Ireland has selected Damian McCann’s Irish-language heist thriller “Aontas” as its submission for best international feature film at the 2027 Academy Awards. The choice puts the film in contention for an Oscar and continues Ireland’s recent progress in the category following the nomination of “The Quiet Girl” and the shortlisting of “Kneecap”.

Told in reverse chronology, the film follows three unlikely robbers after a rural bank heist goes disastrously wrong, centring on a woman struggling with her past. Written by McCann and Sarah Gordon, it stars Carrie Crowley, Bríd Brennan and Eva-Jane Gaffney, and was filmed over 18 days in the Glens of Antrim with backing including TG4, BBC Gaeilge and Northern Ireland Screen.