Dealing with the troubled lives of Irish emigrants who went to work in London in the 1970s, Kingsdominates the nominations for the annual Irish Film and Television Awards (Ifta), which were announced in Dublin yesterday.
A bilingual film substantially in the Irish language, Kingshas been chosen as Ireland's first entry in the best foreign-language film category at the Oscars.
Kings received 14 Ifta nominations, followed by Garage, which has 11. Both are shortlisted for best Irish film, along with Shroomsand two films by British directors, Richard Attenborough's Closing the Ringand Julian Jarrold's Becoming Jane. The nominations for best international film are Atonement, La Vie en Rose, The Lives of Othersand The Bourne Ultimatum.
Robert Quinn is nominated as best director for his Irish-language film of Máirtín Ó Cadhain's novel Cre na Cille, along with Lenny Abrahamson ( Garage), Tom Collins ( Kings), Paddy Breathnach ( Shrooms) and John Crowley ( Boy A).
Pat Shortt is shortlisted for best actor for Garage, as are Cillian Murphy ( Sunshine), Gabriel Byrne ( Jindabyne), Colm Meaney ( Kings) and Hugh O'Conor ( Speed Dating).
The nominees for best actress in film or television are Aisling O'Sullivan ( The Clinic), Brid Ní Neachtain ( Cre na Cille), Siobhán Shannon ( Prosperity), Fionnuala Flanagan ( Brotherhood) and Cliona Ní Chiosain ( Aifric).
The youngest Ifta nominee is Saoirse Ronan (13), who is from Carlow and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award in Hollywood. She is shortlisted as best supporting actress for Atonement, along with Elaine Cassidy ( And When Did You Last See Your Father), Anne-Marie Duff ( Garage) and Gail Fitzpatrick ( Strength and Honour).
Kings secured two on the shortlist for best supporting actor, Donal O'Kelly and Brendan Conroy. Fellow nominees are Don Wycherley ( Speed Dating) and Conor J Ryan ( Garage). Wycherley is also nominated in the best TV actor category for The Running Mate, along with Denis Conway from the same series, Michael Gambon ( Celebration) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers ( The Tudors).
Actor Stuart Townsend, who makes his debut as writer-director with Battle in Seattle, is nominated for best screenplay, along with Mark O'Halloran ( Garage), Tom Collins ( Kings) and Mark O'Rowe ( Boy A).
In addition to their nominations for Garage, Lenny Abrahamson and Mark O'Halloran are shortlisted as best director and best screenplay, respectively, in the TV categories for Prosperity.
Prime Time Investigatestakes two of the four places in the best current affairs category along with RTÉ's general election results coverage and the Spotlight programme, The Pitbull Sting.
At Home with the Clearys, dealing with the late Fr Michael Cleary, is one of the nominees for best single TV documentary, along with Bloody Sunday: A Derry Diary, Arts Lives: The Undertaking, Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten, Ireland's Nazis, and Get Collins. On the shortlisted for best documentary series are The Hospice, Imeacht na nAirlai, Mobs Mhericea, Scannal, and Surgeons.
Shortlisted for best TV drama series or soap are The Tudors, The Clinic, Ros na Rúnand Single-Handed.
Shortlisted for best TV entertainment programme are Naked Camera, Podge & Rodge, Dan & Becsand Killinaskully.