Two years after winning the Best Actor award at the 2024 Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) Awards, Cillian Murphy, who capped his award season domination with Oppenheimer, returns to star in his home country’s Steve.
The Irish actor is one of a number of big names nominated for the 2026 IFTA, including Oscar nominee Jesse Buckley for his role in Hamnet with co-star Paul Mescal, Daniel Day-Lewis for The Anemone and Colin Farrell for The Ballad of the Little Player.
The Irish film “Christie” (not the boxing biopic of the same name starring Sidney Sweeney), about a young man who leaves the foster care system and seeks independence, led the way with 14 nominations, followed by the football comedy biopic “Saipan” with 12. Meanwhile, a record number of women were nominated in the directing category, with seven in film and television combined.
This year, Ciaran Hinds will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The 23rd IFTA Awards Ceremony will be held at the Dublin Royal Convention Center on February 20th.
See the full list of candidates below
Best movie award
Aontas
blue moon
christie
Four Mothers Saipan
steve
Director – Movie
Lisa Barros Disa, Glenn Rayburn – Saipan Brendan Canty – Christie
Milid Curtain – Desire inside her
Lorcan Finnegan – The Surfer
Luan Magan – Part-time job
Edwin Mullane, Adam O’Keeffe – Horseshoe
Screenplay – Movie
Sarah Gordon, Damien McCann – Aontas
Maggie O’Farrell, Chloe Zhao – Hamnet Alan O’Gorman – Christie
Sheena Lambert – Byte
Darren Thornton, Colin Thornton – Four Mothers
Enda Walsh – Die My Love
Leading Actor – Movie
Steve Coogan – Saipan
Daniel Day-Lewis – Anemone
Colin Farrell – The Ballad of the Little Player Eanna Hardwick – Saipan
Cillian Murphy – Steve
Daniel Power – Christie
Leading Actress – Movie
Jesse Buckley – Hamnet
Carolyn Bracken – Horseshoe
Carrie Crowley – Aontas
Fionnula Flanagan – mother of four
Eleanor O’Brien – Bate
Fiona Shaw – Hot Milk
Best Supporting Actor – Movie
Liam Cunningham – Palestine 36
Jamie Ford – Christie
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Diarmuid Noise – Christie
Sean T. O Meray – Aontas
Andrew Scott – Blue Moon
Supporting Actress – Movie
Brid Brennan – Aontas
Kelly Condon – F1
Sarah Green – Trad
Dearbhla Molloy – Mother of 4
Kelly Condon – Train Dreams
Emma Willis – Christie
Best TV Drama Award
blue light
leonard and hungry paul
trespassing
walsh sisters
Wednesday S2
young criminals
Director — Drama
Rachel Carey – Obituary
Megan K Fox – Video Nasty
Oona Carney – Au Pair
Mia Malarkey – Hidden Assets
Hugh O’Connor – Show Kids
Aisling Walsh – Miss Austin
scripted drama
Peter Foot – Young Offenders
Ailbhe Keogan – Trespassing
Declan Lawn, Adam Patterson – Blue Lights
Kara Loftus – Hidden Assets
Stephanie Preisner – Walsh Sisters
Hugh Travers – Video Nasty
Starring – Drama
Anthony Boyle – House of Guinness
Pierce Brosnan – MobLand
Domhnall Gleeson – The Paper
Martin McCann – Blue Lights
Aaron Monaghan – Hidden Assets
Alex Murphy – Young Offenders
Lead actress – Drama
Niamh Algar – The Iris Affair
Caitriona Balfe – Outlander
Siobhan Cullen – Obituary
Louisa Harland – Walsh Sisters
Nora-Jane Noone – Hidden Assets
Laura Petticrew – Trespasses
Best Supporting Actor – Drama
Jack Gleason – House of Guinness
Cal O’Driscoll – Video Nasty
Donal O Harely – Hidden Assets
Fionn O’Shea – House of Guinness
Aidan Quinn – Walsh Sisters
Chris Worley – Young Offenders
Supporting Actress – Drama
Kathy Belton – Hidden Assets
Ruth Bradley – Slow Horse
Katherine Devlin – Blue Lights
Daniel Galligan – House of Guinness
Alison Oliver – Tusk
Genevieve O’Reilly – Andor
international movies
Bugonia
hamnet
Battles continue one after another
Palestine ’36
sentimental value
sinner
international actors
Leonardo DiCaprio – Battle after battle
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan – Sinner
James McArdle – Mother of 4
Sean Penn – Battle after battle
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
international actress
Chase Infinity – Battle after battle
Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
Margaret Qualley – Blue Moon
Renate Reinsve – sentimental value
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Teyana Taylor – One fight after another
george morrison feature documentary
her desire
Essence of Eva
hear about the land
sanatorium
testimony
Utoipe Cheilteach
Revbreast Short Film Award
Prohibitions
no mean city
Don’t waste your time
nostalgia
punt
Three Keenings
short animation
Eir
Inside, the valley sings
rerouted
Retirement allowance system
Cinematography
Bugonia – Robbie Ryan
Christie – Colm Horgan
Die My Love – Seamus McGarvey
Saipan – Piers McGrail
Disconnect – Susie Lovell
casting
Christie – Amy Rowan
Four Mothers – Louise Keeley
Rainmaker – Emma Gunnery
Ready or Not – Maureen Hughes
Saipan – Aine O’Sullivan
costume design
Blue Moon – Consolata Boyle
Christy – Hannah Berry
Four Mothers – Joan O’Leary
Saipan – Lara Campbell
Video Nasty – Joan O’Brien
edit
Blue Lights – Helen Sheridan
Christie – Allyn Quigley
The House of Guinness – Ben Yates
Saipan – John Murphy, Gavin Buckley
The Surfer – Tony Cranstown
makeup and hair
Blue Moon – Linda Gannon, Liz Byrne
Christie – Jenny Readman, Edwina Kelly
Saipan – Polly McKay
Trespassing – Natalie Reid
Wednesday – Lynn Johnston
original music
Aontas – Daithi O Dronay
Bait – Eimear Noone, Craig Stuart Garfinkle
Christie – Daithi O Dronay
Saipan – David Holmes, Brian Irvine
Video Nasty – Die Hexen
production design
Blue Moon – Susie Cullen, Kevin Downey
Christie – Martin Golding
Saipan – John Leslie
Wednesday – Philip Murphy, Neville Gaynor
Video Nasty – Tara O’Reilly
sound
Anemone – Steve Fanagan
Blue Moon – Hugh Fox
Saipan – Tim Harrison, Andrew Graham, Paul Mains
The Surfer – This Hand
Video Nasty – Patrick Downey
VFX
Anemone – Tom Fagan
Foundation – Ed Bruce, Andrew Barry
The House of Guinness – Eoin O’Sullivan, David Sewell
Battle after battle – Ed Bruce, Amrei Bronnenmayer
