Gleesons make Ifta family affair

Screen star Brendan Gleeson and his two actor sons, Domhnall and Brian, have been shortlisted in separate categories in the Irish…

Screen star Brendan Gleeson and his two actor sons, Domhnall and Brian, have been shortlisted in separate categories in the Irish Film and Television Awards.

The Irish Film and Television Academy (Ifta) announced crime drama  Love/Hate  is up for a possible 10 awards at its eighth annual ceremony, to be held in Dublin on Saturday February 12th, while Juanita Wilson's Bosnian-set movie drama  As If I Am Not There  has six nominations.

In the film acting categories, Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson are nominated for their performances in the Irish gangster comedy  Perrier's Bounty, and both Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan are up for their supporting roles in Peter Weir's  The Way Back.

However, the Academy had to merge two categories because of the inadequate number of lead actress submissions in the film category.

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Amy Huberman's lead performance in the feature film  Rewind  will be judged against television's lead actresses Ruth Bradley (Love/Hate), Orla Brady (Mistresses), Sarah Flood (Fair City) and Charlene McKenna (Raw).

Aine Moriarty, Ifta chief executive, said the Irish film and television industry continued to produce a remarkable standard of work despite difficult circumstances in the Irish economy in 2010.

“The Academy is delighted the industry, with the ongoing support from the Irish Government, is continuing to provide excellent feature films, dramas, entertainment programmes and documentaries,” she said.

“Audiences in Ireland and around the world consistently respond to the work produced and made by our home-grown creative talents and, alongside many of our industry greats, I am pleased to see so many exciting new names in the shortlist - this reflects the growing pool of talent in our creative industries, long may it continue.”

Martin McCann and Colm Meaney are nominated for lead roles in Irish features  Swansong: Story Of Occi Byrne  and  Parked, with Pierce Brosnan (The Ghost) and Liam Neeson (Chloe) shortlisted for their work on international projects.

Meanwhile  Fair City  writer Hilary Reynolds receives her first Ifta nomination, as do the Irish soap opera's stars Sarah Flood and Eamon Morrissey.

Other first-time nominees in acting include rising Irish talent Robert Sheehan (Love/Hate) and brothers Domhnall Gleeson (When Harvey Met Bob) and Brian Gleeson (Love/Hate).

Irish actresses Kerry Condon and Marcella Plunkett receive their first Ifta nominations for their supporting roles in  The Runway  and  Swansong: Story Of Occi Byrne  respectively.

Elsewhere RTÉ's Operation Transformation - the final series presented by the late Gerry Ryan - is nominated in the factual category alongside Reeling In The Years, The Eagles Return and TV3's flagship morning show  Ireland AM.

TV3's  The Apprentice  will look to make it three-for-three in 2011 as it features in the shortlist for entertainment programme for the third year in a row.

Sports programmes on the shortlist include Graeme McDowell's  Major Moment, a behind-the-scenes look at the Irish golfer's US Open victory, and  In Sunshine Or In Shadow, the true story behind Barry McGuigan and Eusebio Pedroza's featherweight title match.

PA