Irish animated short Coda makes last 10 for Oscar nominations

An Irish animation short has been shortlisted for an Oscar nomination which will be announced in January.

Coda, directed by Alan Holly, has already picked up a slew of awards including best animated short film at SXSW and the prize for the most creative short film at the Edinburgh Short Film Festival.

It is now the final 10 animated shorts from a long list of 38 and could be part of the five final which will go forward to the Oscars.

The nine minute film tells the story of a lost soul who stumbles drunkenly through Dublin city. In a park, death finds him and shows him many things.

The film stars the voices of Brian Gleeson (Standby) and Orla Fitzgerald (The Guarantee).

Director Alan Holly said reaching the final 10 shortlist was “wonderful” coming after other international recognition.

He added: “In many ways Coda is quite an Irish story, and yet there are also a lot of very universal elements to the film as well, which I think international audiences really relate to. And then of course there are parts that are quite personal to me too, so yes, I really happy to see the film take off internationally.”

Coda is partially funded by the Irish Film Board. Chief executive James Hickey said the success of the film is down to the two years of "painstaking work by a small team of dedicated animation artists.

"I really want to take this opportunity to congratulate Alan and the team behind this film for getting this far in the race for an Academy Award nomination."

The last Irish animated short to get an Oscar nomination was Brown Bag for their popular film Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty.