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Oscar winners Jessie Buckley and Richard Baneham will ‘inspire next generation’ of Irish storytellers
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Oscar winners Jessie Buckley and Richard Baneham will ‘inspire next generation’ of Irish storytellers

THE achievements of Oscar winners Jessie Buckley and Richard Baneham will 'inspire the next generation of Irish storytellers' a spokesperson for Screen Ireland has said.

Buckley and Baneham both emerged victorious from the 98th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place in Los Angeles on March 15.

Buckley made history by becoming the first Irish woman to scoop the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film Hamnet.

The Kerry native, who hails from Killarney, played William Shakespeare’s wife Agnes in Chloé Zhao’s screen adaptation of Irish author Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 book of the same name.

Jessie Buckley accepts the Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role during the 98th Oscars at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 15

Baneham, who is one of Ireland’s leading visual effects artists took home his third Academy Award for Best Visual Effects over the weekend.

The Dublin native won the gong for his work on Avatar: Fire and Ash.

He previously won the category in 2009 for Avatar and again in 2023 for Avatar: The Way of Water.

The pair were among ten Irish people nominated for gongs in this year’s awards.

“Irish talent and Irish‑produced films earned a remarkable 10 Oscar nominations this year, continuing a decade-long trend of exceptional Irish representation at the world’s most celebrated film awards,” a spokesperson for Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland said as they congratulated the winners and the nominees.

Daniel Barrett, Eric Saindon, Richard Baneham, and Joe Letteri pose backstage with the Oscar for Best Visual Effects

“This year’s Irish nominations spanned major categories including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Animated Short Film and Visual Effects, underscoring the depth of Irish creative and technical talent across the industry,” they added.

Since 2015 Irish people and Irish‑produced films have received more than 50 Oscar nominations,

Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland gave her “heartfelt congratulations” to Buckley, Baneham and to “all the Irish nominees at the 98th Academy Awards”.

“Ireland’s screen sector has grown significantly over the past decade, with sustained support from the Irish Government,” she said.

“The artists and filmmakers nominated this year, across acting, producing, animation and visual effects, reflect the extraordinary talent and artistry that defines the Irish film industry,’ she explained.

“We hope their remarkable work will inspire the next generation and strengthen Ireland’s reputation for storytelling on screen.”

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