IFTA announces Aontas as Ireland’s entry for Oscars

Irish-language heist thriller Aontas has been selected to represent Ireland in the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

The Irish Film and Television Academy announced that the film will be Ireland’s sole submission for the category, in which countries nominate one production to compete for a place on the Oscars shortlist.

Aontas follows Irish-language successes including An Cailín Ciúin, which became the first Irish-language film nominated for an Academy Award in 2023, and Kneecap, which reached the International Feature Film shortlist in 2024.

Directed by Belfast filmmaker Damian McCann, Aontas stars Carrie Crowley, Bríd Brennan and Eva-Jane Gaffney alongside Seán T Ó Meallaigh, Marcus Lamb and Art Parkinson.

Told in reverse chronological order, the film centres on three unlikely thieves who attempt to rob a credit union in rural Ireland. It opens with the tragic aftermath of the failed heist before retracing the events that led to it.

The thriller was written by McCann and Sarah Gordon and produced by Órfhlaith Ní Chearnaigh and Christopher Myers for Púca Pictures. It received funding from TG4, BBC Gaeilge and Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund, with support from Yellowmoon.

Aontas, which received six IFTA nominations, premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. It has since screened at 40 festivals around the world and collected ten international awards.

The film was chosen by IFTA’s 2026 selection committee, whose members included Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee, actor and filmmaker Aisha Tyler, directors Brian Kirk, Kathryn Ferguson and Lee Cronin, actor Fionnuala Flaherty and IFTA chief executive Áine Moriarty.

Ms Moriarty described Aontas as an “intriguing and clever twist on the classic bank heist narrative”, praising the performances of Crowley, Brennan and Gaffney.

“This wonderful Irish-language film is resonating with audiences worldwide,” she said. “Congratulations to the filmmakers, cast and crew.”

McCann said it was an honour for the film to be selected and recalled receiving the news while bringing washing in from the rain.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the film’s journey so far,” he said. “What feels like a very specifically Irish story seems to have really resonated with international audiences.”

He said he and Gordon wrote the screenplay in the attic of their house before the production was filmed over 18 rainy days in the Glens of Antrim.

“We could never have imagined that this is where the journey might take us, but it’s a testament to the staggering graft and boundless optimism of our cast and crew,” he said.

McCann added that he was particularly proud to follow the Irish-language films that had already “blazed this trail”, describing their success as the result of decades of deliberate investment in filmmaking through Irish.

TG4 director general Deirdre Ní Choistín said the selection was a significant endorsement of original Irish-language storytelling.

“An Cailín Ciúin went on to make history at the Academy Awards in 2023, showing again that original stories told through the Irish language can resonate profoundly with audiences across the world,” she said.

Previous Irish submissions have also included the Ukrainian-language documentary Sanatorium, the Arabic-language documentaries In the Shadow of Beirut and Gaza, and the Spanish-language drama Viva.

The shortlist for the International Feature Film category is due to be announced on December 15, with the final five nominees revealed on January 21, 2027.

The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on March 14, 2027.