small Things Like These.


Watch: Say Nothing has been nominated for 10 IFTA Awards

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A highlight of the ceremony will be the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Colm Meaney, recognising his decades-long contribution to Irish and international screen industries.

Academy CEO Áine Moriarty praised the 2025 nominees as "an incredible showcase of skill and talent" and highlighted the continued excellence of Irish acting, filmmaking and storytelling.

Colm Meaney has been announced as this year's Lifetime Achievement recipient

The event will welcome Irish and international stars to celebrate the achievements of Ireland’s screen industry. Further details, including the ceremony host, guest presenters and Rising Star nominees will be announced in the coming weeks.


IFTA Awards 20205

Film Categories

Best Film
Kathleen Is Here
King Frankie
Kneecap
Small Things Like These
Spilt Milk
The Apprentice

Director - Film
Eva Birthistle - Kathleen Is Here
John Crowley - We Live in Time
Brian Durnin - Spilt Milk
Damian McCarthy - Oddity
Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor - Baltimore
Rich Peppiatt- Kneecap

Script - Film
Eva Birthistle - Kathleen Is Here
Cara Loftus - Spilt Milk
Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor - Baltimore
Rich Peppiatt - Kneecap
Stephen Shields - Abigail
Enda Walsh - Small Things Like These

Lead Actor - Film
Peter Coonan - King Frankie
Paul Mescal - Gladiator II
Cillian Murphy - Small Things Like These
Naoise Ó Caireallain - Kneecap
J.J. Ó Dochartaigh - Kneecap
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh - Kneecap

Lead Actress - Film
Carolyn Bracken - Oddity
Jessie Buckley - Wicked Little Letters
Hazel Doupe - Kathleen Is Here
Saoirse Ronan - The Outrun
Eileen Walsh - Small Things Like These
Alisha Weir - Abigail

Supporting Actor - Film
Peter Coonan - Kathleen Is Here
Michael Fassbender - Kneecap
Barry Keoghan - Bird
Brían F. O'Byrne - Conclave
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor - Baltimore
Steve Wall - Oddity

Supporting Actress - Film
Zara Devlin - Small Things Like These
Clare Dunne - Kathleen Is Here
Fionnuala Flaherty - Kneecap
Simone Kirby - Kneecap
Saoirse Ronan - Blitz
Jessica Reynolds - Kneecap

Drama Categories

Best Drama
Bad Sisters
Say Nothing
The Dry
Bodkin
Blue Lights
Crá

Director - Drama
Paddy Breathnach - The Dry
Brian Kirk - The Day of the Jackal
Michael Lennox - Say Nothing
Lisa Mulcahy - Sanctuary
Hannah Quinn - The Boy That Never Was
Dearbhla Walsh - Bad Sisters

Script - Drama
Baz Ashmawy - Faithless
Ronan Bennett - The Day of the Jackal
Nancy Harris - The Dry
Sharon Horgan - Bad Sisters
Adam Patterson, Declan Lawn - Blue Lights
Kirsten Sheridan, Joshua Zetumer - Say Nothing

Lead Actor - Drama
Anthony Boyle - Say Nothing
Colin Farrell - The Penguin
Michael Fassbender - The Agency
Ciarán Hinds - The Dry
Andrew Scott - Ripley
Aidan Turner - Rivals

Lead Actress - Drama
Elaine Cassidy - Sanctuary
Nicola Coughlan - Bridgerton
Siobhán Cullen - Bodkin
Roisin Gallagher- The Dry
Sharon Horgan - Bad Sisters
Lola Petticrew - Say Nothing

Supporting Actor - Drama
Anthony Boyle - Masters of the Air
Liam Cunningham - 3 Body Problem
Michael Smiley - Bad Sisters
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor - Say Nothing
Chris Walley - Bodkin
David Wilmot - Bodkin

Supporting Actress - Drama
Siobhán Cullen - The Dry
Hazel Doupe - Say Nothing
Eve Hewson - Bad Sisters
Ruth Negga - Presumed Innocent
Fiona Shaw - Bad Sisters
Victoria Smurfit - Rivals

International Film Award Categories

Best International Film
Anora
Conclave
Dune Part Two
The Brutalist
The Outrun
The Substance

Beat International Actor
Adrien Brody - The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet - A Complete Unknown
Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
Ralph Fiennes - Conclave
Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice
Denzel Washington - Gladiator II

Best International Actress
Cynthia Erivo - Wicked
Angelina Jolie - Maria
Mikey Madison - Anora
Demi Moore - The Substance
Florence Pugh - We Live in Time
Emily Watson - Small Things Like These

Other Award Categories

George Morrison Feature Documentary
Face Down: The Disappearance of Thomas Niedermayer
Don't Forget to Remember
Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story
The Flats
Mrs Robinson
Brendan Gleeson's Farewell to Hughes's

Live - Action Short Film
Clodagh
Farmers!?
Room Taken
Turnaround
Two Mothers
We Beg to Differ
Wife of the Future
Wrecker

Animated Short Film
Dembaya
Every Other Weekend
Homebird
Nightpay

Craft Categories

Casting
Baltimore - Emma Gunnery
Bodkin - Louise Kiely
Kneecap - Carla Stronge
Say Nothing - Lucy Amos, Nina Gold
Small Things Like These - Maureen Hughes

Cinematography
Bird - Robbie Ryan
Fréwaka - Narayan Van Maele
Kneecap - Ryan Kernaghan
Say Nothing - Stephen Murphy
The Penguin - Darran Tiernan

Costume Design
Abigail - Gwen Jeffares Hourie
House of the Dragon - Caroline McCall
Kneecap - Zjena Glamocanin
Spilt Milk - Gwen Jeffares Hourie
Vikings Valhalla - Susan O'Connor-Cave

Production Design
Abigail - Susie Cullen
Bodkin - Paki Smith
Kneecap - Nicola Moroney
The Tourist - Philip Murphy
Vikings Valhalla - Tom Conroy

Hair & Makeup
Abigail - Linda Gannon, Liz Byrne
Kneecap - Liz Boston
Small Things Like These - Lorraine Glynn, Lynn Johnston
The Apprentice - Sandra Kelly, Tom McInerney
Vikings Valhalla - Joe Whelan, Tom McInerney

Sound
Abigail - Hugh Fox
Blackshore - John 'Bob' Brennan, Mark Henry, Fionan Higgins
Kneecap - Aza Hand, Brendan Rehill, Chris Woodcock
Oddity - Aza Hand, Hugo Parvery
Small Things Like These - Hugh Fox, Senjan Jansen

Original Music
Fréwaka - Die Hexen
The Apprentice - David Holmes
The Dry - Sarah Lynch
The Magic Reindeer: Saving Santa's Sleigh - Eimear Noone, Craig Stuart Garfinkle
The Song Cycle - Ray Harman

Editing
Bad Sisters - Derek Holland
Kathleen Is Here - Colin Campbell
Kneecap - Julian Ulrichs & Chris Gill
Paddington in Peru - Úna Ní Dhonghaíle
Say Nothing - Edel McDonnell

VFX
3 Body Problem - Ed Bruce, Liam Neville
Bodkin - John Kennedy, Lisa Maher
Sanctuary - Dan Cullen
Shögun - Ed Bruce, Andrew Barry