Last night the 2020 edition of the Irish Film and Television Awards took place. Some of the best Irish films in recent years and a number of exciting talents making waves at home and abroad were celebrated on an online evening affirming Ireland’s prominent place in the international film industry.
With this year’s edition of the IFTA session taking place online, a range of prominent international guests were on hand to present winners with their awards. The big winners in the film categories were Ordinary Love which won Best Film 2020 as awarded by director Martin Scorsese, along with Black ‘47, to which he announced the award for Best Film 2019.
Rising international stars Jessie Buckley, Andrew Scott and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor all received various acting accolades, while Aisling Franciosi won the Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland Rising Star Award for her standout performance in The Nightingale.
You can check out the full list of winners from last night below:
The full list of winners:
Winners of the IFTA Film & Drama Awards 2020
BEST FILM 2020 BEST FILM 2019
Ordinary Love Black ‘47
DIRECTOR FILM
Paddy Breathnach – Rosie
SCRIPTWRITER FILM
Mark O’Halloran – Rialto
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE – FILM
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor – Rialto
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE – FILM
Jessie Buckley – Wild Rose
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – FILM
David Wilmot – Ordinary Love
ACTRESS SUPPORTING ROLE – FILM
Niamh Algar – Calm with Horses
GEORGE MORRISON FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid
IRISH FILM BOARD RISING STAR
Aisling Franciosi
SHORT FILM – LIVE ACTION
Welcome to a Bright White Limbo
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
The Dream Report
DRAMA
Blood
DIRECTOR – DRAMA
Dearbhla Walsh – The Handmaid’s Tale
SCRIPTWRITER – DRAMA
Mark O’Rowe – Temple
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE – DRAMA
Andrew Scott – Black Mirror: Smithereens
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE – DRAMA
Niamh Algar – The Virtues
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – DRAMA
Mark O’Halloran – The Virtues
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – DRAMA
Jessie Buckley – Chernobyl
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Piers McGrail – Never Grow Old
COSTUME DESIGN
Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh – The Rhythm Section
EDITING
Mick Mahon – Gaza
MAKEUP & HAIR
Liz Byrne & Linda Gannon – Black ‘47
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Kíla – Arracht
PRODUCTION DESIGN
John Leslie – Never Grow Old
SOUND
Brendan Rehill, Alan Scully & Peter Blayney – Arracht
VFX Ed Bruce & Nicholas Murphy – We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The evening spoke to the quality available in Irish film at a time of great uncertainty for the industry and beyond. Describing the exceptional circumstances, Scorsese used his special appearance to provide words of praise for Irish storytelling:
“Little did we know what strange times lay ahead that we are witnessing now, and it appears to me that we are all having to reinvent cinema now, and that’s a good thing, it is. Because now, more than ever, we need the moving image. We need vision, creativity and storytelling that takes us on a journey and opens us, enlightens us, opens our hearts and our minds, and there’s something about Ireland and Irish storytelling that is universal that connects with everyone in the world. John Ford knew that, and I know that”