An Cailín Ciúin: Irish language film shortlisted for an Oscar

Irish language film An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) has been shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best International Film category.

An Cailín Ciúin was selected as one of 15 titles to contest the category at the 95th Academy Awards.

All 15 film-makers will now be looking towards January, when five out of the 15 will be nominated for the award.

Directed and written by Colm Bairéad, the film is adapted from Claire Keegan’s 2010 book Foster.

The film is set in 1981 and tells the story of a nine-year-old girl sent to live with relatives in 1980s Ireland.

It follows Cáit, who is withdrawn and neglected, but finally finds herself in a loving home for the first time.

An Cailín Ciúin is the first Irish language title to be on the shortlist for best international feature film, a category formerly named best foreign language film.

The film has won over critics at numerous festivals, both in Ireland and abroad, after premiering at Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival).

An Cailín Ciúin picked up the audience award at Dublin International Film Festival and eight Irish Film and Television Academy and Awards (IFTAs).

It was the first ever in the Irish language to win the IFTA for best film.

After surpassing UK and Ireland box office records for an Irish-language film, An Cailín Ciúin was submitted as Ireland’s entry for Best International Feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Following the announcement in Los Angeles earlier on Wednesday, the film’s producers said they were “thrilled beyond words” about making the Oscar shortlist.

In a tweet they said that it was a “historic day”.

An Cailín Ciúin was produced for Cine4, a film initiative between Screen Ireland, Irish-language broadcaster TG4 and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.