Post by Ace on Jul 29, 2006 20:14:53 GMT -5
The Sunday Times - Ireland: Iftas seek a date with Hollywood
July 30, 2006
Jan Battles
IRELAND’S version of the Oscars wants to be brushed by Hollywood glitz. So it has come up with a plan to attract the stars by “piggy-backing” on the Baftas, Britain’s annual film awards ceremony.
The Irish Film and Television Awards, or Iftas, will next year be held two days before the Baftas in the hope of attracting big-name stars from Hollywood on their way to the British bash. The ceremony, customarily held in November, has been moved to February 9, with the British awards taking place the following Sunday.
The move will put the Irish event in the middle of Hollywood’s award season, which kicks off in January and ends in March with the Academy Awards.
While the organisers said getting big names was “not exactly a priority”, stars are much more likely to come to Dublin if they are already travelling to London for the Baftas, such as Charlize Theron and Jake Gyllenhaal, who was on hand last year to collect an award.
Aine Moriarty, chief executive of the newly established Irish Film and Television Academy (Ifta), said: “A lot of the industry feels the date change is very significant in terms of putting us in the international roll-out of awards. The key reason is to make it easier for Irish projects to meet the deadline by having a January-December qualifying period.”
The board of Ifta is also considering changing several of the categories awarded to international stars and movies. Instead of being voted by the public, they would be chosen by academy members. This would give the ceremony more gravitas and also increase the chances of Hollywood names turning up on the night.
“We don’t have a best international film or best international actor or actress category [awarded by jury] currently, but it is one of the things that is being recommended by the in-dustry,” said Moriarty. “Other similar international awards are voted for by industry peers through an academy system and we felt the time was right to put this system in place for Ireland.”
Although the public is only interested in the biggest award shows — the Oscars and the Golden Globes — the movie industry takes less glamorous ceremonies just as seriously. Winners of the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild (Sag) awards, held at the end of January, often go on to win an Oscar. Reese Witherspoon won a Bafta, Sag and Golden Globe for her role as June Carter in Walk the Line before landing her Oscar this year.
Up to now nominees in the international categories at the Iftas, as voted by the public, tended to be for movies that were popular at the box office and not necessarily critically acclaimed.
Christian Bale was nominated in the best international actor category as Batman, with Brad Pitt up for Mr and Mrs Smith alongside Johnny Depp for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The award went to Mickey Rourke for Sin City. A public vote for best television personality, won by Miriam O’Callaghan in 2003, is likely to remain.
The organisers hope to boost the profile of the Irish event by getting it broadcast around the world and have appointed an agent to sell the show to channels in America and elsewhere.
Nominees in the main categories will still have to be either Irish-born or resident for at least three years. Irish stars will be considered for roles in Hollywood films as well as home-produced projects. So Colin Farrell will be eligible next year for his portrayal of Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice. The nominations will be announced at the end of December or in early January.
The academy has set a target of 1,000 of Ireland’s film professionals to become members for the first year. Even the likes of Jim Sheridan, Neil Jordan and Farrell will have to apply for membership, which costs €100 for full members and €80 for associates who do not have voting rights.
Similarly to the Oscars, membership will divided into chapters by profession. Only actors can vote for the acting categories. Previous winners will automatically receive a year’s free membership, while honorary award winners, such as Pierce Brosnan, will become lifetime members of the academy. Moriarty said: “Pierce was delighted with this and he is very supportive.”
The February ceremony will be held at the RDS. The board has yet to decide whether it will be presented by James Nesbitt, the Northern Irish star known for his role on Cold Feet, who has hosted the awards before.
July 30, 2006
Jan Battles
IRELAND’S version of the Oscars wants to be brushed by Hollywood glitz. So it has come up with a plan to attract the stars by “piggy-backing” on the Baftas, Britain’s annual film awards ceremony.
The Irish Film and Television Awards, or Iftas, will next year be held two days before the Baftas in the hope of attracting big-name stars from Hollywood on their way to the British bash. The ceremony, customarily held in November, has been moved to February 9, with the British awards taking place the following Sunday.
The move will put the Irish event in the middle of Hollywood’s award season, which kicks off in January and ends in March with the Academy Awards.
While the organisers said getting big names was “not exactly a priority”, stars are much more likely to come to Dublin if they are already travelling to London for the Baftas, such as Charlize Theron and Jake Gyllenhaal, who was on hand last year to collect an award.
Aine Moriarty, chief executive of the newly established Irish Film and Television Academy (Ifta), said: “A lot of the industry feels the date change is very significant in terms of putting us in the international roll-out of awards. The key reason is to make it easier for Irish projects to meet the deadline by having a January-December qualifying period.”
The board of Ifta is also considering changing several of the categories awarded to international stars and movies. Instead of being voted by the public, they would be chosen by academy members. This would give the ceremony more gravitas and also increase the chances of Hollywood names turning up on the night.
“We don’t have a best international film or best international actor or actress category [awarded by jury] currently, but it is one of the things that is being recommended by the in-dustry,” said Moriarty. “Other similar international awards are voted for by industry peers through an academy system and we felt the time was right to put this system in place for Ireland.”
Although the public is only interested in the biggest award shows — the Oscars and the Golden Globes — the movie industry takes less glamorous ceremonies just as seriously. Winners of the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild (Sag) awards, held at the end of January, often go on to win an Oscar. Reese Witherspoon won a Bafta, Sag and Golden Globe for her role as June Carter in Walk the Line before landing her Oscar this year.
Up to now nominees in the international categories at the Iftas, as voted by the public, tended to be for movies that were popular at the box office and not necessarily critically acclaimed.
Christian Bale was nominated in the best international actor category as Batman, with Brad Pitt up for Mr and Mrs Smith alongside Johnny Depp for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The award went to Mickey Rourke for Sin City. A public vote for best television personality, won by Miriam O’Callaghan in 2003, is likely to remain.
The organisers hope to boost the profile of the Irish event by getting it broadcast around the world and have appointed an agent to sell the show to channels in America and elsewhere.
Nominees in the main categories will still have to be either Irish-born or resident for at least three years. Irish stars will be considered for roles in Hollywood films as well as home-produced projects. So Colin Farrell will be eligible next year for his portrayal of Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice. The nominations will be announced at the end of December or in early January.
The academy has set a target of 1,000 of Ireland’s film professionals to become members for the first year. Even the likes of Jim Sheridan, Neil Jordan and Farrell will have to apply for membership, which costs €100 for full members and €80 for associates who do not have voting rights.
Similarly to the Oscars, membership will divided into chapters by profession. Only actors can vote for the acting categories. Previous winners will automatically receive a year’s free membership, while honorary award winners, such as Pierce Brosnan, will become lifetime members of the academy. Moriarty said: “Pierce was delighted with this and he is very supportive.”
The February ceremony will be held at the RDS. The board has yet to decide whether it will be presented by James Nesbitt, the Northern Irish star known for his role on Cold Feet, who has hosted the awards before.
