Once is a 2007 Irish romantic musical drama film written and directed by John Carney. The film centers on two struggling musicians in Dublin portrayed by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who had previously collaborated musically as The Swell Season. Both leads composed and performed the film's original music. Made on a modest budget of approximately €112,000, the film became a commercial and critical success. It achieved significant per-screen box office performance in the United States and won widespread acclaim from reviewers. The film received the 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film, while Hansard and Irglová's song Falling Slowly captured the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song.