The Irish-Language coming-of-age drama The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin) has been selected as Ireland’s entry for the Oscars® Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming 95th annual Academy Awards.
Colm Bairéad’s debut feature made history in Ireland recently as the first Irish language film to win the Irish Academy Award (IFTA) for Best Film. An Cailín Ciúin received 7 IFTAs overall including: director, actress, cinematography, editing, production design, and original score.
Based on Irish author, Claire Keegan’s acclaimed story, Foster, An Cailín Ciúin is an intricate, deeply felt coming-of-age drama that delves into the meaning of family through the eyes of a neglected young girl. Set in rural Ireland in 1981, the film follows Cáit (Catherine Clinch) as she is sent from her overcrowded, dysfunctional household to live with distant relatives for the summer. She is welcomed with open arms by Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley), but her husband (Andrew Bennett) keeps Cáit at arm’s length. Slowly, however, a warmth grows within this makeshift family and Cáit begins to blossom in their care. But in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one painful truth.
Writer/Director, Colm Bairéad and Producer, Cleona Ní Chrualaoi of Inscéal said “We are honored beyond words that An Cailín Ciúin / The Quiet Girl has been selected to represent Ireland. Our heartfelt thanks to IFTA and its selection committee. We have always believed in the idea that an Irish-language film could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of world cinema and we feel so proud to be representing our country and our language in this way. It has been an extraordinary privilege adapting Claire Keegan’s ‘Foster’ to the big screen and we can’t wait to introduce our film to more and more members of the Academy as The Quiet Girl continues its roll-out on the international stage. None of this would have been possible without the vision of TG4, Screen Ireland, and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, who co-funded the Cine4 feature film initiative, which has created a new wave of Irish-language cinema that is being recognised around the world”.
An Cailín Ciúin had its World Premiere at this year’s Berlinale where it won the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for Best Film. It was also the recipient of the Audience Award at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival earlier this year and was chosen as the Best Irish Film at the Dublin Film Critics’ Circle Awards. Recently, it won the Audience Choice Award of the International New Talent Competition at Taipei Film Festival, Taiwan.
The film was selected by Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA)’s 2023 Irish Selection Committee, which includes producer and Emmy-nominated actress Roma Downey (Ben-Hur, Touched by an Angel), Oscar-nominated actor John C. Reilly (Chicago, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty), producer & Paramount TV EVP of International Strategy David Flynn (Bodkin, Seraphim Falls), Oscar-nominated director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In America),director Aisling Walsh (Maudie, Song for a Raggy Boy) and actress Fionnula Flanagan (The Others, The Guard). The Committee was chaired by Academy CEO, Áine Moriarty.
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