News

Aontas opens on the aftermath of a Credit Union robbery in a windswept Northern Irish village. From that first, blood-stained shot, the narrative moves backward, each scene recontextualizing the one before it.

McCann’s deliberate storytelling—supported by Sorcha Nic Giolla Mhuire’s crisp editing—recalls non-linear experiments in world cinema, from Christopher Nolan’s time-bending thrillers to daring narrative turns in India’s parallel stream. Yet Aontas grounds its structure in the everyday, inviting comparisons to Bollywood dramas where atmosphere and character reveal carry as much weight as plot.

Visually, Damien Elliott’s lens captures neon-tinged streets and the muted hues of rural Antrim, while Daithí Ó Dronaí’s subtle synth score marries Irish folk resonance with global noir moods. The film’s quiet tension—echoing the restraint of Satyajit Ray’s social dramas—asks viewers to assemble motive, identity, and emotion piece by piece, without flashy mechanics or exposition.

If you’ve never been homeless then it’s hard to imagine just how scary it is to be out on the streets at night with nowhere to go, no place to find refuge, but director Tj O’Grady Peyton does a good job of capturing that feeling in this Oscar-shortlisted short. It follows Isaac (Gabriel Adewusi) as he moves between hostels and agencies, desperately looking for somewhere with a free bed, only to come up empty handed. Then, in a late night café, he encounters Victoria (Brid Brennan), a widow who was recently lost her sight. Charged by the owner with following her to return the bag she has forgotten, he makes an impulsive decision, and secretly seeks shelter in her home.

It’s a tense situation, and one we would normally expect to see play out as a thriller. There is, indeed, tension throughout. Isaac is much bigger than Victoria,...

Room Taken

A homeless man with nowhere else to go surreptitiously takes refuge in the home of a blind stranger in Oscar-shortlisted short film Room Taken, but this is less the thriller that it might sound like and more a taste of something magical. Stars Gabriel Adewusi and Brid Brennan bring deep sensitivity to a story which flips stereotypes on their heads and finds strength and vulnerability in unexpected places.

Director Tj O’Grady Peyton was not available to talk about the film because he’s been in Los Angeles to organise a screening which, in the end, he had to ask people to stay away from because the wildfires made moving around the city too dangerous. Writer Michael Whelan and producer Colman Mac Cionnaith were able to meet, however, both understandably excited about the progress of their work.

It was influenced in large part by one of his family members,...

The plight of unhoused people and the growing epidemic of elderly loneliness and disability hardship are at the center of Tj O’Grady Peyton’s Room Taken. The short film, written by Michael Whelan and executive produced by Colin Farrell, centers on Isaac (Gabriel Adewusi), a newly arrived immigrant to Ireland from Nigeria who struggles to find a stable place to lay his head. He then comes across Victoria (Brid Brennan), a recently widowed elderly blind woman who lives alone and takes the opportunity to secretly stay at her home unnoticed as he awaits news of better accommodations.

In its 17-minute runtime, Room Taken navigates humanist themes such as the hardship faced by asylum seekers and the lack of proper services for the unhoused population in Ireland. It also includes themes of grief and isolation for elderly citizens as they suffer the loss of their partners or experience an onset of disability from aging.

“The Penguin” star Colin Farrell has boarded Irish short film “Room Taken” as an executive producer.

Tj O’Grady-Peyton directs the film about loneliness, grief and the immigrant experience from a screenplay by first timer Michael Whelan while Colmán Mac Cionnaith (“Supergirl”) produces.

Bríd Brennan (“Hope Street”) stars alongside newcomer Gabriel Adewusi.

“‘Room Taken’ follows Isaac, newly arrived in Ireland and looking for a place to stay, when he secretly moves into the home of Victoria, an elderly blind woman, leading them to form a unique bond,” reads the synopsis.

“Room Taken” has qualified for the Oscars longlist after winning best short at the 2024 Cleveland International Film Festival and a gold medal for best film at the Manhattan Short Film Festival.

“‘Room Taken’ is such a gentle cry to the power of human connection,” said Farrell. “It treats loneliness and grief and the struggle of the immigrant with such a gentle hand,...

The 24th edition of the festival kicks off on a spooky note on Halloween with Aislinn Clarke’s Irish horror, Fréwaka.

With 25 premieres and three world premieres the programme also features a mix of classics including The French Connection as part of the Art of Action strand. One of many eagerly anticipated films includes Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, Rumours and the latest from legendary director Mike Leigh, Hard Truths.

As part of the festival will be a special 40th Anniversary screening of Anne Devlin after which a Q&a with director Pat Murphy and star Brid Brennan. The festival will close with Sam O’Mahony’s The Wise Guy.

In Conversation event this year will see Bff curator Jessica Kiang chat with Radu Jude, Golden Bear winning director of Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World.

With an exciting and varied programme, festival director Michele Devlin...

Ghostwatch, a 1992 BBC film, blurred the line between fact and fiction, influencing films like Late Night with the Devil. The film presented a live investigation into a haunted house, using real BBC personalities and advanced technology to create a sense of reality. Ghostwatch sparked mass panic in England, leading to its banning and the tragic death of a teenager who believed the film's demonic entity possessed him.

In the early days of cinema, the dividing line between fact and fiction was crystal clear. Outside the odd occurrence like the infamous War of the Worlds controversy instigated by a young Orson Welles in the 1930s, audiences generally took for granted that what they heard on the radio and what they saw on television was, more often than not, make-believe. As technology (not to mention storytelling ingenuity) advanced, that line became harder and harder to differentiate.

Many will point to a film...

Maleah Joi Moon has become the 101st performer to win a Tony Award for their first outing on a Broadway stage for her performance in the musical “Hell’s Kitchen.”

She won Best Actress in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards for portraying Ali, a 17-year-old girl searching for her place in the world while living in the titular New York City neighborhood and also being restrained by her overbearing mother. She is the 10th person to win the category for her Broadway debut. She joins:

Elizabeth Seal, “Irma La Douce” (1961)

Anna Maria Alberghetti, “Carnival” (1962)

Liza Minnelli, “Flora the Red Menace” (1965)

Leslie Uggams, “Hallelujah, Baby” (1968)

Alexis Smith, “Follies” (1972)

Natalia Makarova, “On Your Toes” (1983)

Lea Salonga, “Miss Saigon” (1991)

Catherine Zeta-Jones, “A Little Night Music” (2010)

Cynthia Erivo, “The Color Purple” (2016)

Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Other performers who pulled off this accomplishment in recent years include...

While many young actors are trying to get their break in Hollywood by starring in coming-of-age or young-adult movies, Barry Keoghan is one of the unique actors in the industry who are continuously choosing edgy films one after another and along the way he is proving his acting chops to almost every person in the world. The Irish actor appeared in Marvel superhero flick Eternals and then took on the role of Batman’s most famous villain, the Joker, in the new Matt Reeves film The Batman. The young actor has also worked with multiple accomplished industry directors like Christopher Nolan, Emerald Fennell, and Yorgos Lanthimos. So, if you think you are also slowly becoming a fan of this guy check out these 10 movies that are his best.

10. Eternals (Disney+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Marvel Studios

Eternals is a Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film directed by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao.

Cillian Murphy obtained one of acting’s most coveted achievements when he won an Oscar for his leading role in “Oppenheimer.” But his award season run for the acclaimed Christopher Nolan film didn’t end with his big night at the Dolby Theater. The Irish actor went on to receive his home country’s highest acting honor on Sunday at the Irish Film and TV Academy Awards when he won the Lead Actor — Film category for “Oppenheimer.”

The ceremony honored the best Irish film and television of 2023, with Pat Collins’ “That They May Face the Rising Sun” winning Best Film. Other notable winners included Paul Mescal taking Supporting Actor for “All of Us Strangers” and Alison Oliver winning Supporting Actress for “Saltburn.”

Keep reading for a complete list of winners from the 2024 Irish Film and TV Academy Awards.

Best Film

“Double Blind”

“Flora and Son”

“Lies We Tell”

“Lola”

“That They May Face the Rising Sun...

The 21st Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) Awards, which highlight Irish filmmakers, television creators and performers, saw Pat Collins’ That They May Face The Rising Sun win Best Film in an upset. Despite earning a second-best 11 nominations, the top award was its only win.

Lies We Tell all with three wins: for Director Lisa Mulcahy, Lead Actress Agnes O’Casey, and Best Script. It came in with 13nominations.

Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy repeated his Best Actor win at the Academy Awards for Oppenheimer with a win for Lead Actor. In the supporting categories, Paul Mescal won for All of Us Strangers and Alison Oliver topped all for Saltburn.

Oppenheimer was named Best International Film, Emma Stone was Best Actress, and Paul Giamatti won International Actor for The Holdovers.

In the television drama categories, Kin was the winner for series, directing, script, lead actress Clare Dune, and supporting actress Maria Doyle Kennedy.

Filmmaker...

Cillian Murphy, Kin season two and Paul Mescal were among the winners of the Irish Film & Television Awards 2024, which were handed out during a ceremony in Dublin on Saturday.

Lies We Tell, about an orphaned teenage heiress in 19th-century Ireland who is forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family, led the nominations for the movie portion of the awards with 13 and went home with three. It was followed by That They May Face the Rising Sun, which took home the best film prize, and Double Blind, with 11 each. Rising Sun is an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel about passion, war and migration, while Double Blind is a horror film about an experimental drug trial that goes wrong.

Among the lead acting nominees were such big names as Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Eve Hewson and Jessie Buckley. Murphy took home the best actor...

Fresh from his Academy Award win for best actor, “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy now has a chance to claim the same honor at his local awards.

The Irish Film and TV Academy (IFTA) has unveiled the nominees for its 2024 awards, with Murphy going up against “Saltburn’s'” Barry Keoghan and “All of Us Strangers” star Andrew Scott in the best actor category. Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley (“Fingernails”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Foe”) are among those nominated for best actress, while Paul Mescal (“All of Us Strangers”) and Kenneth Branagh (“Oppenheimer”) are in the running for best supporting actor.

But it was actually Irish features leading the pack of nominees, with Lisa Mulcahy’s “Lies We Tell” landing 13, followed by “That They May Face the Rising Sun” and “Double Blind.”

The IFTAs ceremony will be take place on April 20 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre with Irish TV personality Baz Ashmawy on hosting duties.

Cillian Murphy, Andrew Scott and Saoirse Ronan are among the nominees at the 21st Irish Film and Television Awards.

Fresh off his Oscar win, Murphy (Oppenheimer) is nominated for lead actor along with Scott (All Of Us Strangers). They are joined by Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan, The Last Rifleman’s Pierce Brosnan, That They May Face They Rising Sun’s Barry Ward and David Wilmot from Lies We Tell, the film with the most IFTA nominations on 13.

Lisa Mulcahy’s period drama is also up for best film, lead actress, supporting actor, director, script and seven craft awards. It had...

Nominations are out for the 21st Irish Film & Television Awards with Lisa Mulcahy’s thriller Lies We Tell leading the pack on the feature side at 13, and crime drama Kin heading up the TV fields with 11 (scroll down for the ful list of nominees). The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) will hand out its prizes on April 20 in Dublin.

Alongside Lies We Tell in the Best Film category are Double Blind, Flora and Son, Lola, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Verdigris. Each of those films also scored a mention for their directors.

In what was a banner year for Irish talent, there are several awards season notables vying for Best Actor as well, including Oppenheimer Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan and All of Us Strangers’ Andrew Scott.

The Best International Film race includes All of Us Strangers, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, Saltburn and The Holdovers.

Lies We Tell, with 13, That They May Face the Rising Sun and Double Blind, with 11 each, are leading the nominations for the movie portion of the Irish Film & Television Awards 2024.

Lies We Tell is about an orphaned teenage heiress in 19th-century Ireland who is forced to embrace the dark legacy of her family when she becomes the ward of an uncle determined to marry her off. Rising Sun is an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel of passion, war, and migration. Double Blind is a horror film about an experimental drug trial that goes horribly wrong. Andrew Legge’s Lola, a science fiction drama set in 1940, received seven noms on Thursday.

Among the lead acting nominees are such big names as Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Andrew Scott, Pierce Brosnan, Saoirse Ronan, Eve Hewson, and Jessie Buckley. The best supporting film actor category, meanwhile, includes Kenneth Branagh and Paul Mescal.

And...

We probably won’t see this week’s streaming debuts on the Oscars’ nomination roster come January, but they offer a variety of genres that will satisfy whatever mood you find yourself in this weekend.

The contender to watch this week: “Pain Hustlers“

The opioid epidemic has fueled a wave of movie and TV shows in the last few years, from “Dopesick” and “Ben Is Back” to the gorgeous Oscar-nominated documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.” Hollywood’s latest Big Pharma indictment is a star-studded dramedy directed by “Harry Potter” alum David Yates. Based on a book by journalist Evan Hughes, “Pain Hustlers” features Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, and Andy Garcia in a crime saga revolving around a pharmaceutical start-up whose founder served two years in prison. Reviews have been tepid, but “Hustlers” is now streaming on Netflix following a limited theatrical release.

Other contenders:

“My Sailor, My Love...

Stop Making Sense, the remastered concert film that sowed delight at TIFF, opens on 300 Imax screens in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Ireland. Locations Stateside number 260 ahead of a nationwide release next week.

The 1984 Talking Heads extravaganza from Jonathan Demme is presented in its new iteration by A24 — meaning the decades-old movie can now extend its reach to a new, younger audience that is A24’s core fan base. Opening numbers are hard to gauge since there aren’t many comps but there are parties, discos, stars and sellouts with film looking at about $1.5 million, including Thursday previews.

A 40th anniversary large-format special premiere screening at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this month had people dancing in the aisles and broke Imax records. It was the company’s highest grossing live event, earning $640.8k and selling out 25 screens across 165 Imax locations in North America and the BFI Imax in London.

A chance at love is blowing in with the sea breeze in the trailer for My Sailor, My Love. Starring James Cosmo (Game of Thrones) and Bríd Brennan (The Escape Artist) as two late-in-life lovers hoping to spend the rest of their days with one another, the Klaus Härö (Elina: As If I Wasn’t There) helmed feature is oozing with charm and gorgeous scenery from the rolling green hills of Ireland.

August is here, and so is a brand new collection of additions from the ever-expanding Plex. The free streaming service is adding another two dozen titles to its library of over 50,000 TV series and movies, and whether you’re in the mood for a found-footage horror movie like “V/H/S” or an LGBTQ+ rom-com like “Life Partners,” your watchlist likely just got a little longer.

Check out our top picks for the coming month and the full list below!

Watch Now $0+ / month plex.tv What Are the Best Shows and Movies Coming to Plex in August 2023? “Shadow Dancer” | Aug. 1

The 2012 mystery-thriller set in 1990s Belfast stars Andrea Riseborough as an active member of the Ira who becomes an informant for MI5 in order to protect her son’s welfare. The spy drama also stars Clive Owens, Gillian Anderson, Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson, Brid Brennan, David Wilmot, and more.

Check...

Jodie Comer has become the 100th performer to win a Tony Award for their Broadway debut for her performance in the play, “Prima Facie.”

She won Best Actress in a Play for portraying Tess, a lawyer who concentrates in providing legal defense for men who are accused of sexual assault but soon has the unthinkable happen to her. She is the 11th person to win the category for her first outing on a Broadway stage. She joins:

SEE2023 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories

Martita Hunt, “The Madwoman of Chaillot” (1949)

Beryl Reid, “The Killing of Sister George” (1967)

Phyllis Frelich, “Children of a Lesser God” (1980)

Jane Lapotaire, “Piaf” (1981)

Joan Allen, “Burn This” (1988)

Pauline Collins, “Shirley Valentine” (1989)

Janet McTeer, “A Doll’s House” (1997)

Marie Mullen, “The Beauty Queen of Leeane” (1998)

Jennifer Ehle, “The Real Thing” (2000)

Deanna Dunagan, “August: Osage County” (2008)

Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other...

Michiel van Erp’s Casanova drama ‘A Beautiful Imperfection’ stars Jonah Hauer-King and Dar Zuzovsky.

German sales outfit Global Screen has added two new titles to its busy Cannes market line-up.

The Munich-based company has taken on international rights, excluding Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy, for Michiel van Erp’s A Beautiful Imperfection, a romantic costume drama telling the story of the love affair between a young woman and the notorious Italian adventurer and womaniser Giacomo Casanova.

The project is in post-production and Global Screen will have a first promo for pre-sales at the Cannes Market.

Jonah Hauer-King stars as...

The feature recently won best Irish film at the Dublin International Film Festival.

Germany’s Global Screen has sold the North American rights on Finnish filmmaker Klaus Härö’s English-language debut and Toronto International Film Festival premiere My Sailor, My Love to Music Box Films.

It stars James Cosmo, Bríd Brennan and Catherine Walkera, and follows a retired sailor and widower who falls in love with his home help. His adult daughter disapproves and feels she is losing the father she never had.

My Sailor, My Love has just been released in the UK and Ireland by Signature and will...

Beautifully nuanced performances underpin an interesting drama that evolves from late-life romance into study of family trauma across generations

Shot on the misty Achill island off Ireland’s west coast, Finnish director Klaus Härö’s English-language debut grapples with the rough currents of late-in-life regrets and resentment. Cranky retired sea captain Howard (James Cosmo) – once content with shutting himself off from the outside world – is forced to open his disorderly home, and subsequently his heart, to Annie (Brid Brennan), a housekeeper hired by his overworked daughter Grace (Catherine Walker).

What begins as a lighthearted autumnal romance gradually evolves into a thorny study of familial grievances. Troubled by her own unhappy marriage, Grace grows increasingly bitter about her father’s new relationship. The reasons for her disturbing, self-destructive behaviours spring from a traumatic childhood, the details of which are revealed late in the film – too late, really, to fully flesh out her character.

To Annie (Brid Brennan), Howard (James Cosmo) is an ageing man who retains his mental faculties but can no longer manage without a bit of help around the house. To his daughter Grace (Catherine Walker), he’s the source of a lifetime of woes, but is also somebody for whom she is responsible and about whose true needs she knows best. To the village children, he’s an invincible old sea captain who once strangled an angry gorilla with his bare hands. Who is the real Howard? Though this sweet tale of late life love may seem to chart a simple course, there are deeper currents at play. He’s every bit as difficult to fathom as Grace herself.

Under pressure at work, where she looks after elderly hospital patients, and at home, where her husband complains that they never talk, Grace feels overwhelmed by her worries about her father,...

"I'll tell you a secret - I'm actually quite enjoying myself." Signature Ent. in the UK has revealed an official trailer for an indie film titled My Sailor, My Love, an Ireland-Finland co-production from director Klaus Härö. This old age romantic drama premiered at TIFF 2022 last year, and just played at the Palm Springs Film Festival in the US earlier this year. Howard, a retired sea captain, refuses any help from his daughter Grace. When she hires Annie as domestic help for him, Howard unexpectedly falls in love. He gives all his affection to Annie and her family, but rejects his own daughter. My Sailor, My Love is a story about a guilt-affected daughter-father relationship. But it's also a love story between two elderly people, proving a new beginning is never too late. James Cosmo co-stars with Brid Brennan, joined by Catherine Walker, Nora-Jane Noone, Aidan O'Hare, & Molly McCann. Early...

The beautifully realized Oscar-nominated romantic drama Brooklyn, adapted from Colm Tóibín’s book of the same name, has a moving and thought-provoking ending. Saoirse Ronan stars in the adaptation as Eilis Lacey, a young Irish woman who emigrates to Brooklyn in the 1950s. While caught between two homes, Eilis finds herself in a love triangle with Tony (Emory Cohen), an Italian-American plumber in New York, and Jim (Domhnall Gleeson), a well-off suitor back in her hometown of Enniscorthy. Brooklyn was nominated for three Academy Awards – Best Picture, Best Actress (for Ronan), and Best Adapted Screenplay – but sadly, in spite of its universal praise, it didn’t win any.

Named by the BBC as one of the 100 greatest films of the 21st century, Brooklyn is a heartwarming historical tale about what it means to call somewhere home. Ronan was already one of the most acclaimed actors of her generation, but Brooklyn...

I was still dressed as a mummy when I sat down to watch TV after trick-or-treating on Halloween night in 1992. I was a skinny lad, so binding my limbs tightly in bandages made me look more like a weird spindly white insect than King Tut. Self-conscious of this, I wore my Adidas bench coat over the costume, which completely ruined the effect.

I couldn't tell you what my costume was 12 months earlier or the following year, but Halloween of '92 remains so clear in my mind because that was the night of "Ghostwatch." I loved anything related to the supernatural, so I just couldn't wait: The BBC was conducting a live paranormal investigation into poltergeist activity! It was a big event heavily publicized in the run-up to Halloween, and 11 million viewers tuned in that night. The next day the whole country was talking about it.

"Ghostwatch" wasn't a real live ghost hunt,...

Romance has grossed more than Euros 618,000 in three weeks through Nordisk Film.

Global Screen has licensed further key territories on Klaus Haro’s English-language debut My Sailor, My Love, which recently opened top of the box office in Finland and will continue selling at the AFM.

Rights have gone to Kismet for Australia and New Zealand and Twelve Oaks for Spain following a recent deal announced in Screen with Signature for the UK and Ireland. Global Screen’s SVP international sales and acquisitions Klaus Rasmussen is engaged in ongoing conversations for the US and further territories.

Haro’s (The Fencers...

Buyer plans early 2023 theatrical release.

Germany’s Global Screen has reported a strong response in Toronto to Klaus Haro’s TIFF Contemporary World Cinema selection My Sailor, My Love and has struck a deal with Signature for UK & Ireland.

Härö’s English-language debut premiered last Friday (September 9) and stars James Cosmo and Bríd Brennan as a retired sea captain and the home help he falls for, much to the chagrin of his grown-up daughter who feels she has never truly known her father. Catherine Walker also stars.

Jimmy Karlsson and Kirsi Wikman wrote the screenplay. Haro’s 2015 Finnish drama The Fencer...

Finnish director Klaus Härö makes his English-language debut with Toronto Film Festival premiere “My Sailor, My Love.” A gentle drama about a retired sea captain falling in love one last time will be spotlighted at the Helsinki-based event Finnish Film Affair next. Global Screen is handling the sales.

Härö, an experienced filmmaker behind Golden Globe-nominated “The Fencer,” didn’t feel “desperate” to make a movie in English, he says.

“I hope it doesn’t feel forced. With English, there is always this thought that maybe this way, it will reach more people. But it just felt natural to set it in Ireland.”

“I love the loneliness of this landscape, its proximity to the sea. Also, ‘The Fencer’ was shot in Estonia and my next film will be in Finnish, German, Hebrew and Yiddish.”

Produced by Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho for Making Movies, as well as David Collins for Ireland...

Howard (James Cosmo) lives what appears to be a hermitic life of unwavering obstinance. He doesn’t even open the door when his daughter Grace (Catherine Walker) and her husband Martin (Aidan O’Hare) arrive—a seemingly inconsequential fact until you realize it’s his birthday and she’s there to ready for the celebration. It would be easy to dismiss his demeanor as immovable then. Why would he act like this with his loved ones if that wasn’t how he acts with everyone? Except attending the local bar afterwards to celebrate more inexplicably sees Howard suddenly sparkling to life. He regales the children with tales at sea, enjoys a slice of their cake (not Grace’s), and seems a decade younger. Where then is the disconnect? What are we missing?

While Jimmy Karlsson and Kirsi Vikman’s script keeps the particulars of Howard’s relationship with his family hidden for a short while,...

Myles Frost became the latest addition to the list of people who have taken home a Tony Award for their Broadway debut. His win makes him the 98th member of this particular winners’ club.

Frost, who won Best Actor in a Musical for playing Michael Jackson in “Mj,” is the 13th person to win that category for their first time stepping into a character on a Broadway stage. He joins:

Ezio Pinza, “South Pacific” (1950)

Robert Alda, “Guys and Dolls” (1951)

Robert Lindsay, “Me and My Girl” (1987)

Brent Carver, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1993)

Alan Cumming, “Cabaret” (1998)

Hugh Jackman, “The Boy From Oz” (2004)

John Lloyd Young, “Jersey Boys” (2006)

Paulo Szot, “South Pacific” (2008)

David Álvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish (joint nomination), “Billy Elliot” (2009)

Douglas Hodge, “La Cage aux Folles” (2010)

See 2022 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 categories

Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other acting categories that have...

James Cosmo, Catherine Walker, Brid Brennan star.

Germany sales agent Global Screen has acquired worldwide sales rights to Finnish filmmaker Klaus Haro’s English-language debut My Sailor, My Love.

The film shot last year in Ireland. It stars James Cosmo, Catherine Walker and Brid Brennan.

My Sailor, My Love tells the story of a retired sea captain who falls in love with his home aid; but his middle-aged daughter does not approve of the relationship.

The film is written by Jimmy Karlsson and Kirsi Wikman.

It is produced by Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho for Finland’s Making Movies ; and...

Paul Marquess and Susanne Farrell, who worked together on long-running British cop drama The Bill, have teamed up on a new British crime drama for the BBC and BritBox North America.

They have created Hope Street, set in the fictional town of Port Devine on the Northern Ireland coast.

It stars The Night Of’s Amara Khan as English Detective Constable Alimah Kahn, the first Muslim police officer in the town’s history.

Combining a long-running serial narrative with self-contained crime stories in each episode, the cast also includes Brid Brennan (Brooklyn), Des McAleer (The Crown) and Ciaran McMenamin (Primeval).

It will air exclusively on BritBox North America in the UK and Canada and on BBC Daytime and BBC Northern Ireland.

Created by Farrell and Marquess, Farrell writes alongside Jess Lea, Christine Murphy, Stuart Drennan, and Shazia Rashid. It is exec produced by Donna Wiffen and Marquess for Long Story TV.

BritBox North America, the BBC Studios and ITV-backed SVOD service specializing in British content, and the BBC have commissioned crime drama “Hope Street.”

The ensemble serial is set in the fictional town of Port Devine in Northern Ireland, and will focus on its police department, and the mysterious arrival of English detective constable Alimah Khan, the first Muslim police officer in the town’s history.

The cast includes Brid Brennan (“Brooklyn”), Des McAleer (“The Crown”), Ciaran McMenamin (“Primeval”) and Amara Karan (“The Night of”).

The show is created by Susanne Farrell (“Dirty God”) and Paul Marquess (“London Kills”), and written by Farrell, Jess Lea (“Eastenders”), Christine Murphy (“Emmerdale”), Stuart Drennan (“Hollyoaks”), and Shazia Rashid (“Eastenders”). It is executive produced by Donna Wiffen (“The Bill”) and Marquess for Long Story TV.

“Hope Street” will be made with the support of Northern Ireland Screen. It will premiere exclusively on BritBox in the U.

For only the third time this decade, none of the acting winners at this year’s Tony Awards did so for their Broadway debut. This is the 21st time that this has happened over the 73-year history of these top theater honors. Most of the winners were actually on the opposite end of the spectrum, winning for the first time after years of Broadway experience and several nominations to their name including André De Shields, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Stephanie J. Block. Check out the complete list of winners here.

The previous instances of Broadway debuts being shut out at the Tonys were in: 1948, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1991, 1994, 2001-2003, 2012 and 2017.

Below, you can see the names of all 96 people who have won Tonys for their debut on the Great White Way.

SEE2019 Tony Awards: Best Musical ‘Hadestown’ sweeps with 8 wins, ‘The Ferryman’ takes Best Play

Best Actor In A Play: 16 winners

Paul Scofield, “A Man for All Seasons” (1962)

Cliff Gorman,...

Ari’el Stachel became the latest person to take home a Tony Award for their Broadway debut. This victory puts him in a freshman club that now has 96 members. Watch him discuss his victory in the Tonys press room in the video above.

Stachel, who won Best Featured Actor in a Musical for playing Haled in “The Band’s Visit,” is the ninth person to claim that particular honor for his first Broadway outing. He joins:

Harry Belafonte, “John Murray Anderson’s Almanac” (1954)

Sydney Chaplin, “Bells are Ringing” (1957)

Frankie Michaels, “Mame” (1966)

Wilson Jermaine Heredia, “Rent” (1996)

Dan Fogler, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (2005)

Levi Kreis, “Million Dollar Quartet” (2010)

John Larroquette, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” (2011)

Daveed Diggs, “Hamilton” (2016)

Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other acting categories that claimed Tony Awards.

Best Actor In A Play: 16 winners

Paul Scofield,...

Craig Lines Oct 31, 2016

24 years after infamous UK horror TV event Ghostwatch aired on the BBC, we chat to its director Lesley Manning...

Although Ghostwatch aired in 1992 and was never shown again on TV, its legacy endures. From the excellent Behind The Curtains documentary to its frequent appearances on “Scariest Moments” lists, people love to talk about what still remains the most controversial drama in broadcast history (and retains the record number of viewer complaints).

See related Marvel's Luke Cage episode 13 viewing notes: You Know My Steez The Punisher: 5 new cast members and 2017 release confirmed

To celebrate the BBC releasing it, at last, through their online store, Den Of Geek talked with director Lesley Manning about making the programme and its enduring influence…

How does it feel that every few years, so many people want to talk to you about Ghostwatch?

Well, because Stephen [Volk, writer] and I felt like lepers for a few years afterwards,...

The story of a brave, innocent immigrant gets a glorious re-telling. Never fear, for this emotional but unsentimental tale of an Irish lass making big decisions features a breakout performance by Saoirse Ronan, an actress who melts hearts with one flash of her blue eyes... Brooklyn Blu-ray 20th Century Fox 2015 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 111 min. / Street Date March 15, 2016 / 39.99 Starring Saoirse Ronan, Jim Broadbent, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Julie Walters, Brid Brennan, Maeve McGrath, Emma Lowe, Fiona Glascott, Jane Brennan, Eileen O'Higgins, Peter Campion, Eva Birthistle, Emily Bett Rickards, Eve Macklin, Nora-Jane Noone, Mary O'Driscoll, Jessica Paré. Cinematography Yves Bélanger Film Editor Jake Roberts Original Music Michael Brook Written by Nick Hornby from the novel by Colm Toibin Produced by Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey Directed by John Crowley

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

2015 brought us dynamic films about post-apocalyptic horrors, child molestation in Boston, a sex-change pioneer, and the 2009 economic meltdown. How happy it is then,...

Beautifully portrays a very universal experience — not only of immigration but of growing up — via an elegantly nuanced performance by Saoirse Ronan. I’m “biast” (pro): love Saoirse Ronan

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

In 2011, I moved from New York to London. I can make free video phone calls to my friends and family, and I can be home in a few hours; planes go back and forth between the two cities with the regularity and frequency of a bus schedule (if, alas, for quite a bit more than bus fare). But still: it was hard. It remains an emotional challenge to be separated from people I love back home even as I get more and more emotionally connected to a new home.

So I cannot even imagine what it must have...

facebook

twitter

google+

Fancy checking out one of the best films of the year? Here's our review of Brooklyn, starring Saiorse Ronan.

In amongst the showier performance-led movies to come this awards season, it's reassuring to see an unassuming coming-of-age story like Brooklyn receiving its fair share of plaudits too. Based on Colm Tóibín's novel of the same name, Brooklyn follows an immigrant's trans-Atlantic love song, set between south-east Ireland and New York City.

In the 1950s, Eilis Lacey (Saiorse Ronan) is a young Irish woman living in Enniscorthy who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when kindly priest Father Flood (Jim Broadbent) arranges for her to travel to Brooklyn and take up a job at a department store. Of course, Eilis jumps at the chance, but leaves behind her elder sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) and her mother Mary (Jane Brennan) for the glamour of America.

She becomes desperately homesick,...

Single mother Collette McVeigh (Andrea Riseborough) is a Republican living in Belfast with her mother and hardliner Ira brothers. When she is arrested for her part in an aborted Ira bomb plot in London, an MI5 officer named Mac (Clive Owen) offers her a choice: lose everything and go to prison for 25 years or return to Belfast to spy on her own family. With her son's life in her hands, Collette chooses to place her trust in Mac and return home, but when her brothers' secret operation is ambushed, suspicions of an informant are raised and Collette finds both herself and her family in grave danger. Justine Browning recently sat down with director James Marsh and his leading man and lady, Clive Owen and Andrea Riseborough, for a rousing talk about this thriller, in theaters now. Check out our exclusive video interviews, and go behind-the-scenes of Shadow Dancer.

Shadow Dancer...

Andrea Riseborough delivers a compelling performance as Collette McVeigh, a character who risks everything in Shadow Land, Academy Award-winning director James Marsh’s taut, thought-provoking adaptation of the Tom Bradley conspiracy thriller about an Ira member turned MI5 spy in 1990s Belfast. A single mother living with her mother (Brid Brennan) and hardliner Ira brothers (Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson), Collette is arrested for her part in an aborted Ira bomb plot in London. An MI5 officer (Clive Owen) offers her a choice: go to prison and never see her son again or return to Belfast and turn informer against her own family. Opening May 31st, the film also features Gillian Anderson. At the recent press day, Riseborough talked about her character, what drew her to the complicated role, how her Rada training helped her prepare, what it was like traveling back in time to the 1990s, her personal experiences and memories of the era,...

An Ira agent must switch sides to protect her son in our exclusive TV spot for Shadow Dancer, which debuts on VOD formats today, April 25, before its theatrical debut May 31. Andrea Riseborough stars as Collette McVeigh, who is captured in London by an MI5 agent (Clive Owen) and forced to switch sides. Check out the latest footage from this thriller, directed by James Marsh (Man on Wire).

Shadow Dancer - Exclusive "TV Spot"

Single mother Collette McVeigh is a Republican living in Belfast with her mother and hardliner Ira brothers. When she is arrested for her part in an aborted Ira bomb plot in London, an MI5 officer offers her a choice: lose everything and go to prison for 25 years or return to Belfast to spy on her own family. With her son's life in her hands, Collette chooses to place her trust in Mac and return home, but when...

Last night, the glitz and glamour of the 10th annual Irish Film and Television Awards came to Dublin, with a who's who of Irish Talent gathering to celebrate an absolutely fantastic year in Irish film and television (seriously, it was one of the best in recent memory. This current crop is a really talented bunch). Surprising just about nobody, What Richard Did proved to be the big winner, netting 5 awards, including Best Film, and Grabbers, which should have done better than it actually did, bagging Ruth Bradley a Best Actress award. A full list of winners, in all categories, is below: Film Best Film: What Richard Did Best Director: Lenny Abrhamson (What Richard Did) Best Script: Malcolm Campbell (What Richard Did) Best Actor: Jack Reynor (What Richard Did) Best Supporting Actor: Domhnall Gleeson (Anna Karenina) Best Actress: Ruth Bradley (Grabbers) Best Supporting Actress: Bríd Brennan (Shadow Dancer) Special Irish Language Award: Lón Sa.

Shadow Dancer

Stars: Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough, Gillian Anderson, Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson, Brid Brennan, David Wilmot, Stuart Graham, Martin McCann | Written by Tom Bradby | Directed by James Marsh

Director James Marsh, best known for his critically acclaimed documentaries Man on Wire and Project Nim, dabbles once more with fiction with Shadow Dancer, a tense and engaging thriller set against the backdrop of the Troubles in early nineties Belfast.

Andrea Riseborough plays Collette, a mother, daughter, sister and member of the Ira. After she is captured by MI5 during an unsuccessful London bombing attempt, Clive Owen’s bullish agent ‘Mac’ convinces her to act as an informant rather than go to prison and face separation from her son. The danger to Collette gradually increases as her precarious position becomes ever more untenable and Mac grows more and more conflicted over his actions as the narrative progresses.

Backing up the...

Check out the final French poster for James Marsh 's Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson thriller Shadow Dancer. There's no U.S. release date set for the film distributed by Ato Pictures, after the film made its Stateside film fest debut at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Cast also includes Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson, Brid Brennan, David Wilmot, Stuert Graham and Martin McCann. Shadow Dancer originated as a novel, written by Tom Bradby during his time as a TV correspondent in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. Tom Bradby adapted his novel for the big screen and this marks his first feature film.

Check out the final French poster for James Marsh 's Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson thriller Shadow Dancer. There's no U.S. release date set for the film distributed by Ato Pictures, after the film made its Stateside film fest debut at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Cast also includes Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson, Brid Brennan, David Wilmot, Stuert Graham and Martin McCann. Shadow Dancer originated as a novel, written by Tom Bradby during his time as a TV correspondent in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. Tom Bradby adapted his novel for the big screen and this marks his first feature film.

Check out Andrea Riseborough in the new poster for James Marsh's Shadow Dancer thriller with Clive Owen starring. Tom Bradby writes the script, adapted from his own novel which is set in Belfast in the 90s, following an active member of the Ira who becomes an informant for MI5 to protect his son. The cast also includes Gillian Anderson, Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson, Brid Brennan, David Wilmot, Stuert Graham and Martin McCann. Chris Coen, Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney produce Shadow Dancer, which is executive-produced by Brahim Chioua, Joe Oppenheimer, Rita Dagher, Vincent Maraval and Norman Merry. Shadow Dancer Plot: Shadow Dancer originated as a novel, written by Tom Bradby during his time as a TV correspondent in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. Tom Bradby adapted his novel for the big screen and Shadow Dancer is his first feature film. Single mother Collette McVeigh (Andrea Riseborough) is a Republican...