News

IFTA Awards 2025: Nominations announced in 29 categories, celebrating Irish talent across Film and Drama

Posted: 14th January 2025

The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) has unveiled the nominations for the 2025 IFTA Awards, honouring exceptional achievements in Film and Drama across 29 categories. Culminating months of dedicated viewing and deliberation by Academy Members and expert juries, this year's nominees reflect Ireland's unparalleled storytelling on the global stage. 

Award winners will be announced at the 22nd anniversary IFTA Awards Ceremony taking place on Friday, February 14th 2025 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre. This prestigious event will welcome Irish and international industry luminaries, celebrating artistic and technical brilliance while spotlighting the profound impact of Irish filmmaking craft and storytelling both domestically and globally.

This year, iconic actor Colm Meaney will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to cinema and television.

Academy CEO, Áine Moriarty said:

The 2025 Nominees shortlisted for Irish Academy Awards this year, is an incredible showcase of work that reinforces the fact that Irish talent is now amongst the best in the world, delivering such high standards of filmmaking, storytelling and performances that resonate with audiences worldwide. The Irish Academy is proud to showcase their great work and reward their achievements. Congratulations to all the Nominees - so well deserved!

Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said:

Our sincere congratulations go to all of the nominees for 2025’s Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs). Each of these nominees represent the incredible calibre of artistry, skill and talent that exists across the Irish screen industry. Screen Ireland is proud to have supported many of the Irish film and television projects nominated, and to continue its supports for the story makers behind them.”

Rich Peppiatt's Kneecap leads the nominations of this year's ceremonies, with 17 nominations in total, including Best Film. Screen Ireland-supported projects Small Things Like These (9 nominations), The Dry (7 nominations) Kathleen is Here (6 nominations), Spilt Milk (4 nominations), The Apprentice (4 nominations) are also widely represented across all categories.

Find the full list of nominees below.

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

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 & Make-Up 

• 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 Barr

International film awards categories

Best International Film

• Anora
• Conclave
• Dune Part Two
• The Brutalist
• The Outrun
• The Substance

Best International Actor

• Adrien Brody - The Brutalist
• Timothee 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

Full details of the upcoming IFTA Awards Ceremony on February 14th will soon be announced, including Ceremony Host, Guest Presenters, Rising Star nominees, and international guests.

The Irish Academy Awards are proudly supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Coimisiún na Meán.