Two Irish directors make the cut for best short film

TWO EXPERIENCED Irish film professionals are celebrating today after picking up Oscar nominations for Best Live Action Short Film.

Peter McDonald, the actor known for his performances in I Went Downand When Brendan Met Trudy, is mentioned for his debut short Pentecost.

Terry George, raised in Belfast, receives the honour for a drama entitled The Shore. This is George's third Oscar nomination; he was also shortlisted for his scripts for Hotel Rwanda, which he also directed, and for Jim Sheridan's In the Name of the Father.

Also Irish is Lynn Johnton this nominated this year for best make-up for Albert Nobbs.

Funded through the Irish Film Board's Signature scheme, Pentecoststars Andrew Bennett, Michael McElhatton and Don Wycherley in the story of a young boy who has to balance his role as an altar boy with his passion for football. "I'm really proud of Pentecostand everyone's work on it," said McDonald. "It is an Irish story produced by a full Irish cast and crew with funding from the Irish Film Board. The film I had in my head is the film that I made and . . . that doesn't happen unless you have a talented cast and crew . . . I hope that the nomination will create new opportunities for all involved. It is great that the film has connected at such a universal level."

George’s film stars Ciarán Hinds as an emigrant, long resident in the US, who returns to the North with his daughter. “It’s the highest accolade you can get from your peers and the industry,” he told the BBC.

“What’s special about this is that it is a tiny little film we made, with my family and the people of Killough, Co Down . . . taking it to the Oscars is an amazing achievement.”