Oscars 2024: Cillian Murphy for Best Actor and 11 nominations for Irish-produced Poor Things

Hoping to build on last year’s record-breaking Oscars success, there was plenty of speculation as to what Irish actors and films would be recognised at the 96th Oscars Awards – but it’s good news for Poor Things (co-produced by Irish company Element Pictures) and Christopher Nolan’s much-lauded Oppenheimer.

Actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid hosted the announcement of the 96th Oscars nominations over in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, January 23 in a ceremony livestreamed across the globe. Irish actors Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal, Andrew Scott and Barry Keoghan were all vying for nominations this year with critics and viewers alike raving about their performances but it’s just good news for one of that number. 

Paul Mescal narrowly missed out on Best Actor in a Supporting Role nominations with those places going to Sterling K. Brown, Robert Di Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan Gosling and Mark Ruffalo instead. Neither Andrew Scott nor Barry Keoghan were successful in securing a nomination either but we have Cillian Murphy flying the flag with a nod in the Best Actor category for his performance in Oppenheimer.

Oppenheimer picked up a total of 13 nominations while Poor Things followed close behind with 11 – the highest number of Academy Award nominations ever received by an Irish-produced film. Produced and developed by Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe and the team at Element Pictures, the film has already won two Golden Globes and scored 11 nominations at the BAFTAs.

This year brings to 26 the number of Academy Award nominations, as well as two Academy Awards, to have been received by Element Pictures productions since it was established in 2001 – a level of critical success unique in Ireland and rare across Europe. Element Pictures headquarters is based on O’Connell Street in Dublin, and it also has offices in Belfast and London.

Speaking of today’s announcement, co-CEOs and founders of Element Pictures, producers Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, said: “We are thrilled with the news today, and with the ongoing success of Poor Things. This is a phenomenal achievement for Yorgos, Emma and our incredible cast and crew of the film, including of course Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan. It’s also a huge tribute to all of the Element Pictures team in Dublin, Belfast and London who have been across every detail of this production from its inception to its worldwide release. We are also very grateful to the amazing team at Film 4 and to our brilliant distributors Searchlight.”

Poor Things builds on the successful working relationship that Element Pictures has developed with Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos which dates back more than ten years. They have produced all of his English language films, including The Lobster, Killing of A Sacred Deer, and The Favourite – another film is currently in production, Kinds of Kindness. 

This is Cillian Murphy’s first Oscar nomination. He has already won a Golden Globe award for best performance by a male actor for his role in Oppenheimer, and has been nominated for a SAG award and a BAFTA too.

2023 was a historic year for the Irish film industry with a record-breaking 14 Oscar nominations across a number of different categories – including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best International Feature Film and Best Live Action Short amongst others. 

However, while An Cailín Ciúin, Paul Mescal and the cast of Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin all narrowly missed out on wins, we still scooped two major awards with Best Short Film (Live Action) going to An Irish Goodbye and Best Visual Effects going to Richard Baneham for his work on Avatar: The Way of Water. 

Starring James Martin and Seamus O’Hara, the former tells the story of two estranged brothers who come together after their mother’s death. Speaking of their win, director Ross White told described it as “a special moment”. 

Whether or not we have any wins this year is irrelevant (though we suspect we just might): Ireland has undeniably left an indelible mark on the global film landscape – a testament to our rich storytelling tradition – and it’s incredible to see the depth and diversity of talent we’ve produced over the years… not bad for a small little island, eh?

You can see the full list of nominations for the 96th Academy Awards here.

Photography by Searchlight Pictures.