Oscars: Branagh and Hinds to attend after Covid all-clear

LISA O'CONNOR/GETTY IMAGES Kenneth Branagh and Ciarán HindsLISA O'CONNOR/GETTY IMAGES
Kenneth Branagh and Ciarán Hinds are due to attend the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday

Sir Kenneth Branagh is out of Covid isolation and will attend Sunday night's 94th Academy Awards.

Ciarán Hinds, who is nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, will also go to the ceremony.

There had been concerns that they would be unable to attend after both testing positive for Covid earlier in March.

Belfast has seven Oscar nominations in total, including two for Branagh in the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay categories.

Those nominations mean he has become the first person to be shortlisted in seven different categories throughout his career.

Dame Judi Dench is nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Sir Van Morrison's Down to Joy is up for Best Song.

The film is also nominated for Best Sound and the biggest prize of the night, Best Picture.

Another contender for Best Picture, the western film The Power of the Dog, has 12 nominations in total, while Apple TV's Coda is another strong contender for the prestigious award.

After three years without a host, a trio of female comic actors - Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes - will take the reins at the ceremony this year.