RTÉ have acquired the broadcasting rights for the IFTA awards ceremony this year, after TV3 filmed and aired both the TV and Film & Drama IFTAs for the past two years. RTÉ last aired the show in 2014 when the broadcast was afflicted by various technical glitches.
The ceremony will be broadcast at primetime on RTÉ ONE and will include footage from the red carpet.
Moreover, it has been announced that Irish comedienne and actress Deirdre O’Kane will host the 2017 Awards. This will be the second year in a row for which she has hosted the ceremony. O’Kane said it was an ‘honour’ to be hosting the awards ceremony again. She won the Best Actress Award at the 2015 IFTAs for her performance in Noble.
Nominees in the running this year include Ruth Negga, Michael Fassbender, Colin Farrell, Jamie Doran, Caitriona Balfe, Aidan Turner, Ciaran Hinds, Jason O’Mara, Colm Meaney, Fiona Shaw, Brendan Gleeson, Susan Lynch, Seana Kerslake, Cillian Murphy, Andrew Scott, Tom Vaughan Lawlor, Sinead Cusack, Ruth Bradley, Moe Dunford, Liam Cunningham, and Mark O’Halloran among others. See the list of nominations in full here.
Michael Gambon will be awarded the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award.
The 2017 IFTA Film & Drama Awards will take place at the Round Room of Dublin’s Mansion House on Saturday April 8th.