The nominations for the 2026 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards have been unveiled, confirming it as one of the strongest and most wide-ranging years for Irish screen storytelling in recent memory.
The Irish Film & Television Academy announced nominees across 29 categories, spotlighting work that has resonated both at home and internationally over the past year. From intimate Irish-language dramas to major global productions filmed on Irish soil, the shortlist reflects a film and television industry operating confidently on the world stage.
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Winners will be revealed at the 23rd IFTA Awards Ceremony on Friday, 20 February 2026, at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, with Kevin McGahern returning to host for the second consecutive year.
One of the most significant moments of the night will see Ciarán Hinds honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising a career that has spanned decades across Irish and international film, television and theatre.
Academy CEO Áine Moriarty said this year’s nominations highlight the exceptional depth of Irish talent, describing the shortlist as a powerful reminder of the country’s creative impact both in front of and behind the camera.
Leading the film field is Christy, the Cork-set drama that has emerged as the most nominated title of the year with 14 nominations. The film, which follows a young man ageing out of the foster care system, has earned recognition for debut director Brendan Canty, first-time screenwriter Alan O’Gorman, and a trio of first-time acting nominees Daniel Power, Emma Willis and Jamie Forde.
Close behind is Saipan, which received 12 nominations for its portrayal of one of the most explosive moments in Irish sporting history. Éanna Hardwicke and Steve Coogan both feature in the Lead Actor category for their performances as Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy, with the film also acknowledged across directing, music and technical craft.
Elsewhere, Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, filmed in Ireland and set in 1940s New York, secured eight nominations, while Four Mothers collected seven, including a Lead Actress nod for Fionnula Flanagan. Irish-language film Aontas also made a strong showing with six nominations.
On the television side, the Best Drama category includes a mix of critical hits and audience favourites, while acting categories feature some of the most recognisable names in Irish film and television. The shortlist also reflects a milestone year behind the camera, with a record number of women nominated in directing categories, alongside seven first-time acting nominees overall.
Irish creatives were further recognised for their work on major international productions including Hamnet, Andor, Severance, Slow Horses and Outlander, underscoring the global reach of Irish talent.
Below is the full list of nominations for the 2026 IFTA Awards.
FILM CATEGORIES
BEST FILM
Aontas
Blue Moon
Christy
Four Mothers
Saipan
Steve
DIRECTOR – FILM
Lisa Barros D’Sa, Glenn Leyburn – Saipan
Brendan Canty – Christy
Myrid Carten – A Want in Her
Lorcan Finnegan – The Surfer
Ruán Magan – Báite
Edwin Mullane, Adam O’Keeffe – Horseshoe
SCRIPT – FILM
Sarah Gordon, Damian McCann – Aontas
Maggie O’Farrell, Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Alan O’Gorman – Christy
Sheena Lambert – Báite
Darren Thornton, Colin Thornton – Four Mothers
Enda Walsh – Die My Love
LEAD ACTOR – FILM
Steve Coogan – Saipan
Daniel Day-Lewis – Anemone
Colin Farrell – Ballad of a Small Player
Éanna Hardwicke – Saipan
Cillian Murphy – Steve
Daniel Power – Christy
LEAD ACTRESS – FILM
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
Carolyn Bracken – Horseshoe
Carrie Crowley – Aontas
Fionnula Flanagan – Four Mothers
Eleanor O’Brien – Báite
Fiona Shaw – Hot Milk
SUPPORTING ACTOR – FILM
Liam Cunningham – Palestine 36
Jamie Forde – Christy
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Diarmuid Noyes – Christy
Seán T. Ó Meallaigh – Aontas
Andrew Scott – Blue Moon
SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FILM
Brid Brennan – Aontas
Kerry Condon – F1
Sarah Greene – Trad
Dearbhla Molloy – Four Mothers
Kerry Condon – Train Dreams
Emma Willis – Christy
DRAMA CATEGORIES
BEST DRAMA
Blue Lights
Leonard and Hungry Paul
Trespasses
The Walsh Sisters
Wednesday Season 2
The Young Offenders
DIRECTOR – DRAMA
Rachel Carey – Obituary
Megan K Fox – Video Nasty
Oonagh Kearney – The Au Pair
Mia Mullarkey – Hidden Assets
Hugh O’Conor – Showkids
Aisling Walsh – Miss Austen
SCRIPT – DRAMA
Peter Foott – The Young Offenders
Ailbhe Keogan – Trespasses
Declan Lawn, Adam Patterson – Blue Lights
Cara Loftus – Hidden Assets
Stefanie Preissner – The Walsh Sisters
Hugh Travers – Video Nasty
LEAD ACTOR – DRAMA
Anthony Boyle – House of Guinness
Pierce Brosnan – MobLand
Domhnall Gleeson – The Paper
Martin McCann – Blue Lights
Aaron Monaghan – Hidden Assets
Alex Murphy – The Young Offenders
LEAD ACTRESS – DRAMA
Niamh Algar – The Iris Affair
Caitríona Balfe – Outlander
Siobhán Cullen – Obituary
Louisa Harland – The Walsh Sisters
Nora-Jane Noone – Hidden Assets
Lola Petticrew – Trespasses
SUPPORTING ACTOR – DRAMA
Jack Gleeson – House of Guinness
Cal O’Driscoll – Video Nasty
Dónall Ó Héalai – Hidden Assets
Fionn O’Shea – House of Guinness
Aidan Quinn – The Walsh Sisters
Chris Walley – The Young Offenders
SUPPORTING ACTRESS – DRAMA
Cathy Belton – Hidden Assets
Ruth Bradley – Slow Horses
Katherine Devlin – Blue Lights
Danielle Galligan – House of Guinness
Alison Oliver – Task
Genevieve O’Reilly – Andor
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES
INTERNATIONAL FILM
Bugonia
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Palestine ’36
Sentimental Value
Sinners
INTERNATIONAL ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
Michael B Jordan – Sinners
James McArdle – Four Mothers
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
Margaret Qualley – Blue Moon
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
DOCUMENTARY & SHORT FILM CATEGORIES
GEORGE MORRISON FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
A Want in Her
The Essence of Eva
Listen To The Land Speak
Sanatorium
Testimony
Útoipe Cheilteach
REDBREAST SHORT FILM AWARD
The Ban
No Mean City
No Time Wasters
Nostalgie
Punt
Three Keenings
ANIMATED SHORT
Éiru
Inside, The Valley Sings
Rerooted
Retirement Plan
CRAFT CATEGORIES
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Bugonia – Robbie Ryan
Christy – Colm Hogan
Die My Love – Seamus McGarvey
Saipan – Piers McGrail
Severance – Suzie Lavelle
CASTING
Christy – Amy Rowan
Four Mothers – Louise Kiely
The Rainmaker – Emma Gunnery
Ready Or Not – Maureen Hughes
Saipan – Áine O’Sullivan
COSTUME DESIGN
Blue Moon – Consolata Boyle
Christy – Hannah Bury
Four Mothers – Joan O’Cleary
Saipan – Lara Campbell
Video Nasty – Joanne O’Brien
EDITING
Blue Lights – Helen Sheridan
Christy – Allyn Quigley
House of Guinness – Ben Yeates
Saipan – John Murphy, Gavin Buckley
The Surfer – Tony Cranstoun
MAKE-UP & HAIR
Blue Moon – Linda Gannon, Liz Byrne
Christy – Jennie Readman, Edwina Kelly
Saipan – Polly McKay
Trespasses – Natalie Reid
Wednesday – Lynn Johnston
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Aontas – Daithí Ó Drónaí
Báite – Eimear Noone, Craig Stuart Garfinkle
Christy – Daithí Ó Drónaí
Saipan – David Holmes, Brian Irvine
Video Nasty – Die Hexen
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Blue Moon – Susie Cullen, Kevin Downey
Christy – Martin Goulding
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 Maynes
The Surfer – Aza Hand
Video Nasty – Patrick Downey
VFX
Anemone – Tom Fagan
Foundation – Ed Bruce, Andrew Barry
House of Guinness – Eoin O’Sullivan, David Sewell
One Battle After Another – Ed Bruce, Amrei Bronnenmayer
