Irish filmmaking is one of our greatest exports – Sherlock

Labour arts spokesperson Marie Sherlock has extended congratulations to the cast and crew of Banshees of Inisherin, An Cailin Ciuin and An Irish Goodbye for their Oscar nominations announced today.

Senator Sherlock said that the 14 total nods for Irish nominees should serve to highlight the value of investing in the arts in Ireland.

Senator Sherlock said:

“I want to extend the warmest congratulations to the many Irish people whose work is being recognised by the Academy Awards today. The cast and crew of ‘Banshees of Inisherin’ are rightly nominated across the board for what was a poignant and moving reflection on friendship and Irish life.

“The success of ‘An Cailin Ciuin’ is a really fantastic achievement for the creators and crew of that film and it is a real boon for the Irish language. This game changing nomination is hugely exciting and it is my hope that it will act as a boost to interest in Irish as a spoken language both at home and internationally. Tá fíor creidte tuailte do Chleona Ní Chrualaoí agus Colm Baréid agus a hiarrachtaí ag dul chun chinn an teanga dhuchais trí mheain scannáin.

“It is also terrific to see nominations for ‘An Irish Goodbye’ for Best Live Action Short, Paul Mescal for Best Actor, as well as Irish nominees Jonathon Redmond for Best Editing in ‘Elvis’ and Richard Baneham for Best Visual Effects in ‘Avatar: the Way of Water’.

"A blockbuster year of nominations for Irish film proves yet again that our film industry is one of our greatest exports. Irish producers, cinematographers, actors and animators are not only being elevated by the Academy Awards but are flying the flag for Irish filmmaking around the world.

“The creative industry is an area where we have expertise and where growth can happen. It is important that we keep funding available for our local film industry so it can continue to produce the high quality, award winning productions that are famous the world over.

“The number of college courses that produce graduates in media production has been rising steadily. This reflects the industries importance in our society. It also reflects our industry's international reputation.

“As a county we must build on today’s success and not miss the opportunity that our arts industry provides to us to promote ourselves internationally.”