Stars bring red carpet glamour to Irish Film and Television Awards as Cillian Murphy claims best actor gong

Accepting his IFTA Cillian Murphy said: "I'm still so brutal at this!

"There are so many people here I admire... It made me think of being here and being a young actor and getting so much encouragement from so many people... a lot of love and encouragement.

"People call it showbusiness but it feels like a community when it's done well.

"And to my wife, my amazing wife Yvonne McGuinness, for keeping me sane!"

Meanwhile, Alison Oliver scooped the award for best Supporting Actress in a Film for her role in Saltburn, while KIN star Clare Dunne took her third IFTA when she won the award for Lead Actress in a Drama.

Earlier, Eve Hewson has joked that she is “dead inside” as she learns to handle the inevitable rejection that is part and parcel of the film industry.

Speaking on the red carpet, the Bad Sisters actress quipped that she has developed a “heart of stone” and she learns to take knocks.

“I have like a heart of stone at this point. I can’t feel anything anymore,” she quipped. “When I was younger I used to cry my eyes out but now I am just dead. Dead inside.”

Ms Hewson, who was nominated in the best actress category for her role in Flora and Son shared the advice that has sustained her in the industry.

“One good piece of advice I got… it kind of went on for years and years where you get close to a job and then you can get really heartbroken…. someone once said to me that ‘if you are getting close, it’s only a matter of time’ and I think that was really helpful because, you know, sometimes you can feel like you are getting rejected consistently but if you think ‘I am getting a call back or a meeting with the director’ [it means] I might not be perfectly right for this role … [but] if you are getting close it means you are good… and you can take that as a little bit of encouragement to keep going.”

Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone was also in attendance and paid tribute to the special relationship that exists between Ireland and Native Americans.

In 1847, The Choctaw people collected money to send to the starving in Ireland during the Famine.

Speaking on the red carpet, the Oscar nominated actress said the fact that the Choktaw tribe sent money to Ireland during the potato famine “makes absolute sense.”

“I think it’s wonderful. Choktaw, at the time, as a sovereign nation, were also struggling to feed their own. They were experiencing cultural survival through all of it. So there was an immediate recognition with what was going on here.

“And- in our fashion- we take care of each other. It’s a real spirit of generosity. When you have wealth you demonstrate it by showing it and they didn’t have much but what they had, they shared.”

Ms Gladstone said she plans to make a return journey to Ireland to visit a sculpture in Co. Cork that honours the shared history but this weekend she will be taking the DART to the seaside.

“Just a little bit north of the city I hear you get on the line and go up the coast and get some seafood see the sea, spring in the air. I’m going to spend a little bit of time out in the country before I head back to the States.”

Gladstone was among some of the biggest names in Hollywood who turned out for the ceremony, which is being hosted for the first time by Emmy-winning broadcaster Baz Ashmawy.

Also in attendance was Oscar winning actor Cillian Murphy. Famously shy at red carpet events, he slipped inside without taking questions from the press.

Kneecap were also having fun on the red carpet and said they would remain outspoken, despite their fame. Mo Chara said: “There has been an attempt [to silence us] but it falls on deaf ears every time. If anything is successful they let you do what you want. Because the movie won the audience award at Sundance they can’t really say f*** all.”

Meanwhile, Oscar-nominated actor Stephen Rea is being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony for his outstanding contribution to the Irish and international screen industry. On the way into the venue he joked that he is getting “the lifetime bereavement award.”

“I am very proud,” he said, “When I started out in my career IFTA didn’t even exist, but now it does exist… give me the prize!”

The annual awards ceremony welcomes Irish and International guests from around the world for a gathering of industry peers, to mark the incredible achievements of the Irish screen industry, at home and abroad.

Winners

That They May Face The Rising Sun, adapted from John McGahern’s novel about life in rural Ireland, won the top award for Best Film. Directed by Pat Collins, the film is released in Irish cinemas on Friday.

As well as winning best actor for Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy also collected the Best International Film trophy for Christopher Nolan’s epic film.

Another Oscar winner, Neil Jordan presented Stephen Rea with the Irish Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, for his outstanding contribution to the Irish and international screen industry, across both film and television.

Actress Siobhán Cullen was announced as the 2024 Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland Rising Star for her roles in Obituary, The Dry and the upcoming Netflix series Bodkin.

Best Actress in a Film was awarded to first-time winner, Agnes O’Casey, for her role in gothic thriller Lies We Tell, which also took home Best Director Film for Lisa Mulcahy and Best Script Film for Elisabeth Gooch.

KIN was a big winner in the Drama category, taking home Best Drama, Lead Actress in a Drama for Clare Dunne, Supporting Actress in a Drama for Maria Doyle Kennedy, Best Director Drama for Kate Dolan, and Best Script Drama for Peter McKenna.

First-time winner Éanna Hardwicke picked up Actor in a Leading Role - Drama for his chilling performance in The Sixth Commandment, while Richard Dormer won Actor in a Supporting Role - Drama for Northern Irish police thriller Blue Lights.

Actor in a Supporting Role - Film was awarded to Paul Mescal for his performance in All of Us Strangers, with Actress in a Supporting Role - Film awarded to Alison Oliver for Saltburn.

The George Morrison Feature Documentary Award went to The Days of Trees from director Alan Gilsenan and producer Tomás Hardiman, with Best Cinematography awarded to Oscar-nominated Director of Photography Robbie Ryan for his work on Element Pictures production Poor Things.

Best Live Action Short Film was awarded to Calf, while Wind and the Shadow won Best Animated Short.

Best International Actress went to Emma Stone’s Oscar-winning turn in Poor Things, while Best International Actor went to Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers.

The Award for Best Editing went to Michael Harte for his work on feature documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.

Best Hair & Make-Up was awarded to Orla Carroll and Lynn Johnston for The Pope’s Exorcist, with Best Production Design going to John Paul Kelly for his work on Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice.

Best Sound was awarded to Nina Rice for Barbie. Best Original Music was awarded to Neil Hannon, better known as The Divine Comedy, for his work on Andrew Legge’s unique sci-fi fable LOLA, for which Lara Campbell also won Best Costume Design.

Kev Cahill and Ben Snow won Best VFX for fantasy blockbuster Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which was produced in Northern Ireland.

IFTA chief executive Áine Moriarty said: “This year’s Irish Academy Award winners represent the best in Irish filmmaking talent both at home and around the world, and we are delighted to honour them here tonight. From blockbuster leading roles to brilliant animated shorts, this year’s awards categories span the breadth of great Irish film and drama.”

Highlights of the IFTA Awards ceremony will be broadcast on RTÉ2 this Monday, 22 April, at 9.35pm.