Nothing Compares (film)

Nothing Compares is a 2022 documentary feature film, directed by Kathryn Ferguson. It looks at the life and legacy of Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, focusing on the years 1987–1993.

Nothing Compares
Directed by	Kathryn Ferguson
Written by	Eleanor Emptage, Kathryn Ferguson, Michael Mallie
Produced by	Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie
Cinematography	Luke Jacobs
Edited by	Mick Mahon
Music by	Irene Buckley, Linda Buckley
Distributed by	Showtime Documentary Films Paramount Pictures^[1]
Release date	21 January 2022 (2022-01-21) (SFF)
Running time	97 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom Ireland
Language	English

The film had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on 21 January 2022, after which it was acquired by Showtime Documentary Films.^[2] The film was theatrically released in the UK and Ireland by Paramount International on 7 October 2022.^[1]

Synopsis

Nothing Compares is the story of Sinéad O'Connor's phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and how her iconoclastic personality resulted in her exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on her prophetic words and deeds from 1987–1993, the film reflects on the legacy of this fearless trailblazer through a contemporary feminist lens.

Production

The film is a UK and Ireland co-production, produced by Eleanor Emptage and Michael Mallie, and made with support from Field of Vision, Screen Ireland, BFI Doc Society Fund, Northern Ireland Screen and ie:entertainment.

Release

Nothing Compares had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on 21 January 2022 in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. It toured the festival circuit picking up multiple awards, including Best Documentary Feature at the 2022 Galway Film Fleadh.^[3] On 1 February 2022, Showtime Documentary Films announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to Nothing Compares.^[2] The film premiered on Showtime on 30 September 2022.^[4] It was released in theatres in the UK and Ireland on 7 October 2022.^[1]

Reception

Critical response

Nothing Compares received positive reviews from film critics in the US, the UK and Ireland. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 99% approval rating based on reviews from 83 critics. The website's critical consensus reads: "A moving look at Sinéad O'Connor's remarkable life and career, Nothing Compares is enriching viewing whether or not you're a fan of her work."^[5]

The Guardian's film critic Peter Bradshaw gave it 4/5 stars, describing it as "a bracing guide to a brilliant individual who declined to conform."^[6] The Telegraph's Chief Music Critic Neil McCormack gave it 5/5 stars, describing it as "the most potent film about the travails of a woman in the pop industry since Asif Kapadia's 2016 Oscar-winning Amy".^[7]

Accolades

On 4 December 2022, Nothing Compares received two British Independent Film Awards: Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary for Kathryn Ferguson, and Best Documentary.^[8] In May 2023, it won the George Morrison Feature Documentary Award at the 19th Irish Film & Television Awards.^[9]

Award	Date of Ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Reference
Sundance Film Festival	30 January 2022	World Cinema Documentary Competition	Nothing Compares	Nominated	^[10]
Dock of the Bay	7 May 2022	Feature Film Audience Prize	Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie	Won	^[11]
Millennium Docs Against Gravity	19 May 2022	The Chopin's Nose Award	Kathryn Ferguson	Won	^[12]
Doc Edge Film Festival	22 June 2022	Thank You for the Music	Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie	Won	^[13]
Galway Film Fleadh	10 July 2022	Best Irish Documentary		Won	^[3]
Docs Ireland	11 July 2022	Audience Award - Best Documentary		Won	^[14]
Aegean Film Festival	16 July 2022			Won	^[8]
Jecheon International Music and Film Festival	16 August 2022	International Competition		Nominated	^[15]
Edinburgh International Film Festival	24 August 2022	The Powell & Pressburger Award for Best Feature Film		Nominated	^[16]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards	13 November 2022	Best Archival Documentary	Nothing Compares	Nominated	^[17]
		Best Music Documentary		Nominated	^[17]
British Independent Film Awards	4 December 2022	Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary	Kathryn Ferguson	Won	^[18]
		British Independent Film Award for Best Documentary	Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie	Won	^[18]
		Best Editing	Mick Mahon	Nominated	^[18]
International Documentary Association Awards	10 December 2022	Best Music Documentary	Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie	Nominated	^[19]
Cinema Eye Honors	13 January 2023	Outstanding Debut	Kathryn Ferguson	Nominated	^[20]
		Audience Choice Prize		Nominated	^[20]
		The Unforgettables (Non-Competitive Honor)	Sinéad O'Connor	Won	^[20]
		Outstanding Original Score	Linda Buckley, Irene Buckley	Nominated	^[20]
Girls on Film Awards	23 February 2023	Best Documentary	Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie	Won	^[21]
British Film Editors Cut Above Awards	24 February 2023	Best Edited British Documentary or Non-Fiction Programme	Mick Mahon	Nominated	^[22]
Producers Guild of America Awards	25 February 2023	Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures	Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie	Nominated	^[23]
Irish Film & Television Awards	7 May 2023	Best Feature Documentary	Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie	Won	^[9]
		Best Original Music	Linda Buckley, Irene Buckley	Nominated	^[24]
		Best Editing	Mick Mahon	Nominated	^[24]
44th News and Documentary Emmy Awards	29 September 2023	Outstanding Direction: Documentary	Kathryn Ferguson	Nominated	^[25]
		Outstanding Writing: Documentary	Kathryn Ferguson, Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie	Nominated	^[25]

References

1. "Showtime and Paramount confirm theatrical release date for Sinead O'Connor documentary Nothing Compares | The Irish Film & Television Network". www.iftn.ie. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
2. Kay2022-02-01T21:19:00+00:00, Jeremy. "Showtime acquires Sinead O'Connor Sundance doc 'Nothing Compares'". Screen. Retrieved 8 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. ciaraod (11 July 2022). "2022 Award Winners Announced". Galway Film Fleadh. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
4. "'Nothing Compares' Trailer: Documentary About Sinéad O'Connor's Life & Career Hits Showtime On September 30". theplaylist.net. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
5. Nothing Compares, retrieved 8 December 2022
6. "Nothing Compares review – the uncompromising talent of Sinéad O'Connor". the Guardian. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
7. McCormick, Neil (22 January 2022). "Nothing Compares, review: powerful, heartening portrait of Sinead O'Connor as a heroic figure". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
8. "Nothing Compares wins Best Feature Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs)". Screen Ireland. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
9. "IFTA Academy | Irish Film & Television Academy | Irish Film & Television Awards". ifta.ie. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
10. "UK Film | UK films at Sundance 2022". www.weareukfilm.com. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
11. diegobesne.com. "Dock Of The Bay 2022. Festival de Cine Documental Musical". www.dockofthebay.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 December 2022.
12. "The winners of the 19th Millennium Docs Against Gravity announced!". archiwum2022.mdag.pl. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
13. "Awards". Documentary Edge. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
14. "Docs Ireland 2022 award winners announced". Docs Ireland. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
15. "제천국제음악영화제". 제천국제음악영화제. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
16. "The Powell & Pressburger Award for Best Feature Film | Edinburgh International Film Festival". www.edfilmfest.org.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
17. "Nominations Unveiled For The Seventh Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Presented by National Geographic Documentary Films – Critics Choice Awards". Retrieved 8 December 2022.
18. "Winners and Nominations · BIFA · British Independent Film Awards". BIFA · British Independent Film Awards. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
19. "IDA Documentary Awards 2022 Nominees". International Documentary Association. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
20. Jones, Marcus (10 November 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'The Territory' Lead 2023 Cinema Eye Honors Nonfiction Film Nominees". IndieWire. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
21. Dalton2023-02-23T20:15:00+00:00, Ben. "'Aftersun', 'The Woman King' lead Girls On Film 2023 awards winners". Screen. Retrieved 7 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
22. "Awards". British Film Editors. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
23. Carey, Matthew (12 December 2022). "PGA Awards Documentary Nominations Bring Shocks And Surprises: 'Nothing Compares' In, 'All The Beauty And The Bloodshed' Out". Deadline. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
24. Yossman, K. J. (7 March 2023). "Irish Film, TV Nominations 2023: 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'Bad Sisters' Lead With Most Nods". Variety. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
25. "The 44th News & Documentary Nominations – The Emmys". theemmys.tv. Retrieved 1 August 2023.

External links

• Nothing Compares at IMDb  
• Nothing Compares at Rotten Tomatoes
• Official trailer