Two Oscar Wins for Ireland - Irish Films Take Home Best Leading Actress and Best Short Film
Congratulations to Irish short filmmaker Benjamin Cleary on winning the Academy Award for Best Short Film for Stutterer and Actress Brie Larson who picked up the Academy Award for Actress in a Leading Role for her stunning performance in the Irish Film ROOM, directed by Lenny Abrahamson, produced by Element Pictures and supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board.
Commenting on the win, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board Chief Executive James Hickey said:
"Congratulations to Benjamin Cleary and Brie Larson on winning these prestigious awards.
This award for Benjamin emphasises that the next generation of Irish filmmaking is in very good shape. Ireland has a very strong history in this category with ten short film nominations and one win since 2002, eight films of which were funded by the Irish Film Board.
Brie's much deserved win is a credit to Lenny Abrahamson and the entire team behind the Irish film ROOM produced by Element Pictures, which has become an international hit. I'm particularly proud of the fact that two out of the five nominees in the Best Actress category were for roles in Irish films."
An unprecedented nine Irish nominations- seven of which are Irish Film Board supported - featured in the event, which was watched by an estimated 950 million worldwide and will be televised on Irish TV tonight.
"The nine Irish Oscar nominees associated with Ireland and Irish film are all world-class players who have been recognised for their talent at the most prestigious of film awards. Behind each nomination is a team of talent who should be justifiably proud, irrespective of the final outcome at the Awards," said James Hickey.
"Last night's Oscars was a momentous milestone for the Irish film sector and we are all very proud of what the nominees have achieved. They are wonderful ambassadors for Irish creative talent and innovation. The excitement around Irish creative talent in Los Angeles in the past week has been fantastic. The success of Irish talent at this year's award season - starting in Cannes last year and bringing us all the way to the Oscars has put a focus on Irish creative talent.
"The international recognition is also a ‘win' for Ireland, with the spotlight firmly on Irish creative talent as a result of all the nominations for Irish talent. Leading film publications in the USA are profiling Ireland ahead of the Oscars, including Variety, which hailed Ireland as a ‘Capital of filmmaking."
Speaking on Larson's win, ROOM producer Ed Guiney of Element Pictures said: “We are so pleased for Brie and proud of her achievement. It is testimony to Lenny's talent as a director and Emma's as writer that ROOM has being so well received critically, performed so well at the box office and now pulled off this incredible coup of four Oscar nominations and one Oscar win for Brie."
The role of the Irish Film Board is to support the development and production of Irish film, television drama, documentary and animation. Given the sustained long-term investment that has contributed to the success of Irish creative talent in this year's Academy Awards, the Irish Film Board is calling on the Government to fully restore its funding. It is currently 40% less than in 2008.
Benjamin Cleary also wrote the IFB funded animated short film "The Great Fall".
Irish nominees in the 88th Academy Awards® were follows:
Best Picture: Room, Brooklyn
Best Director: Lenny Abrahamson (Room)
Best Screenwriter: Emma Donoghue (Room) Nick Hornby (Brooklyn)
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) and Brie Larson (Room)
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)
Best Short Film (Live Action): Stutterer, Ben Cleary
About 'ROOM'
Room was directed by Lenny Abrahamson. Element Pictures' Ed Guiney produced the film with David Gross. Executive producers are Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures and Jeff Arkuss and Jesse Shapira for No Trace Camping. Emma Donoghue, Rose Garnett (Film 4), Tessa Ross (Film 4), and David Kosse (Film 4) also serve as executive producers. Room is an Element Pictures and No Trace Camping production, in association with Film4, Telefilm Canada, and Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board. A24 distribute Room in the US, and Elevation Pictures is distributing the film in Canada. UTA handled the domestic sale of Room and FilmNation Entertainment handled international sales. Room will be on release in Irish cinemas in January 2016.