{"id":79888,"date":"2025-08-19T12:24:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T12:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/79888\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T12:24:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T12:24:11","slug":"ireland-selects-ukrainian-language-doc-sanatorium-as-oscar-entry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/79888\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland Selects Ukrainian-Language Doc Sanatorium as Oscar Entry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThe Irish Film and Television Academy has chosen Ireland\u2019s official entry for the international feature film category of the next Academy Awards<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSanatorium<\/a>,\u201d the Irish-made, Ukrainian-language documentary, is set to represent the country at the 98th Oscars, following in the footsteps of last year\u2019s \u201cKneecap,\u201d which was shortlisted, and 2003\u2019s \u201cThe Quiet Girl,\u201d which became the first film submitted by Ireland to be nominated. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe feature debut of Galway-born filmmaker Gar O\u2019Rourke, \u201cSanatorium\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSanatorium\u201d is produced by Venom Films by IFTA<\/a>-winning Ken Wardrop and Andrew Freedman (\u201cHis & Hers,\u201d \u201cMaking the Grade\u201d), 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 (\u201cThe Quiet Girl\u201d), with Denys Melnyk (\u201cMilitantropos\u201d) as director of photography. Irish Distributor Eclipse Pictures will release the film in Irish Cinemas on Sep. 5. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIFTA is delighted to announce that \u2018Sanatorium\u2019 will represent Ireland in the upcoming Oscar International Feature Film category,\u201d said IFTA chief executive \u00c1ine Moriarty. \u201cWhat 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. It is inspiring to see an Irish creative team collaborate with Ukrainian colleagues to capture these moments in time, which will no doubt resonate with international audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSanatorium\u201d was selected by IFTA\u2019s 2025 selection committee, which included Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kirsten Sheridan (\u201cIn America,\u201d \u201cDisco Pigs\u201d); BAFTA and IFTA-winning filmmakers Rich Peppiatt (\u201cKneecap,\u201d \u201cOne Rogue Reporter\u201d) and Neasa Hardiman (\u201cUntamed,\u201d \u201cHappy Valley\u201d); Emmy and IFTA-nominated casting director Louise Kiely (\u201cThe Banshees of Inisherin,\u201d \u201cNormal People\u201d); Emmy-nominated and IFTA-winning filmmaker Aoife McArdle (\u201cSeverance,\u201d\u201d Kissing Candice\u201d); IFTA-winning actor Barry Ward (\u201cThat They May Face The Rising Sun,\u201d \u201cJimmy\u2019s Hall\u201d); and was chaired by Moriarty.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTo have the privilege of representing Ireland on the biggest stage in world cinema is an incredible honour, and I\u2019m deeply grateful to IFTA and everyone who has been on this journey with us,\u201d said O\u2019Rourke. \u201cSince the premiere of \u2018Sanatorium\u2019 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. None of this would have been possible without the extraordinary dedication of our Ukrainian crew and co-producers 2332 Films, the producers at Venom Films, and the invaluable support of Screen Ireland, amongst our many other partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Oscar international feature shortlist will be announced on Dec. 16 and the final five nominees will be announced on Jan. 22. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Irish Film and Television Academy has chosen Ireland\u2019s official entry for the international feature film category of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[60837,64,63,134,60838,344,60839],"class_list":{"0":"post-79888","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-academy-awards","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-ifta","13":"tag-movies","14":"tag-sanatorium"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}