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See - Sada Elbalad
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Ireland Picks "Sanatorium" for Oscar Race
Yara Sameh The Irish Film and Television Academy has selected Ireland's official entry for the international feature film category of the next Academy Awards. 'Sanatorium,' the Irish-made, Ukrainian-language documentary, is set to represent the country at the 98th Oscars, following in the footsteps of last year's 'Kneecap,' which was shortlisted, and 2003's 'The Quiet Girl,' which became the first film submitted by Ireland to be nominated. The feature debut of Galway-born filmmaker Gar O'Rourke, 'Sanatorium' takes a vivid look at at Kuyalnik Sanatorium, a large 1970s building near Odessa in southern Ukraine, where a small group searches for love, healing and happiness and where mud treatments and Soviet-era therapies continue despite a war close by. The biggest attraction is the mysterious black mud, said to cure infertility, physical disabilities and various other ailments. The film had its world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen in their main international competition, DOX:AWARD, in late March. 'Sanatorium' is produced by Venom Films by IFTA-winning Ken Wardrop and Andrew Freedman ('His & Hers,' 'Making the Grade'), along with Samantha Corr. It was was co-produced by 2332 Films Ukraine and made with support from Screen Ireland, BBC Storyville, MetFilm Sales, France TV, and Creative Europe. The film was edited by John Murphy ('The Quiet Girl'), with Denys Melnyk ('Militantropos') as director of photography. Irish Distributor Eclipse Pictures will release the film in Irish Cinemas on September 5. The Oscar international feature shortlist will be announced on December 16 and the final five nominees will be announced on January 22. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha Videos & Features Story behind Trending Jessica Radcliffe Death Video News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt News The Jessica Radcliffe Orca Attack? 100% Fake and AI-Generated
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Ukrainian-language film Sanatorium to represent Ireland in Oscars international category
Ukrainian-language film Sanatorium has been selected by the Irish Film and Television Academy (Ifta) to represent Ireland in the International Feature Film category at next year's 98th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. The documentary film, directed by Galway-born filmmaker Gar O'Rourke, is set in Kuyalnik Sanatorium, a crumbling wellness centre near Odessa in Ukraine, where "staff and visitors are determined to have a holiday away from the outside world, a moment in their lives to 'restore' themselves" despite the war raging in the country. At the facility, guests can avail of the therapeutic treatments from the Soviet-era, including a mysterious mud which is said to cure infertility, chronic ailments, and a myriad of other health issues. The fly-on-the wall work has already garnered much acclaim on the festival circuit: it won Best Irish Feature Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh, and screened at festivals in Copenhagen, Switzerland, Edinburgh, and Melbourne. The film was produced by Venom Films with Ifta-winners Ken Wardrop and Andrew Freedman, along with Samantha Corr. It was co-produced by 2332 Films Ukraine and made with support from Screen Ireland, BBC Storyville, MetFilm Sales, France TV, and Creative Europe. It will released here on September 5. Gar O'Rourke said it was a privilege to be representing Ireland "on the biggest stage in world cinema". "This was a film that set out to show the power of healing, the resilience of community, and above all the strength of the Ukrainian spirit in the face of such traumatic time," he said. 'Sanatorium' has already garnered much acclaim on the festival circuit: it won Best Irish Feature Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh, and screened at festivals in Copenhagen, Switzerland, Edinburgh, and Melbourne. Producers Andrew Freedman, Ken Wardrop and Samantha Corr said being selected by Ifta was "an honour" and "a huge recognition of the dedication of Gar O'Rourke, John Murphy and everyone who helped bring this story to the screen". "Most of all, it salutes the resilient community of Kuyalnik Sanatorium outside Odessa — where even in the shadow of war, people come to heal, to laugh and to show extraordinary humanity," they added. Sanatorium follows in the footsteps of An Cailín Ciúin, nominated for an Oscar in 2023, and Kneecap, shortlisted for an award last year. The shortlist for the International Feature Oscar will be announced on December 16. The final five nominees will be announced on January 22. The 98th Academy Awards take place on March 15.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Ukrainian language film Sanatorium to represent Ireland at Oscars
The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) has announced that Sanatorium, a Ukrainian-language film directed by Galway-born filmmaker Gar O'Rourke, will represent Ireland in the International Feature Film category at the 2026 Academy Awards. The documentary, set in a Soviet-era wellness centre near Odesa, offers a wry and vivid portrait of residents seeking love, healing and escape through unusual therapies, including the use of a mysterious black mud said to cure infertility and physical ailments. Despite the backdrop of war, the community carries on, determined to find joy and restoration. Produced by Dublin's Venom Films alongside Ukrainian company 2332 Films, Sanatorium has already won acclaim on the festival circuit, picking up Best Irish Feature Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh. It premiered at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen earlier this year and has since screened at festivals in Switzerland, Edinburgh, Melbourne and Kyiv. The film will be released in Irish cinemas on 5 September by Eclipse Pictures. Announcing the selection, IFTA Chief Executive Áine Moriarty praised the film as "intriguing and quietly powerful", adding: "It is so inspiring to see an Irish director and creative team collaborate with Ukrainian colleagues to capture these moments in time, which will no doubt resonate with audiences worldwide." Director Gar O'Rourke said representing Ireland at the Oscars was "an incredible honour", describing the film as a tribute to "the power of healing, the resilience of community, and above all the strength of the Ukrainian spirit in the face of such traumatic times." Producers Andrew Freedman, Ken Wardrop and Samantha Corr said the choice was a recognition not only of the Irish creative team but also of the "resilient community of Kuyalnik Sanatorium outside Odesa, where even in the shadow of war, people come to heal, to laugh and to show extraordinary humanity." Sanatorium follows in the footsteps of recent Irish Oscar contenders An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl), which was nominated in 2023, and Kneecap, which made the shortlist earlier this year. Past IFTA entries have included films in Irish, Spanish, Arabic and Serbo-Croatian. The Oscar shortlist for International Feature will be announced on 16 December, with the final five nominees revealed on 22 January. The 98th Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles on 15 March 2026.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Ukrainian-language feature film to represent Ireland at next year's Oscars
The Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) announced that Sanatorium will follow in the footsteps of Oscar-nominated An Caitlín Ciúin in 2023 and Kneecap from this year by competing in the International Feature Film category. It was directed by Galway-born filmmaker Gar O'Rourke and produced by Venom Films by IFTA-winning Ken Wardrop and Andrew Freedman. The film documents a small colourful group's quest for normality and respite in a wellness centre in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa as war rages around the country. Participants gather in a Soviet-era building to undergo mud treatments using black mud that is said to cure infertility and physical disabilities. Sanatorium was selected by IFTA's 2025 Selection Committee which consists of prominent Irish filmmakers from several previously Oscar-nominated films. IFTA chief executive Áine Moriarty has said that the film will resonate with audiences around the world. "What an intriguing and quietly powerful film, with its vibrant and visually stunning scenery and colourful cast of real-life characters who find escapism within the confines of an unconventional wellness centre in Ukraine,' she said. "It is so inspiring to see an Irish Director and creative team collaborate with Ukrainian colleagues to capture these moments in time.' The film's director Gar O'Rourke said that the film has been received very well by audiences since its release. 'Since the premiere of Sanatorium earlier this year, the international response has been overwhelming. "This was a film that set out to show the power of healing, the resilience of community, and above all the strength of the Ukrainian spirit in the face of such traumatic times.' Its producers Andrew Freedman, Ken Wardrop and Samantha Corr highlighted the importance of the film's display of 'extraordinary humanity', despite the horrors of war. This is not the first time a foreign-language film been chosen to wave the Irish flag in Hollywood – Spanish-language film Viva was shortlisted in 2006, as well as the Arabic-language films Gaza in 2019 and The Shadow of Beirut in 2024.
