Irish Oscar Hope as Short Film PENTECOST Makes the Academy Award Shortlist
The light hearted short film PENTECOST written and directed by Peter McDonald has been selected as one of ten short films from all over the world to be shortlisted for Oscar® nomination, for the coveted prize of Best Live Action short.
Funded through the Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board, the film stars Andrew Bennett, Michael McElhatton and Don Wycherley and tells the story of a young altar boy who is forced to serve at an important mass and has to make a difficult choice: conform to the status quo or serve an extended ban from his passion in life.... football.
PENTECOST will now advance in the voting process for the 84th Academy Awards ® and was selected from 107 short films which had originally qualified in the category. The final five Academy Award nominees in this category will be announced on January 24th.
The film was officially selected for the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and picked up the Best Irish Short Film at the Corona Cork Film Festival last year.
The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting in screenings held in Los Angeles. Three to five nominees will be selected from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in January 2012.
Irish short filmmakers have received huge profile at the Oscars in recent years. Martin McDonagh's SIX SHOOTER took home the award for Best Live Action Short, and Nicky Phelan's GRANNY O'GRIMM'S SLEEPING BEAUTY, Cathal Gaffney's GIVE UP YER AUL SINS, Juanita Wilson's THE DOOR, Steff Green's NEW BOY, Ruairí Robinson's FIFTY PERCENT GREY and Michael Creagh's THE CRUSH have all received Oscar nominations.
PENTECOST is the second Irish film with an Oscar hope as Juanita Wilson's AS IF I AM NOT THERE Ireland's submission for the Foreign Language category for the 2012 Academy Awards.
The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24th in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theatre and the award ceremony will be presented on Sunday, February 26th 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Centre.