Congratulations to Irish Actors Claire Dunne, Niamh Algar & Barry Keoghan Along with Calm with Horses team on BIFA Nominations
Posted: 10th December 2020
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate Clare Dunne, Barry Keoghan, Niamh Algar, Nick Rowlands, Element Pictures, and the teams behind Calm With Horses and Herself on their British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) nominations today.
Calm With Horses, directed by Nick Rowland and starring Barry Keoghan, Cosmo Jarvis and Niamh Algar, received a sweep of 10 nominations across the award categories, notably including Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Irish talent Barry Keoghan and Niamh Algar, Best Actor for Cosmo Jarvis and Best British Independent Film. Niamh Algar also received a nomination for Most Promising Newcomer.
Calm With Horses theatrical release this year was heavily affected by COVID-19 cinema closures; however, the film’s VOD release was brought forward, and the film received critical acclaim, with The Observer calling it “a blistering debut”. Supported by Screen Ireland, as well as the WRAP Fund, the film shot on location in Co. Galway.
The film follows ex-boxer Douglas ‘Arm’ Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis) as the faithful and violent right-hand-man to the drug-dealing Devers clan, ready to dole out beatings at the whim of his best friend, and the family’s unpredictable protégé, Dympna (Barry Keoghan). Arm’s struggle to find his place in the world has consequences on his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Ursula (Niamh Algar) as she strives to find a better life for herself and their young son Jack.
Herself, co-written by Clare Dunne and Malcolm Gladwell, received a nomination for Best Actress for Clare Dunne. The film’s January Sundance debut resulted in critical acclaim for Dunne’s “incredible, multi-faceted performance, and Herself will be released in Irish and UK cinemas in January 2021.
Herself follows the story of Sandra (Clare Dunne), who on the surface of it, is a young mum struggling to provide her two young daughters with a warm, safe, happy home to grow up in. Beneath the surface, Sandra has a steely determination to change their lives for the better and when it becomes clear that there are no other options left to her, she decides to build it herself from scratch, drawing together a community of friends to support her.
Both Herself and Calm With Horses are produced by Irish company Element Pictures, itself no stranger to BIFA success. In 2018, The Favourite won a record-breaking 10 awards at the ceremony, preceding its Oscar and Golden Globe success the following year.
Calm With Horses is now available to watch on Netflix UK and Ireland.