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Irish success stories as 2017 Golden Globe nominations are announced

Following the news that two IFB-funded films—Sing Street and The Lobster—received Golden Globe nominations, including a nod for Colin Farrell alongside fellow Irish stars, Ruth Negga and Catriona Balfe, Chief Executive of IFB, James Hickey said:

“Congratulations to all the Irish Golden Globe nominees announced today, recognised amongst the best in their world in their craft. Golden Globe nominations are an incredible achievement.

Sing Street and The Lobster are supported by the IFB and we are very proud of the teams behind each film. John Carney's Sing Street is filmed in Dublin featuring a host of up-and-coming Irish talent and has brought an Irish story to audiences worldwide with great success.

“Colin Farrell gives a mesmerising performance in the The Lobster, a film which has brought images of Kerry around the world. I'm also delighted to see Ruth Negga receive worldwide success with her performance in Loving having begun her career on Irish projects including numerous IFB-funded films and Catriona Balfe for her performance in Outlander."

Irish film Sing Street leads the Irish contingent for the 2017 Golden Globe nominations, receiving a nomination for Best Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical as this year’s nominations were revealed. Irish stars, Ruth Negga and Colin Farrell both received nods for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama and Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical, respectively, whilst Catriona Balfe is in the running for Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama.

John Carney’s Sing Street, which was funded by IFB will compete against movies such as La La Land and Florence Foster Jenkins for the coveted Best Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical award following a stellar year for the film which was recently listed as one of the top nine movies of 2016 by Vanity Fair. Catriona Balfe’s nomination for TV series Outlander will see the Irish actress competing against stars such as Winona Ryder and Claire Foy for the prestigious accolade.

Following her critically acclaimed performance as Mildred Loving in Jeff Nichols’ Loving, Ruth Negga will compete against the likes of Amy Adams and Natalie Portman for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama in the ceremony which will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in LA on 8 January, 2017. Negga’s nomination comes after it was revealed that she will be honoured with the Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. The Irish actress who is currently American Vogue’s January cover star is also hotly tipped to receive an Academy Award® nomination when the contenders are announced next month.

Colin Farrell’s nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical for his portrayal of the lonely David in Yorgos Lanthimos’ IFB-funded film, The Lobster, marks the Irish actor’s second Golden Globe nomination, having won the same award in 2009 for In Bruges.

Reacting to his Golden Globe nomination, Farrell said:

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has made being awoken by your publicist at 5am a really lovely thing—best alarm call in the world to be told you've received a Golden Globe nom!

“[I’m] so grateful to be included with this incredible group of actors and indebted also to Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou for creating such a character and film as ours and to A24 for pushing it as they did." 

Speaking today, The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD commended the nominees, saying:

“This year’s Golden Globe nominations list includes a strong Irish presence, which underlines the fact that 2016 has been a very good year for the Irish film industry.

“I visited the set of Sing Street during filming, and it was immediately clear that it was brimming with young Irish talent.

“The awards season which is now upon us, is a very important time for the Irish film sector to open up new opportunities. This strong showing in the Golden Globe nominations will help Irish filmmakers to open doors and broker deals for future projects.”

About The Lobster

The Lobster is a feature film co-production involving Ireland, the UK, Greece, France and the Netherlands.

The Lobster is a blackly funny love story set in a near future where finding love is a matter of life or death. The film which shot in Co Kerry is written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou and produced by Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey and Yorgos Lanthimos. Executive Producers are Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross and Sam Lavender. The film was developed by Element and Irish funding for the film included support from the IFB.

About Sing Street

Sing Street takes us back to 1980s Dublin where the recession forces 14-year-old Cosmo out of his comfortable private school and into survival mode at the inner-city public school where the kids are rough and the teachers are rougher. He turns to music and forms a ragtag band, shooting scrappy music videos, and finding refuge and love with the beautiful 16-year-old Raphina.

Written and directed by John Carney, Sing Street stars Ferdia Walsh- Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Aidan Gillen. Produced by Martina Niland, Anthony Bregman, Paul Trijbits, Christian Grass and John Carney and production companies are Cosmo Films, Likely Story, Filmwave. It was funded by the IFB and Merced Media Partners.