Irish cinema blazes a trail to Oscar glory – Spring

Labour TD Arthur Spring has congratulated the group of Irish actors, directors and writers who received Oscar nominations this afternoon.

Spring stated: “This is a wonderful day for the Irish film industry. While we all had great faith that movies like ‘Brooklyn’ and ‘Room’ would do well, I think most people are surprised by how well Ireland has actually performed, with an unprecedented nine nominations in total and both movies being shortlisted for Best Film.

“Of course I am particularly delighted that Michael Fassbender, a Kerry man, has been nominated in the Best Actor category for his role in ‘Steve Jobs’. As with Saoirse Ronan, it is his second ever Oscar nod. For these two Irish actors to be celebrating their second Oscar nomination at such a young age is truly remarkable and speaks volumes about their artistic skill.

“Meanwhile, the emergence of Lenny Abrahamson and Emma Donoghue as the world-class team behind ‘Room’ is worthy of a script in itself. Equally deserving of our pride is the smaller Irish production ‘Stutterer’,the live action short which also won a nomination.

“Also worth acknowledging is the nomination of ‘Star Wars’ in the Best Visual Effects category. The movie’s dramatic closing scene is shot on beautiful Skellig Michael just off the Kerry Coast, and this no doubt helped contribute to it’s success today.

“Irish actors, directors and writers have blazed a trail to Oscar glory this year and I sincerely hope their success will inspire more people to appreciate the rich cultural cauldron that is Irish cinema.

“Masterpieces like Room and Brooklyn would not have been made without the support of the Irish Film Board and this should be acknowledged. It is critically important that we continue funding IFB so that we can build on this wonderful success story for Irish cinema today.”