Irish talent is in contention for glory at the BAFTAs this evening.
Now in its 78th year, the event is increasingly considered a warm up for the Oscars and plenty of Irish people will be hoping to win awards.
Live from London, Newstalk’s Henry McKean said the atmosphere was already “very exciting” ahead of the event.
“Fresh from winning two IFTAs, Saoirse Ronan is up again, nominated for Leading Actress for her role in the addiction recovery drama set in London and Scotland - The Outrun,” he told The Anton Savage Show.
“Kneecap also are up for six nominations tonight; the writer and director Rich Peppiatt, his biopic of this Belfast rap group has had an amazing year.
“It’s up for Outstanding Debut, Original Screenplay, Film Not In The English Language, Editing and also Outstanding British Film - because there is British money behind this film.”
Roll out the red carpet..
THE #EEBAFTAs 2025 ARE TOMORROW 💥💥#BAFTA #RedCarpet #Awards pic.twitter.com/TxHGqrgMFK
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 15, 2025
The film Bird, which stars Dubliner Barry Keoghan, is also nominated in the Outstanding British Film category.
However, Henry believes another film is a strong contender for the award.
“They could be pipped by Conclave - this is a movie about choosing the next Pope,” he said.
“It really is brilliant; it’s fantastic ‘hairs on the back of your neck’ stuff.”
Another film Henry believes could “cleanup” is The Brutalist which stars Adrien Brody.
“This is a Second World War movie about the Jews surviving the Holocaust and a visionary architect,” he said.
“But it’s three hours 35 minutes long, so most reviewers haven’t seen it.”
Presenting…
Your Presenters for the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2025 💫 pic.twitter.com/2KLzUT6xmp
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 15, 2025
Henry also predicted a body horror film could do well as well.
“Demi Moore, this could be a career highlight for her if she gets the BAFTA, she could go on and get the Oscar for The Substance,” he said.
“Brilliant, brilliant movie.”
The BAFTAs begin at 5pm this evening.
Main image: Saoirse Ronan and Kneecap. Images by: Alamy and Andres Poveda.
