IFTA nomination joy for School of Communications Alumna Cleona Ní Chrualaoi
An Irish language film produced by a DCU Alumna from the DCU School of Communications has been nominated for ten IFTA Awards.
Cleona Ni Chrualaoi - who graduated from DCU in 2001 with a BA in Journalism - and her husband Colm Bairead are producer-director of ‘An Cailín Ciúin’ (The Quiet Girl).
Prior to the IFTA announcement, the film was honoured at the 72nd Berlin Film Festival earlier this month.
It won the prestigious grand prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for best film and received a special mention from the children’s jury.
It has also been selected as the opening film for the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival 2022.
The film has received ten nominations for the Irish Film & Television Awards (Ifta), including Best Director, Best Film, Leading Actor and Supporting Actor categories.
‘We are incredibly honoured to have been nominated for 10 Ifta awards and are so grateful to all the members of the Irish Film & Television Academy who voted for our film, An Cailín Ciúin. We are very proud of our team, cast and crew alike, who poured their hearts and souls into this film. Special congratulations to all the other nominees. It is fantastic to be among such a wealth of talented filmmakers. Our sincere thanks also to Screen Ireland, TG4 and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland for funding and believing in the film and for supporting us every step of the way,’ Cleona said.
Cleona is well known in broadcasting circles, having worked on a host of acclaimed shows, documentary and feature films for both TG4, TV3 and RTÉ.
As head of Inscéal Productions, she has most recently worked as producer on TG4 Cine4(3) feature film ‘Fanacht’
An Cailín Ciúin follows the experiences of nine-year-old Cáit, played by the IFTA-nominated Catherine Clinch, as she spends the summer with foster parents, played by Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett.
Tickets for the gala screening of ‘An Cailín Ciúin’ at the Virgin Media International Dublin Film Festival are already sold out. You can find out more about the Ifta awards by clicking here.