Irish Films Omitted As A Star Is Born Named The Film of the Year by Irish Critics

A Star Is Born has been declared the Film of the Year by the Dublin Film Critics Circle – a group that includes most if not all of the writers and critics working for the main Dublin-based media.

What is most striking, however, is the fact that no Irish film makes the Top 10 in the Best Film category – despite the fact that there are more Irish films being made now than ever before. While the fact that many of the recognised heavyweights of Irish cinema, were silent during 2018 – there was nothing from Neil Jordan, Jim, Sheridan or John Carney, for example – the absence of any Irish name from the Top 10 might be seen as a snub by Irish film-makers. Lenny Abrahamson did release The Little Stranger, but this was his least critically applauded film to date, and comes in only at No.5 in the Irish Film category.

"The nation’s movie critics have spoken,” a spokesperson told Hot Press. "The members of the Dublin Film Critics Circle have, for the 12th year, selected their favourite works of the year. In common with several other awarding bodies, A Star is Born was a clear favourite, but it was Alfonso Cuarón who was named Best Director for Roma. Second placed Cold War also polled strongly in the Best Film category."

The collected critics' No.1 Irish film is Rosie, written by Roddie Doyle and directed by Paddy Breathnach, which has been widely praised by critics and has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – in the calculation of which numerous US reviews are included. Its average rating is 8.7/10.

Also controversial is the exclusion from the Irish Film Top 10 of Hot Press film of the year, Dublin Oldschool, written by Emmet Kirwan and Dave Tynan and directed by Dave Tynan. "Dublin Oldschool is consistently uproarious in its portrait of young Dubliners always looking for bants and raves,” Hot Press film critic, Roe McDermott said of the movie, in which Emmet Kirwan also stars, "and the party-loving lads are what can only be described as a gas collection of characters.”

Hot Press had two Irish films in its Top 10, with Michael Inside – written and directed by Frank Berry – at No.2.

"The DFCC once again demonstrated its eclecticism by longlisting some 45 films for Best Film: American Animals, First Reformed, Widows, Zama, and Sorry to Bother You were hugely popular but were pipped at the post,” the spokesperson added. "Rosie was named Best Irish Feature Film, nudging just past Michael Inside in the awards’ closest-fought contest."

Other notable victories include that of Dafhyd Flynn, who was named Breakthrough Artist for his work on Michael Inside – a category in which the other nominees included a second Hot Press fave, Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You), as well as Cynthia Erivo (Widows), Charlie Plummer (Lean on Pete) and Millicent Simmons (A Quiet Place).

"This year’s biggest landslide victory,” the spokesperson added, "was scored by Linus Sandgren for his cinematography on First Man. Damien Chazelle, that film’s director, was also shortlisted.”

On a more poignant note, the Dublin Film Critics Circler had this to say:

"The DFCC would like to acknowledge the death this year of our friend and colleague Stephen Coffey. Also an author and comics creator, Stephen was a true enthusiast who is missed every time members gather to chatter outside the morning’s press screening. We extend sympathy to his wife Tina and to all his friends and family."

The DFCC panel for 2018 included: Aedín Gormley, Áine O'Connor, Aoife Barry, Ben O'Reilly, Brian Lloyd, Brogen Hayes, Cara O'Doherty, Chris Wasser, Ciaran Carty, Daniel Anderson, Darren Mooney, David Turpin, Declan Burke, Deirdre Molumby, Donald Clarke, Esther McCarthy, Gavin Burke, Graham Day, Hilary White, Jason Coyle, Joe Griffin, John Maguire, Kevin Fennell, Michael Doherty, Niall Murphy, Nicola Timmins, Paul Whitington, Roe McDermott, Sarina Bellissimo, and DFCC president Tara Brady.

Here is a full list of the deliberations of the jury...

BEST FILM

1. A Star is Born
2. Cold War
3. Lady Bird
4. You Were Never Really Here
5. Loveless/ A Quiet Place
6. BlacKKKlansman
7. Leave No Trace
8. Shoplifters
9. First Man
10. The Rider/Mandy

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
2. Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here
3. Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
4. Paweł Pawlikowski, Cold War
5. Damien Chazelle, First Man
6. Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
7. Hirokazu Kore-eda, Shoplifters
8. Spike Lee, BlacKKKlansman
9. Debra Granik, Leave No Trace
10. Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson

BEST ACTRESS

1. Lady Gaga, A Star is Born
2. Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
3. Toni Collette, Hereditary
4. Sarah Greene, Rosie
5. Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
6. Viola Davis, Widows
7. Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace
8. Vicky Krieps, Phantom Thread
9. Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water/ Constance Wu, Crazy Rich Asians
10. Charlize Theron, Tully

BEST SCREENPLAY

1. Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
2. Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
3. Lynne Ramsay, You Were Never Really Here
4. Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
5. Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You
6. Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee, BlacKKKlansman
7. Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Leave No Trace
8. Xavier Legrand, Custody
9. Dan Kokotajlo, Apostasy
10. Paweł Pawlikowski, Janusz Głowacki, Cold War

BEST ACTOR

1. Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born
2. Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here
3. Daniel Day Lewis, Phantom Thread
4. Ben Foster, Leave No Trace
5. John David Washington, BlacKKKlansman
6. Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
7. Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
8. Marcello Fonte, Dogman
9. Brady Jandreau, The Rider
10. Nakhane Touré, The Wound

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Linus Sandgren, First Man
2. Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
3. Łukasz Żal, Cold War
4. Dan Laustsen, The Shape of Water
5. Benjamin Loeb, Mandy
6. Joe Anderson, The Old Man and the Gun
7. Benoît Debie, Climax
8. Ashley Connor, The Miseducation of Cameron Post
9. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Suspiria
10. Norm Li, Never Steady, Never Still

BEST DOCUMENTARY

1. Three Identical Strangers
2. Katie
3. The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid
4. Whitney
5. Filmworker
6. Studio 54
7. Free Solo
8. McQueen
9. Cambodian Spring
10. I, Dolours

BEST IRISH

1. Rosie
2. Michael Inside
3. Black 47
4. The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid
5. The Little Stranger
6. The Breadwinner
7. Making the Grade
8. Kissing Candice
9. Katie
10. The Image You Missed

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST

Dafhyd Flynn, Michael Inside