The 8 biggest British and Irish film and TV breakthroughs of 2022 – CNET – ApparelGeek

The Oscars broke with tradition in 2022 by being somewhat light among winners across the Atlantic, but normalcy is set to resume in 2023 – thanks in large part to Martin McDonagh’s beloved Irish tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin. There are also a few other great British heavyweights in contention, with Olivia Colman and Anthony Hopkins lurking further down the pollsters’ lists.

But any notion that British and Irish success rests on such established names is easily quashed thanks to the growing talent that has emerged on the big and small screen over the past 12 months. From phenomenal directorial debut – including one that has a good chance of winning the Oscars – to several standout on-screen performances, to one of the world’s biggest pop stars finally getting to fully test his acting skills, there are a number of films in full swing. names whose work in 2022 will likely be remembered as their film or television breakthrough.

The Hollywood Reporter handpicked a small selection of these talents, including Banshees‘ scene-stealing donkey, because any list of this year without it is incomplete.

Charlotte Wells, writer/director (After Sun)

It’s been some time since the industry has seen a rookie filmmaker make a splash like Scottish director Wells for After Sun. Starring Paul Mescal (in a role that further underscores his status as the most exciting indie actor around) and newcomer Frankie Corio (another incredible debut), the drama – a hazy reflection on a girl’s summer vacation. young girl in the 90s with her loving but troubled father flew completely under the radar until it was selected for the Cannes Critics’ Week sidebar. The south of France would provide the trigger for the film, and it’s where – amid a growing tsunami of success – it was picked up by A24 and Mubi (and snagged the Wells the Critics’ Week Jury Prize). ). More festivals and honors would follow, with After Sun maintaining a claim as the dark horse of awards season, winning a Gotham gong (for breakthrough director) and storming the British Independent Film Awards (seven wins, including Best Picture and Best Director out of 16 nominations) . It was also chosen by Barack Obama as one of his films of the year.

Colm Barréad, writer/director (The quiet girl)

While The quiet girl wasn’t one of the loudest (sorry) premieres at the Berlinale in February, the momentum it’s gained since has been extraordinary. Colm Bairéad’s directorial debut – about a retired girl sent to live on a farm with adoptive parents one summer – broke box office records in Ireland for an Irish-language feature, but not before dominating the local IFTA awards, beating Kenneth de Branagh Belfast for best film and best director. Buoyed by growing critical acclaim and continued success at festivals around the world, the film now has a step up in the Oscar race, recently making the list of Best International Feature Films (the first time for an Irish-language film) and giving Bairéad a chance to join a handful of rookie filmmakers in winning an Oscar.

Daryl McCormack, actor (bad sisters, Good luck to you, Leo Grande)

Within a year, this Irish actor was seen in plum roles alongside queens of the big and small screen. Projector of Good luck to you, Leo Grande, which was extremely well received after arcs at Sundance and Berlin, saw McCormack play a young sex worker who introduces Emma Thompson’s insecure and sheltered widow to bedroom pleasures (both received nominations for British Independent Film Awards). Meanwhile, in Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters for Apple TV+, her rocky relationship with Eve Hewson’s character, not to mention her brother (played by Brian Gleeson) was arguably the best thing about the acclaimed series. Upcoming projects include the feature film The Tutor, in which he is set to star alongside Richard E. Grant and Julie Delpy.

Frances O’Connor, writer/director (Emily)

Already a star of cinema and television for many years thanks to roles in mansfield parkBedazzled, AI Artificial Intelligence and missing, 2022 saw the British-born Australian take an extremely well-received leap behind the camera. Marking his writing and directing debut, Emily – starring Emma Mackey in a largely fictionalized account of the life of the famous The Wuthering Heights author Emily Bronte — bowed in Toronto to strong reviews, with critics praising O’Connor’s imaginative, sultry screenplay and luscious filmmaking in the Yorkshire hills. Emily went on to amass four British Independent Film Award nominations, while Bleeker Street is set to release the film in the US in 2023.

Harry Styles, actor (don’t worry darling, my policeman)

Yeah we know he was in Dunkirk! But have you counted his actual lines? For all of Christopher Nolan’s cinematic intros, 2022 saw Hollywood finally give one of the biggest pop stars on the planet something meatier to chew on thanks to two major movie roles – the dark psychological thriller of Olivia Wilde Don’t Worry Darling and Michael Grandage’s LGBT period drama My Policeman and, with them, glitzy premieres in Venice and Toronto (accompanied by red carpet mayhem as thousands of fans descended to pay tribute to their idol). Whether Styles – who managed to keep his own accent in both features – returns for more cinematic action remains to be seen. The noise around Don’t Worry Darling, which saw him engulfed in rumors related to his then-girlfriend Wilde and becoming the subject of various memes (Spitgate! Chris Pine Astral Plaining!) may well have put him off. .

Kit Connor and Joe Locke, actors (Heart stroke)

Netflix’s adaptation of Alice Oseman’s beloved graphic novel – an uplifting tale of a gay schoolboy who falls in love with a classmate – has seen its two teenage leads thrust into the limelight. Connor, who had previously played roles in War & Peacee and Rocketman playing a young Elton John, was quickly signed by WMA, landed a role in the adaptation of the NYT bestseller A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow and recently won Outstanding Performance at the inaugural Children’s and Family Emmy Awards. Meanwhile, Locke, for whom Heart stroke served as his first on-screen performance, was picked up by CAA, and was recently cast in Disney+’s WandaVision spin-off, Agatha: Chaos Coven.

The first season of Bridgerton may have already crowned a prince on the big screen in Regé-Jean Page, but the second season seems to have heralded the arrival of a princess. Simone Ashley was already remarkable in all of Netflix Sex education, but it was the streamer’s steamy Regency-era romance that really saw her star soar as new leading lady Kate. Ashley, who unlike Jean-Page will be reprising her role for Season 3, also has an undisclosed role in the Disney live-action The little Mermaid coming soon, as she appears to be social media’s top pick to play the lead role in Gurinder Chadha’s recently announced Disney musical about a real-life Indian princess.

While these two Britons were known before (James for roles in the Divergent series) and Sharpe more recently for his directing (including HBO’s Landscapers), it was the second portion of HBO The White Lotus which made them turn (a lot of) heads. Playing wealthy wives in an awkward and sexually charged holiday quartet, their antics — and whether or not Sharpe’s quietly simmering Ethan would finally break out — kept fans guessing until the finale.

Jenny the donkey, actress (The Banshees of Inisherin)

It’s not easy to steal almost every scene from under the noses of Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon, especially when you have no acting experience and are barely 3 feet tall. But that’s exactly what Jenny the Miniature Donkey achieved in The Banshees of Inisherin, the beautifully sad Irish black comedy from Martin McDonagh. Expect screams galore if the momentum of Banshees awards season builds, especially from on-screen BFF Jenny Farrell. Unfortunately, casting directors looking to cash in on the four-legged escape’s growing fanbase might be disappointed to learn that McDonagh sabotaged their plans, having paid for Jenny to retire early.