‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Room’ Charge Ahead with International Award Honours and Nominations
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) have announced that Brooklyn star Saoirse Ronan and Room star Brie Larson will share the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at the 2016 festival, the first time in its history that the award has been jointly awarded. The news comes as both Brooklyn and Room received multiple nominations at the Satellite Awards. Both Brooklyn and Room were funded by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board.
Speaking of the joint honour, SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling said: “This is an incredible year for emerging talent to take center stage and showcase their abilities. We’ve long been following the careers of Brie and Saoirse and their recent roles as empowered young women transcend time, place and circumstance... We are so proud to be jointly celebrating these two great actresses in such strong performances.”
Previous winners of the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award include Charlize Theron (Monster), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain), Helen Mirren (The Queen) and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook). The 2016 edition of SBIFF will take place from February 3rd to February 13th.
At the Satellite Awards, which take place in Los Angeles days before the Academy Awards®, Room secured four nominations in the categories of Best Film, Best Director (Lenny Abrahamson), Best Actress (Brie Larson) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Emma Donoghue). Brooklyn was nominated in the categories of Best Film and Best Actress (Saoirse Ronan). The Satellite Awards take place on February 21st.
Brooklyn was directed by John Crowley and was adapted by Nick Hornby from the novel by Colm Tóibín, and stars Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters. It was produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, with Alan Moloney as executive producer. Production companies were Parallel Films, Finola Dwyer Productions, Wildgaze Films and Item 7, with financing coming from Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, the BAI, RTÉ, BBC, Telefilm, SODEC and the BFI. It is distributed by Lionsgate in Ireland and the UK and Fox Searchlight in the United States.
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson and adapted by Emma Donoghue from her own novel, Room was produced by Ed Guiney for Element Pictures and David Gross for No Trace Camping. Executive producers are Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures and Jeff Arkuss and Jesse Shapira for No Trace Camping. Emma Donoghue, Rose Garnett (Film 4), Tessa Ross (Film 4), and David Kosse (Film 4) also serve as executive producers. Room is an Element Pictures and No Trace Camping production, in association with Film4, Telefilm Canada, and Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board. A24 distribute the film in the US, and Elevation Pictures is distributing the film in Canada. UTA handled the domestic sale. FilmNation Entertainment handled all international sales.