Irish-language feature thriller Aontas is Ireland’s submission for the best international feature film category at the Oscars 2027. The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) unveiled the selection for the 99th Academy Awards on Friday.
“The film follows in the footsteps of Oscar-nominated An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) (2023) and Oscar-shortlisted Kneecap (2024),” IFTA said.
Directed by Damian McCann, Aontas is a heist thriller starring Carrie Crowley (The Quiet Girl/An Cailín Ciúin), Bríd Brennan, Eva-Jane Gaffney, Seán T. Ó Meallaigh, Marcus Lamb and Art Parkinson. Told in reverse chronology, the film follows three unlikely thieves, led by a woman on the verge of a breakdown, who rob a rural Irish Credit Union, opening with “the tragic aftermath of the heist-gone-wrong,” reads a synopsis. “What starts as a poorly executed robbery becomes a portrait of a wilful woman trapped in her own past.”
“Aontas” means “union.”
Written by Sarah Gordon and Damian McCann, the movie 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, plus support from Yellowmoon.
“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,” said IFTA CEO Áine Moriarty. “This wonderful Irish-language film is resonating with audiences worldwide.”
Director McCann added: “I was bringing some soggy washing in out of the rain when the news arrived – what a turnaround of a day! We’ve been overwhelmed by the film’s journey so far.”
He added: “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.”
The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin) is so far the only Irish-language film to secure a nomination in the international Oscar category.
