Irish Talent Chris Walley and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly Selected for BAFTA Breakthrough Brits
Posted: 1st November 2018
Irish actor Chris Walley, who rose to prominence in the Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland-funded The Young Offenders has been selected for the prestigious BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2018 programme. Irish producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (Lady Macbeth) has also been selected for the initiative which showcases and supports the next generation of creative talent in film, games and television working in the UK.
Chris Walley made his on-screen acting debut in Peter Foott’s wildly successful The Young Offenders, which achieved the highest box office opening for an Irish film in 2016 and went on to take in over €1.2 million at the Irish box office. Walley, who starred as Jock alongside Conor (Alex Murphy) also won an IFTA for Male Performance, in the comedy which follows two Cork teenagers as they embark on a 160km road trip on stolen bikes in the hopes of finding an unrecovered bale of cocaine.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Walley recently received critical acclaim following his West End stage debut in Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Following the smash-hit success of the feature film, The Young Offenders TV series was commissioned by the BBC in association with RTÉ, with the second season expected to air next year.
Co. Kerry native Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly’s international breakthrough came in 2017, following the world premiere of Lady Macbeth at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film, which was produced on a micro budget went on to receive international critical acclaim and received two BAFTA nominations and a string of British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs). She previously enjoyed acclaim when Head Over Heels, a 2012 short film directed by Timothy Reckart and produced by Cronin O’Reilly, was nominated for an Academy Award.
For more information on the 2018 BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, click here.
BAFTA Breakthrough Brits
Each year, up to 20 talented newcomers are selected by a stellar industry Jury to take part in a year-long mentoring and guidance programme. this year's Breakthrough Brits by a jury including Gemma Arterton, George MacKay, Stacy Martin, Nainita Desai, Hossein Amini and Mark Gerhard.
Successful Breakthrough Brits receive non-voting membership of BAFTA for a year, giving them free access to BAFTA events and screenings and to our member’s space at 195 Piccadilly. In addition, BAFTA will support each Breakthrough.