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Brian Durnin’s debut feature Spilt Milk took home the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival this year, wrapping up a starry 21st edition that saw the likes of James McAvoy, Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Toni Collette, Tim Roth and Takehiro Hira all touch down at the Scottish event.

Runner-up to the Audience Award, which is sponsored by Mubi and is the fest’s only award, was German comedy Two to One, starring double-Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller.

Spilt Milk, set against the backdrop of 1980s working class Dublin, follows 11-year-old Bobby (Cillian Sullivan), who dreams of being a detective just like his TV idol Kojak. He sets up a private investigation with his best friend but when Bobby’s older brother disappears, it sets them off down a dark path.

“We’re deeply honored to accept this wonderful award and to know that our film connected with the audiences at Glasgow Film Festival,...

The 21st edition of the Glasgow Film Festival came to a close last night with the world première of Martyn Robertson’s Make It To Munich. The closing ceremony also saw the announcement of this year’s audience award, which went to the Dublin-set Spilt Milk.

James McAvoy with his Cinema City Honorary Award Photo: Glasgow Film Festival

“We’re deeply honoured to accept this wonderful award and to know that our film connected with the audiences at Glasgow Film Festival, said Spilt Milk director Brian Durnin. “The city and festival will forever hold a place in our hearts.”

German comedy Two To One was the runner-up.

Last weekend, James McAvoy received the festival’s other award, the Cinema City Honorary Award. He was one of several high profile guests to attend this year, along with Jessica Lange, Toni Colette, Tim Roth, Ed Harris, Martin Compston and Takehiro Hira.

The...

Spilt Milk, the directorial debut of Ireland’s Brian Durnin, won the audience award at the Glasgow Film Festival, which marked the final edition under the leadership of Allison Gardner.

The feature had its world premiere last year at Tallinn, is set in inner-city Dublin in 1984, in a public housing estate where one family fights for survival amid a heroin epidemic that has ravaged the city, through the eyes of an 11-year-old wannabe detective.

• Read Screen’s Spilt Milk review

The audience award is the only prize given to a title in the programme and is awarded to a first or second-time director.

The Glasgow Film Festival‘s 2025 Audience Award, sponsored by Mubi, went to Brian Durnin’s drama Spilt Milk, wrapping up a star-studded 21st edition that attracted the likes of James McAvoy, Toni Collette, Tim Roth, Jessica Lange and Ed Harris.

Among other big names visiting Scotland were Japanese musician and actress Koki and Shogun star Takehiro Hira, who came to Glasgow for the world premiere of Scottish survival thriller Tornado, while Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill attended the world premiere of sporting documentary Hill. Collette was a surprise special guest for a 30th anniversary showing of her breakthrough film Muriel’s Wedding.

Scotland’s largest annual celebration of cinema, which this year also put a spotlight on Austrian films, from satirical looks at rent-a-friend agencies and the power of billionaires to an exploration of generational poverty and a climate crisis mockumentary, wrapped with the world premiere of Scottish documentary-maker Martyn Robertson...

Cillian Murphy has been named Best Lead Actor in the film category of the Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs) for the second year running.

Following his win last year for Oppenheimer (which went on to bag him the Oscar), Murphy won for his role in the film Small Things Like These.

The film, an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novella, also won Best Film.

Complete Winners List Below

An Irish-language film about Belfast rap group Kneecap was nominated in 17 award categories. The film’s director Rich Peppiatt won best director in the film category, and it was also recognised in casting and costume design.

At the ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, Friday evening, Saoirse Ronan was a double winner, taking home Best Lead Actress for The Outrun and Best Supporting Actress for The Blitz.

Ralph Fiennes and Demi Moore were winners in the international acting categories for Conclave and The Substance respectively.

Small Things Like These, an Irish drama starring Cillian Murphy as a coal merchant and father haunted by secret abuses in a local convent sanctioned by the Catholic Church, beat out Kneecap, the hip-hop comedy featuring Michael Fassbender, to win the best film honor at the Irish Film & Television Awards 2025 during a ceremony held in Dublin on Friday. Saoirse Ronan left with two awards (the lead actress honor for her role in The Outrun and the supporting actress trophy for Blitz). Murphy won the best actor IFTA for his work in Small Things Like These. Demi Moore (The Substance) and Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) were honored in the international acting categories, and Colin Farrell (The Penguin) and Sharon Horgan (for writing Bad Sisters) earned TV statuettes.

Rich Peppiatt received the best director IFTA for Kneecap, which follows the West Belfast hip-hop trio of the same name on their mission to save their mother tongue.

Jonathan Kent’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night starring Jessica Lange and Ed Harris will make its world premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival as the full line-up is confirmed.

Adapted from Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer-winning play, the film marks Kent’s directorial debut and also stars Ben Foster. Filming took place in County Wicklow before wrapping in 2022 and facing several delays.

Both Lange and Harris will attend the festival where they will be honoured with the Volta Award, which recognises filmmakers and actors who have had an “extraordinary impact” on world cinema.

The festival will open with...

Let the buzz begin as this year’s Glasgow Film Festival will open with Tornado and close with Martin Robertson’s Make it to Munich, in what is another world premiere.

Undoubtedly a highlight each year in the film calendar Gff kicks off on February 26th until March 9th and is bursting with variety. Some highlights include the UK premiere of Long Day’s Journey into Night starring Jessica Lange & Ed Harris, Argentinian crime-caper Kill the Jockey and On Falling from Scottish filmmaker Laura Carreira.

The festival will play host to a number of UK premieres including The Return, Bob Trevino Likes It as well as Luckiest Man in America starring Paul Walter Hauser to name but a few.

In Conversation With returns with a star-studded line-up of Jessica Lange and Glasgow’s own, James McAvoy, who will take a look back on their careers.

As with true Gff tradition is...

Kneecap is leading the charge at this year’s Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) awards, with 17 nominations across 12 categories.

Rich Peppiatt’s feature about the eponymous Irish-language Belfast hip hop act is on an awards season roll, having led the winners at the Bifas back in December with seven awards, as well as having been shortlisted at the Oscars in the international feature category, and being longlisted in seven categories at the Baftas (with nominations announced tomorrow).

Scroll down for the full list of film nominations

Tim Mielants’ Small Things Like These, an Ireland-Belgium co-production that opened the Berlin film festival last year,...

“Kneecap” — the Irish-language music biopic that became one of the buzziest indie films of 2024 and is now tipped for both Oscar and BAFTA recognition — has, perhaps unsurprisingly, emerged far ahead of the pack of nominees for the 2025 Irish Film & TV Academy (IFTA) awards.

Rich Peppiatt’s raucous comedy, about (and starring) the Belfast rap trio of the same name, has landed an astonishing 17 nominations for the awards, including best film, director, three of the six slots for lead actor, three of the six for supporting actress and one for Michael Fassbender in the supporting actor category.

“Small Things Like These,” the considerably quieter Irish drama fronted (and produced) by Cillian Murphy has nine nominations, including lead actor for Murphy, who won the award last year for “Oppenheimer.”

Having been co-produced by Irish company Tailored Films, Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” is also in the mix, with four nominations.

Nominations are out for the 2025 Irish Film & Television Awards with the Cillian Murphy drama Small Things Like These and the music comedy Kneecap among the tipped films. Scroll down for the full list of nominees.

Small Things Like These has nods in Best Screenplay, Lead Actor for Murphy, and Best Film. Other Best Film nominees include Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice, King Frankie, and Kneecap.

Kneecap has a strong showing across the noms, with nods in Best Director for Rich Peppiatt and all three of the film’s leads pop up in Best Actor. Paul Mescal also received a Best Actor nomination for his role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II.

On the TV side, Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters is nominated for Best Drama while the Eddie Redmayne thriller The Day of the Jackal has multiple noms, including Best Director for a Drama Series.

The Irish Film & Television Academy...

Screen Ireland has introduced a ‘locked box’ system for its development funding process, to further support the development of Irish screenwriters and production companies across Ireland.

Development funding loans are repayable on the first day of principal photography. In the new locked box funding system, this repayment will be held by Screen Ireland for that relevant production company to re-invest in the development of new Irish feature film projects.

The locked box system will apply to any Screen Ireland development-supported Irish feature film projects that have not yet contracted for production.

This re-investment is subject to project eligibility criteria – that is,...

UK production company Randan, Scottish slang for ’raucous partying’, is launching in Cannes with a slate of productions and backing from the UK Global Screen Fund.

It has been formed by Scotland-based producers Reece Cargan, founder of Bombito, and James Heath, managing director of commrcials outfit Mtp, where he will remain as exec producer for commercials work.

Three projects are in post-production: Rada Leonora’s In The Morning Light, about the life of surrealist artist Leonard Carrington. Mtp had been co-producing the film alongside Lena Vurma’s Dragonfly Films, Meli Melo Cultura & Piano (Mx), Digital Cube (Ro), and Skye Film; Polly Findlay’s Midwinter Break,...