Saoirse leads the way at the Iftas
DUBLIN’S Mansion House was alight with talent for the 15th Ifta Film and Drama Awards.
Although Oscar nominated Saoirse Ronan was unable to attend, she was one of the big winners on the night, claiming the gong for the Lead Actress in a Film for ‘Lady Bird’.
John Connors was honoured with the award for Lead Actor in a Film for his work on ‘Cardboard Gangsters’.
Celebrating the best in Irish film and television, the event was hosted by actress Deirdre O’Kane.
President Michael D Higgins presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to actor and director Gabriel Byrne.
Honour
Byrne said it was an honour to receive the recognition, after more than three decades in the film industry.
“I can’t believe that starting off in Dublin with no expectation of anything and just taking one mad courageous journey despite everybody else saying ‘don’t do that, it’s crazy, don’t go to London’.
“And doing that led to that and that and that,” he said.
“And that moment, even though I didn’t know it, when I left Dublin that night, I had no idea that that journey would end in a place like this, in a ceremony like this.”
Many of the female attendees, including Charlie Murphy, Caitriona Balfe, Amy Huberman and host O’Kane, wore black in support of the Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment in Hollywood.
Balfe, who was nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama for ‘Outlander’, told how she hopes the movement carries on for the rest of the award season.
“I thought it would be nice to continue the message throughout the award season and keep the conversation going.
“I think it’s important that we don’t just make this a onenight thing,” she said.
The Monaghan woman (38) got engaged to her boyfriend of two years Tony McGill recently.
She debuted her ring on the Golden Globes red carpet last month.
The couple both have busy work schedules and have yet to make any plans for the ceremony.
“We have went straight back into work.
“I have not had a chance to even think about it yet,” she said.
With a wealth of talent in Ireland, Balfe is hoping to work at home more in the future.
“I’ve never really worked here as an actor so it’s nice to meet everyone in the business.
“The show that I’m on, we shoot in Scotland so I’m there most of the time and then when I’m not I’m back in LA,” she said.
Along with Byrne, some of the other big winners on the night included Barry Keoghan who won for Supporting Actor in a Film for his work in ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’, and Liam Cunningham who was honoured with Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for ‘Game of Thrones’.
Charlie Murphy won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for ‘Peaky Blinders’.
Perhaps hinting at his future success at the Academy Awards this year, Martin McDonagh won Best Film Script for the acclaimed ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’.