Oscars: Ireland Selects Aontas’ for International Feature Race

“Aontas,” the Irish-language heist thriller from director Damian McCann, has been chosen as Ireland’s entry for the best international feature film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.

The film was selected by the Irish Film & TV Academy (IFTA) and a committee including “Evil Dead Rise” director Lee Cronin, “Derry Girls” creator Lisa McGee, BAFTA-nominated director Brian Kirk (“Game of Thrones), BAFTA nominated director Kathryn Ferguson (“Nothing Compares”), Emmy-winning actress and filmmaker Aisha Tyler (“Friends”), actress Fionnuala Flaherty (“Kneecap”) and IFTA chief executive Áine Moriarty.

Told in reverse chronology, “Aontas” follows three unlikely thieves, led by a woman on the verge of a breakdown, who rob a rural Irish bank. Opening in the tragic aftermath of the heist-gone-wrong. What starts as a poorly executed robbery becomes a portrait of a wilful woman trapped in her own past. It stars Carrie Crowley (“The Quiet Girl “), Bríd Brennan, Eva-Jane Gaffney, Seán T. Ó Meallaigh, Marcus Lamb and Art Parkinson.

Written by Sarah Gordon and McCann, “Aontas” was produced by Órfhlaith Ní Chearnaigh and Christopher Myers for Púca Pictures, with funding from TG4, BBC Gaeilge and Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund, and support from Yellowmoon.

“It is such an honour that ‘Aontas’ has been selected to represent Ireland at the 99th Academy Awards. Thank you so much to IFTA and to the committee for their support. I was bringing some soggy washing in out of the rain when the news arrived – what a turnaround of a day,” said McCann.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the film’s journey so far – what feels like a very specifically Irish story seems to have really resonated with International audiences. My co-writer Sarah Gordon and I wrote the script in the attic of our house and we shot 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.”

Added IFTA Chief Executive Moriarty: “IFTA is delighted to announce that ‘Aontas’ will represent Ireland in the upcoming International Feature Film category at the Oscars. What an intriguing and clever twist on the classic bank heist narrative, with powerful female performances at its core by Carrie Crowley, Bríd Brennan and Eva-Jane Gaffney. This wonderful Irish language film is resonating with audiences worldwide – congratulations to the filmmakers, cast and crew.”

“Aontas” follows int he recent footsteps of 2023’s “The Quiet Girl,” which became Ireland’s first ever Oscar nominee for international feature film, and 2024’s “Kneecap,” which was Oscar shortlisted.