The Irish Film & Television Academy has selected an Irish Language Feature Foscadh (Shelter) as Ireland’s entry for the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category (formerly Best Foreign Language category) at the upcoming 94th annual Academy Awards.
This is the second year in a row that an Irish Language film has been selected (Arracht was last year’s selection).
Foscadh is a poignant movie
It touches upon isolation, neurodiversity, and letting go of the past, set in the wild mountains of Connemara.
Based on characters in Donal Ryan’s novel The Thing About December, Foscadh tells the story of naïve recluse John Cunliffe who is suddenly propelled into manhood at 28 years old.
When his overprotective parents pass away, friendless John inherits mountain land that is in the way of a lucrative wind-farm development, and he is forced to navigate the choppy waters of romance, trust, and vengeance for the first time.
Written and directed by Seán Breathnach, it stars 2020 IFTA nominee Dónall Ó Héalaí (Arracht), Fionnuala Flaherty (An Klondike), and Cillian O’Gairbhí (Blood).
Foscadh was produced by Paddy Hayes whose father Tom Hayes was nominated for an Oscar® fifty years ago in 1961 for the documentary Cradle of Genius.
“We are beyond thrilled that Foscadh (Shelter) is garnering such a positive reaction from critics and festivals alike, following on from its Best First Film award at the Galway Film Fleadh,” Seán Breathnach, writer/director of Foscadh said.
The Oscar Best International Film contenders will next be shortlisted to 15 international finalists on December 21st which will then be ultimately shortlisted to the final 5 Oscar Nominees in that category on February 8th, 2022.
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony (the Oscars) is currently scheduled to take place on Sunday 27th March 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will honour the best films of 2021.
Foscadh is part of the Cine 4 scheme, which is supported by Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, and TG4, an initiative set up in 2017 to develop original feature films in the Irish language. Foscadh is the third release from Cine4 following Finky and Arracht.