'The Hurler: A Campion's Tale' directed by and starring Waterford's Tony Kelly has been longlisted for 8 Irish Film and Television Academy Awards.
This comedy film follows the story of Gar Campion. Played by Kelly, Campion is a hurler whose off-pitch behaviour makes him as infamous as his on-pitch performance.
With his influencer girlfriend Keeva, Gar enjoys life to the fullest by partying hard with little regard for the people around him.
His world comes crashing down after he fails a drug test and is subsequently both dropped from his team and banned from the sport.
He is then advised by his coach and mentor (Jon Kenny) to regain public favour by coaching Ireland’s worst team.
Realising the disdain the public now has for him and being replaced on his team by a rugby player, Gar heads to Waterford to become a coach.
Once there he runs into Ruby (Elva Trill), his girlfriend from when they were young whom he still has a soft spot for.
With the monumental challenge of getting the team into shape and catching up with Ruby, Gar finds himself swept quickly into his new lifestyle.
The film has been nominated for eight awards across six categories:
- Best Film
- Director - Tony Kelly
- Screenplay - Tony Kelly
- Lead Actor - Tony Kelly
- Lead Actress - Elva Trill
- Supporting Actor - Sophie Vavasseur, Jon Kenny, John Morton.
In a statement on social media, a delighted Tony Kelly said:
"Hugely exciting to announce that our little film, The Hurler, has been Long Listed for 8 IFTAs for the 2024 edition of the awards. To even get this far is mind blowing. A 10+ year journey, finally being released across 25 screens on general release, a 6 week cinema run, it’s about to be released in all English speaking countries on streaming services in 2024, all done completely independently and, quite frankly, on a shoestring budget."
"I (and all of us) realise what a long shot it is to get off the long list and into the nominations but, like everything else on this journey, we have to try. If you’re an IFTA member, we’d all love you to give this film a watch and consider us when you’re voting."
