Double Oscar nominee, Paul Mescal has already landed in LA, ahead of the 95^th Academy Awards, which takes place in the Dolby Theatre, on Sunday, March 12. He’s nominated for Best Actor in Aftersun, the debut feature film by Scottish director Charlotte Wells, and Best Supporting Actor for God’s Creatures – which opened Dublin International Film Festival, with Mescal in attendance.

Mescal, one of 14 Irish nominations at this year’s event, attended the Vanity Fair Young Hollywood party last night. His siblings Donnacha and Nell were there to support him, having travelled to LA on board a special Aer Lingus flight taking Irish talent and their families to the awards.

Among those who flew to New York, was actress Catherine Clinch from An Cailín Ciúin, or The Quiet Girl, which is nominated for Best International Feature Film – the first ever Irish language to get an Oscar nomination. Clinch travelled with cast members Carrie Crowley, Andrew Bennett, Michael O’Sullivan, and Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, as well as the film’s director-producer husband-and-wife team Colm Bairéad and Cleona Ní Chrualaoí.

Pearce Cullen, producer of An Irish Goodbye, the Northern Irish short film which is a contender for Best Live Action Short film, also boarded the flight to join his colleagues and actors James Martin and Seamus O’Hara, and directors/producers Ross White and Tom Berkeley.

Arts Minister, Catherine Martin is among the Irish posse who has also flown to Hollywood. She told The Independent, “I’ll be meeting with people from Disney, Sony and Marvel, reminding them of the Government’s absolute commitment to the screen industry in Ireland.”

Bets are already in place as to who will win the coveted Best Actor gong. In this category, alongside Mescal, are Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Austin Butler (Elvis), and Bill Nighy (Living). A favourite to win (12/1, according to Ladbrokes) is Colin Farrell, nominated for his role in the tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin. He has already won a Golden Globe for the role. To celebrate sand artist Sean Corcoran unveiled a sand portrait of Farrell on Keem Bay, Achill, Co Mayo; the beach has become globally recognisable from scenes in the film.

Speaking to the BBC, Farrell says of the film, “Everything’s in there: Loneliness, community, the need for solitude, the need to be part of friendship, what happens to the broken heart when a friendship is dissolved. Faith, abuse, depression, despair, hope.” 

Let’s hope there’s also plenty of credit too. In addition to Best Actor, the film has nine nominations including for Best Director (Martin McDonagh), Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon). At the BAFTAs the film scooped awards for its original screenplay, outstanding British film and best supporting actor for Barry Keoghan.

Irish eyes will also be hoping Frank Berry’s immigration drama Aisha starring Letitia Wright and Josh O’Connor will win some of its ten nominations.

Other Irish nominees include Jessie Buckley for Women Talking, Liam Neeson for Marlowe and Alisha Weir, the lead of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical. (Leeson, by the way, will be in Dublin next week at the Stella Cinema for a special screening of Marlowe).

Not only does the record number of Irish nominations speak volumes about the talent and strength of the film industry, it’s a chance to showcase the country’s fashion credentials too. Hopefully, there will be a strong showing of Irish designers on the red carpet.

It’s been confirmed that Carrie Crowley (who played the foster mum in An Cailín Ciún) will be dressed by Deborah Veale. Crowley wore a stunning asymmetric column dress by Veale at the BAFTAs and may opt for the same silhouette. She will be accessorised with jewellery from Seamus Gill. Jewellery designer Bla?ithi?n Ennis will be accessorising actress Kate Nic Chonaonaigh from An Cailín Ciúin – having provided Paul Costelloe with accessories for his catwalk show at London Fashion Week recently.

Catherine Clinch will wear a dress by Catherine Coyne. Kerry Condon remains tight-lipped about the provenance of her gown. She stunned at the BAFTAs in a custom Armani Privé blush pink gown from the designer’s autumn/winter 2019 couture collection, accessorised with Lorraine Schwartz diamonds. Condon tapped into the trend for archival dresses and may opt for a 1990s-inspired silhouette and vintage item once more. I’d love to see her in Helen Cody, Laura Jayne Halton or Alison Connelly, who all have form when it comes to Oscar dressing, as does Don O’Neill.

As for the men, Mescal may wear his signature look – of a tank top under a double-breasted suit or tuxedo. Colin Farrell has confirmed he’s bringing his teenage son, Henry, to the Oscars and they will be wearing matching velvet suits. Henry is Farrell’s second son, who he shares with Alicja Bachleda-Curu?, his co-star in the 2009 film Ondine.

Plenty of style is guaranteed. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmell, award presenters include Nicole Kidman, Glenn Close, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Salma Hayek Pinault and Florence Pugh. Not forgetting, of course, the nominees for Best Actress and Supporting Actress. This awards season, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh, Michelle Williams and Jamie Lee Curtis have particularly impressed with their sartorial choices – from tailoring to caped creations.

As for entertainment, Lenny Kravitz and Rihanna are among the star turns. Rihanna will be performing Lift Me Up from her album Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Let’s see if she chooses Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson to design her outfit. He dressed her in Loewe for her recent appearance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

One thing is for sure, with a strong Irish contingent taking LA by storm other red carpet guests will be green with envy …

Need to know: We’ll have a full report on the fashion and award winners on Monday, March 13. There will be live coverage of ceremony and red carpet arrivals on RTÉ.

The full list of nominations: 

Best picture

All Quiet on the Western Front

Avatar: The Way of Water

The Banshees of Inisherin

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

Tár

Top Gun: Maverick

Triangle of Sadness

Women Talking

Best director

Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Steven Spielberg – The Fabelmans

Todd Field – Tár

Ruben Östlund – Triangle of Sadness

Actor in a leading role 

Austin Butler – Elvis

Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin

Brendan Fraser – The Whale

Paul Mescal – Aftersun

Bill Nighy – Living

Actress in a leading role 

Cate Blanchett – Tár

Ana de Armas – Blonde

Andrea Riseborough – To Leslie

Michelle Williams – The Fabelmans

Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Actor in a supporting role 

Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin

Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway

Judd Hirsch – The Fabelmans 

Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin

Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Actress in a supporting role 

Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Hong Chau – The Whale

Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin

Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Stephanie Hsu – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best adapted screenplay

All Quiet on the Western Front

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Living

Top Gun: Maverick

Women Talking

Best original screenplay

The Banshees of Inisherin

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

Tár

Triangle of Sadness

Best cinematography 

All Quiet on the Western Front

Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

Elvis

Empire of Light

Tár

Best documentary feature film 

All That Breathes

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Fire of Love

A House Made of Splinters

Navalny

Best documentary short film 

The Elephant Whisperers

Haulout

How Do You Measure a Year?

The Martha Mitchell Effect

Stranger at the Gate

Best film editing

The Banshees of Inisherin – Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Elvis – Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond

Everything Everywhere All at Once – Paul Rogers

Tár – Monika Willi

Top Gun: Maverick – Eddie Hamilton

Best international feature film 

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) 

Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) 

Close (Belgium)

EO (Poland) 

The Quiet Girl (Ireland) 

Best original song 

Applause from Tell It Like a Woman – Diane Warren

Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick – Lady Gaga and BloodPop

Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson

Naatu Naatu from RRR – M.M. Keeravaani and Chandrabose 

This Is a Life from Everything Everywhere All at Once – Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski

Best production design 

All Quiet on the Western Front – Christian M. Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper

Avatar: The Way of Water – Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, Vanessa Cole

Babylon – Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino

Elvis – Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn

The Fabelmans – Rick Carter, Karen O’Hara

Best visual effects

All Quiet on the Western Front – Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar

Avatar: The Way of Water – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett

The Batman – Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick

Top Gun: Maverick – Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

Best animated feature film 

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

The Sea Beast

Turning Red

Best animated short film

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

The Flying Sailor

Ice Merchants

My Year of Dicks

An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It

Best costume design 

Babylon – Mary Zophres

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ruth Carter

Elvis – Catherine Martin

Everything Everywhere All at Once – Shirley Kurata

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris – Jenny Beavan

Best live action short

An Irish Goodbye

Ivalu

Le Pupille

Night Ride

The Red Suitcase

Best makeup and hairstyling 

All Quiet on the Western Front – Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová

The Batman – Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Camille Friend and Joel Harlow

Elvis – Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti

The Whale – Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

Best original score 

All Quiet on the Western Front – Volker Bertelmann

Babylon – Justin Hurwitz

The Banshees of Inisherin – Carter Burwell

Everything Everywhere All at Once – Son Lux

The Fabelmans – John Williams

Best sound

All Quiet on the Western Front – Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte

Avatar: The Way of Water – Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges

The Batman – Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson

Elvis – David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller

Top Gun: Maverick – Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor