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Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke, “Frewaka” (2024) is a deeply unsettling folk horror drama that follows a grief-stricken woman who resumes her nursing career duties shortly after her mother’s death. Clarke’s film uses its atmospheric elements, be it the musical score, sound, or camerawork, to reveal many layers of the character’s quiet anguish rooted in her past. So, it is titled aptly, with a phonetic spelling for Fréamhach, an Irish word for ‘roots,’ which, in this film’s context, symbolically refers to familial and cultural roots. The film focuses on the constant push-and-pull that the protagonist feels with the past she has left behind or hopes to leave behind for good. Yet, it creeps up on her in one way or the other.

Spoilers Ahead

Frewaka (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:

“Frewaka” is an Irish horror film predominantly unfolding in the Irish language. Clare Monnelly stars in the central role of Siobhan,...

Quick Links But Let's Be Honest: Did Villeneuve Deserve the Best Director Nomination? Villeneuve Joins a List of Unbelievable Oscar Snubs

It has happened. What I, star Josh Brolin, and millions of other sci-fi fans thought to be a joke has become true: The Academy has decided that Denis Villeneuve does not even deserve to get a nomination for his directorial effort in the 2024 science fiction epic Dune: Part Two. The Academy Award nominations were recently announced, and as expected, there were a few surprises. No Best Original Score for Challengers, Sebastian Stan was nominated for The Apprentice and not for A Different Man, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste was left out for Hard Truths. But the one that hurt the most is Denis Villeneuve's name being absent among the Best Director nominees.

During the weeks leading up to the nominations, I began thinking that my worst fear would come true. The...

The 97th Academy Awards are continuing a painful trend for sci-fi fans, as Denis Villeneuve has been snubbed for Best Director once again. Dune: Part Two was expected to be one of the hot favorites at this year's Oscars, with the entire fan base backing Villeneuve's monumental sequel, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, and Austin Butler. The nominees shortlist was announced just moments ago, and Villeneuve has been left higher and drier than the desert of Arrakis, and it's not the first time.

This morning, Villeneuve was not nominated for Best Director ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards. This marks the second time Villeneuve's work on the Dune franchise hasn't been recognized by The Academy, as he was also snubbed from the category for 2021's Dune, which kick-started the new sci-fi franchise. Instead, Sean Baker (Anora), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Jacques Audiard...

Denis Villeneuve's take on Frank Herbert's Dune series has been a major success so far. The second installment, 2024's Dune: Part Two, saw the success of 2021's Dune: Part One and raised it even higher, and the Academy recognized the film's efforts.

Dune: Part Two was bigger and better than the first installment, and out-grossed the first film. It was the fifth highest-grossing movie of 2024, kicking off the year with the biggest numbers by the time of its premiere in March. The sci-fi film was officially recognized at the 97th Academy Awards by the Academy with several nominations, including one for Best Picture, but it didn't get the nomination Josh Brolin wanted.

Related Dune: Part Two Earns Netflix Success Nearly a Year After Debut in Theaters

Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two sees instant success on Netflix after debuting on the streaming service on Jan. 1.

Dune: Part Two...

Following a strong box-office run and critical success that's prompted consistent award buzz, Dune: Part Two notches another notable achievement. Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi blockbuster lands instant success on Netflix after debuting on the platform on New Year's Day.

Netflix confirmed its Top 10 English-language movies list for the week of Dec. 30 to Jan. 5, with Part Two landing 9th on the chart. The Dune sequel is sandwiched between The Forge and Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, with the Taron Egerton-led action thriller, Carry-On, topping the weekly chart. Part Two premiered via Netflix on Jan. 1, 10 months after the movie's theatrical debut.

Related 6 Lingering Storylines Dune: Prophecy Season 2 Needs to Resolve Immediately

Is Desmond Hart just a victim? Will Season 2 reveal more about Face Dancers? These are just some of the questions that left everyone pondering.

Part Two built on the strong critical and commercial success of 2021's Dune, which won six Academy...

We haven't even got to the official ceremony, but the 2025 Oscars are already causing controversy. There has been an ongoing battle between The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Dune: Part Two over Hans Zimmer's phenomenal score for the 2024 sequel. According to The Academy, the score is ineligible for submission in the Best Original Score category, something which Zimmer himself disagrees with, though he is ultimately more focused on the quality of the score and movie than its awards potential. However, like Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) announcing himself as the Lisan al Gaib, Dune: Part Two's director, Denis Villeneuve, has come to the rescue, defending Zimmer's score, and questioning The Academy's decision.

During an interview with SlashFilm, Denis Villeneuve called out The Academy for excluding Zimmer's score. "I am absolutely against the decision of the Academy to exclude Hans, frankly, because I feel like his score is...

Director Denis Villeneuve filmed many of Dune: Part Two's Arrakis sequences in harsh environments. Zendaya said wearing a Fremen stillsuit costume in the desert heat didn't help.

Zendaya shared some of her co-stars' experiences while filming Dune: Part Two on outdoor sets. The Arrakis desert scenes were shot on location in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, leaving the cast and crew at the mercy of the elements. She said it was particularly grueling for actors wearing stillsuits costumes, designed after the armor the Fremen wore to survive harsh environments. Speaking with W Magazine, Zendaya said her full-body suit was so troublesome to wear and remove that she didn't drink water to avoid bathroom breaks. She confessed that was a huge mistake.

Related Dune Director Recalls 'Numb and Stupid' Filming Conditions for Desert Scenes, Shares Update on Part 3

The Dune Part Two director revealed his plans to bring Dune: Messiah to life.

We hope you've been practicing your sandworm riding skills and sharpening your crysknife, because Dune: Part Two has found a brand-new streaming home for the new year. Part Two is the follow-up to Denis Villeneuve's immensely successful Dune, released in 2021. Adapted from Frank Herbert's lauded sci-fi novel of the same name, Villeneuve brought the desert planet of Arrakis to life on the big screen in gorgeous detail, as Paul Atreides (Chalamet) sought revenge against the Emperor for the betrayal of his family and house. Dune established the core characters, and gave Zendaya a whopping eight minutes of screen time (despite heavy marketing efforts establishing her as a key character), but Part Two delved into total war.

Dune: Part Two is now streaming on Netflix. The film has arrived on the streamer just in time for the new year, as fans can usher in 2025 while Paul Atreides commits nuclear...

Denis Villeneuve has a strict rule when it comes to working on his movie sets: no cell phones. The Dune filmmaker has commented on enforcing a ban on cell phones at the start of filming, explaining how it serves as a distraction from the art that the cast and crew are working together to create.

"Human beings are ruled by algorithms right now,” Villeneuve recently said about the modern correlation between people and technology, per the L.A. Times. “We behave like AI circuits. The ways we see the world are narrow-minded binaries. We’re disconnecting from each other, and society is crumbling in some ways. It’s frightening.”

Related "I'm Really Pleased" - Dune: Prophecy's Showrunner & Stars Celebrate the First Season at Press Conference

Dune: Prophecy showrunner Alison Schapker and stars Emily Watson and Olivia Williams unpack how the Season 1 finale sets up an even bigger Season 2.

That's not to...

The spice must flow, and so with it goes Anya Taylor-Joy, star of this year's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and the upcoming AppleTV+ original film The Gorge. Earlier this year, Taylor-Joy made an appearance in Dune: Part Two as Alia Atreides, the younger sister of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, who appears to her brother during a Water of Life-induced vision. While brief, the cameo is significant, as Alia plays an important role in Dune Messiah, the next book in the series and the basis for the forthcoming third film in Denis Villeneuve's trilogy.

So, just how big of a role will Taylor-Joy play? While remaining fairly tight-lipped overall, the actress herself did confirm that she will be a part of Villeneuve's upcoming film. In a conversation with Collider, Taylor-Joy said:

"Yeah, the film is being made, and I am so thrilled to be a part of it.

Christopher Nolan, the lauded filmmaker behind modern classics like Inception, Oppenheimer, and The Dark Knight trilogy, has an incredibly relatable complaint about Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two. Villeneuve's sequel blew past audience's expectations by expanding upon the incredibly complicated world, while telling a (mostly) grounded, personal story of the relationship between Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya). Despite being based on the incredibly complex and dense sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert, Villeneuve's Dune films are surprisingly digestible for even the most apprehensive sci-fi fan. But, audiences have one complaint about the sequel, and they share it with Christopher Nolan.

There's a screenwriting rule that no two characters' names should start with the same letter, so that audiences don't get confused by who's who. Dune took that rule and fed it to the sandworms as, not only do some of the characters have incredibly strange names, Paul Atreides goes by many,...

The contention around Dune: Part Two's Oscar campaign has heated up even more, as Josh Brolin has promised some heavy consequences if the movie is overlooked next year. Denis Villeneuve's Dune snagged six Oscars in 2022, along with a nomination for Best Motion Picture of the Year. Fans are already expecting Dune: Part Two to achieve a similar feat at next year's awards (which will be hosted by Conan O'Brien), but few are as passionate about it as Josh Brolin.

Speaking to Variety about his new memoir From Under the Truck, Brolin reflected on Dune's last outing at the Oscars, which saw Denis Villeneuve overlooked in the Best Director category. The actor is adamant that history won't repeat itself, especially considering that Dune: Part Two received better reviews than the first. The actor bluntly said:

"If he doesnt get nominated this year, Ill quit acting."

Sci-fi fans are...

2021's Dune was a huge success, but Dune: Part Two came to improve an already high-quality film series. It was bigger, spicier, and tougher than the first one. Now, one of the stars of the series wants the director's efforts recognized by the Academy.

Speaking to Variety about the film and Denis Villeneuve's creativity, Josh Brolin noted he wants the director to get an Oscar. Brolin is one of the several MCU actors from Dune, and he played Gurney Halleck in both installments. The actor noted that, if Villeneuve didn't get recognized with at least a nomination for Best Director, he would "quit acting."

Related 'That's a Huge Difference': Dune: Prophecy Star Explains What Separates the Show From the Movies

The film adaptations merely alluded to Dune: Prophecy's main premise.

2021's Dune received many nominations (and awards), but failed to recognize Denis Villeneuve for Best Director. This year,...

The burden of morality falls on Zendaya's Chani in Dune: Part Two, largely by Denis Villeneuve's design. That came with some changes made from the source material.

"Paul is the main character, but Chani is our moral compass. It's a big difference," Villeneuve told Deadline regarding the success of his Dune sequel and why centering Chani's perspective matters so much in calling out Paul Atreides' (Timothe Chalamet) actions. "That's where the movie differentiates itself from the book. In the book, she's a believer, she's in Paul's shadow, but I decided to transform our character in order to bring this idea that the movie will be a cautionary tale and not a celebration of his ascension," he continued.

Related Dune: Prophecy's Rotten Tomatoes Score Revealed Ahead of HBO Debut

Warner Bros. Dune: Prophecy series starring Chernobyls Emily Watson gets its first reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, ahead of the prequels debut.

Sci-fi movies make up one of Hollywood's biggest markets, and there are many exciting releases to look forward to in 2024. The best sci-fi movies allow viewers to explore vast and imaginative worlds, providing a sense of escapism. 2023 saw several successful sci-fi movies debut, from franchise installments like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to the original film The Creator. 2024 has already had an upward trend for the genre, with far more releases slated.

2024 will or has already seen book adaptations, video game adaptations, original sci-fi films, and the return of major franchises like Alien, Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, and Mad Max. These movies are set to be directed by some of the best talent in the film industry, including Denis Villeneuve. However, many 2024 movies have been delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. While many of 2024's films ended up set, several were pushed back again. Nevertheless, 2024's sci-fi lineup...

Other nominees include Glassland, I Used To Live Here, Noble and Song of the Sea.Scroll down for full list of nominations

The Irish Film & Television Academy has announced the nominees for the Ifta Film and Drama Awards, set to take place on May 24 at Dublin’s Mansion House.

Lenny Abrahamson’s music comedy Frank and Terry McMahon’s girtty drama Patrick’s Day lead the pack with nine nominations each.

Gerard Barrett drama Glassland, which played at Sundance in January, follows with six nominations.

Films with three nominations apiece include Frank Berry’s I Used To Live Here, Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated animation Song of the Sea, and Stephen Bradley’s biopic Noble.

In the best actor cateogy, Patrick’s Day’s Moe Dunford will go head to head with A-listers Colin Farrell (Miss Julie) and Michael Fassbender (Frank) as well as Transformers star Jack Reynor (Glassland).

As previously announced, the annual...

Exclusive: UK sales outfit launches Ireland-set period-romance.

UK outfit 7 & 7 Producers’ Sales Service will begin sales at the Afm on Anglo-Irish war-romance A Nightingale Falling.

Based on the bestselling novel by Pj Curtis, A Nightingale Falling stars Tara Breathnach and Muireann Bird as two Irish protestant sisters who conceal a severely wounded British officer and find themselves caught between the Ira and the ruthless British Black & Tans.

Directed by Garret Daly and Martine McGlynn, the film was produced in association with Northern Ireland Screen and is just completing its theatrical release in Ireland, where it is due to air on TV early next year.

Maura Ford of 7 & 7 said: “This beautiful 1920s period romance has a look reminiscent of Downton Abbey with an Irish backdrop of civil war and a twist in the tail. This blend has brought strong interest from the Us and I’m confident Afm is the perfect market to launch it to a wider audience...

Based on the Pj Curtis novel, A Nightingale Falling is set in Ireland during the War of Independence and follows two sisters whose lives change forever after they find a wounded solider on their farm. Nursing him back from near death, May and Tilly find themselves falling for his good looks and in fear of his execution and maybe their own, they keep him hidden, like a glorified prisoner, from the Black&Tans. Visually, A Nightingale Falling is far removed from its low budget roots. With beautiful composition and a rather fantastic use of natural light, this movie looks like a million dollars. Combined with some great costume design and incredibly authentic sets and props, it is really a a sight to behold. Unfortunately, that’s about as good as it gets for A Nightingale Falling, save a solid performance from Tara Breathnach. Without Breathnach, this would be a movie that would fall apart.

Terry McMahon’s Patrick’s Day and Gerard Barrett’s Glassland have jointly picked up the Best Irish Feature Award at the Galway Film Fleadh, which closed last night (July 13).

The annual awards ceremony took place before the screening of the festival’s closing film An Bronntanas.

Patrick’s Day world premiered at SXSW earlier this year. It tells the story of a schizophrenic young man (Moe Dunford) who tries to build a relationship with a flight attendant. Barrett’s follow up to Pilgrim Hill stars Toni Collette, Jack Reynor and Will Poulter and centres around alcoholism.

The festival’s Galway Hooker Awards were given to Irish actor Brenda Fricker, whose latest film A Long Way From Home was screened during t festival, and to animation powerhouse Brown Bag Films in recognition of their success as Irish animators on the international stage, including such successes as Doc McStuffins and two Oscar-nominated shorts.

In other awards...

The Galway Film Fleadh announced today the five nominees for the Bingham Ray New Talent Award. They are: producer, Anne Marie Naughton for "The Canal;" actor, Moe Dunford for "Patrick's Day;" director, Niall Heery for "Gold;" actor, Tara Breathnach for "A Nightingale Falling;" and actor, Dara Devaney for "An Bronntanas." The winner will be announced at the closing night awards ceremony, which takes place in the Town Hall Theatre. The new premieres announced are for "Patrick's Day," "Gold," "A Nightingale Falling" and "The Canal." - Directed by Terry McMahon, "Patrick's Day" follows the story of Patrick (Moe Dunford), a warm-hearted 26-year-old virgin schizophrenic, who falls in love with a soon-to-be alcoholic air-hostess, Karen. - A shocking journey into the unknown, Ivan Kavanagh's "The Canal" follows a family slowly growing a part due to suspected infidelity and nightmares of an evil presence that might live within their house. - Ifta-winning Niall Heery's new.

Magma Films' latest project, an adaptation of Ken Bruen's 'The Guards', has begun shooting today, October 27th, in Co. Galway. The film is directed by Stuart Orme (Inspector Morse, Merlin) with Iain Glen (Song for a Raggy Boy, Tara Road) leading the cast. Produced by Ralph Christians (Niko and the way to the Stars) and Clodagh Freeman (Summer of the Flying Saucer), the script was adapted from Bruen's novel by Anne McCabe, Tom Collins and Ralph Christians. Other crew involved includes Director of Photography John Conroy (The Bourne Ultimatum) and Production Designer Derek Wallace (Triage). Iain Glen (Tara Road) leads the cast as disgraced ex-cop Jack Taylor whilst Ralph Brown (The Boat that Rocked) stars as his sidekick Sutton. The female leads are played by Irish actresses Tara Breathnach (The Tudors) and Nora-Jane Noone (Savage).