As the excitement from Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning film, “Oppenheimer,” continues to resonate, Cillian Murphy has added another honor to his resume. On Saturday night, the Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG award-winning actor added perhaps the final trophy to his impressive collection for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear weapons during World War II. The actor was named best lead actor at the 21st Irish Film and TV Academy Awards (IFTAs), held in Dublin.
Cillian Murphy honed by Irish Academy Award for Best Actor
Cillian Murphy is an incredible actor, and this is a proven fact, as the accolades he has earned to date echo his triumphant cinematic journey. The actor was recently honored with the Best Actor award for his role in Christopher Nolan’s epic biographical thriller film Oppenheimer at the 21st annual Irish Film & Television Awards. The awards ceremony, held at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre and hosted by Baz Ashmawy, celebrated excellence in Irish cinema and television, honoring established talents and emerging stars alike.
While receiving the honor, the famously shy actor said,
“God, I’m still so brutal at this. But being in this room is so special — being at home, with people that I love and admire amongst my fellow nominees and some of my favorite people.” Speaking backstage afterward at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, he added: “It feels lovely being home with so many friends and colleagues.”
The award was presented to Murphy by Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone. She described Murphy’s wins as a “clean sweep”.
While Murphy and Gladstone were perhaps the standout guests at the awards, they weren’t the only big names in attendance. Among the other nominees and presenters were the likes of Sharon Horgan, Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan, Eve Hewson, Kerry Condon, and Alisha Weir, as were Kneecap, the Irish rap band whose comedy biopic was one of the buzziest titles out of Sundance. Additionally, Northern Irish actor Stephen Rea was given IFTA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. While collecting his award presented by Crying Game director Jordan, Rea said, “This is a most prestigious award. If it happened a little later, it could have been a posthumous award.”
Other winners on the night included an adaptation of John McGahern’s novel about passion, war, and migration – That They May Face the Rising Sun took home the top prize for Best Film at the ceremony. Paul Mescal, who was unable to attend the ceremony, was named best supporting actor for All of Us Strangers, while Alison Oliver won best supporting actress for Saltburn. In the TV categories, hit Irish crime drama Kin emerged as the runaway winner, claiming four of the eight awards up for grabs, including best drama.
See the 2024 Irish Film and TV Academy Award winners below:
BEST FILM
- “That They May Face the Rising Sun”
DIRECTOR – FILM
- “Lies We Tell” – Lisa Mulcahy
SCRIPT – FILM
- “Lies We Tell” – Elisabeth Gooch
LEAD ACTOR – FILM
- Cillian Murphy – “Oppenheimer”
LEAD ACTRESS – FILM
- Agnes O’Casey – “Lies We Tell”
SUPPORTING ACTOR – FILM
- Paul Mescal – “All of Us Strangers”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FILM
- Alison Oliver – “Saltburn”
BEST DRAMA
- “Kin”
DIRECTOR – DRAMA
- “Kin” – Kate Dolan
SCRIPT – DRAMA
- “Hidden Assets” – Peter McKenna
LEAD ACTOR – DRAMA
- Éanna Hardwicke – “The Sixth Commandment”
LEAD ACTRESS – DRAMA
- Clare Dunne – “Kin”
SUPPORTING ACTOR – DRAMA
- Richard Dormer – “Blue Lights”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS – DRAMA
- Maria Doyle Kennedy – “Kin”
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
- “Oppenheimer”
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTOR
- Paul Giamatti – “The Holdovers”
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACTRESS
- Emma Stone – “Poor Things”
GEORGE MORRISON FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
- “The Days of Trees”
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
- “Calf”
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
- “Wind & the Shadow”
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- “Poor Things” – Robbie Ryan
COSTUME DESIGN
- “LOLA” – Lara Campbell
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- “A Haunting in Venice” – John Paul Kelly
HAIR & MAKE-UP
- “The Pope’s Exorcist” – Orla Carroll, Lynn Johnston
SOUND
- “Barbie” – Nina Rice
ORIGINAL MUSIC
- “LOLA” – Neil Hannon
EDITING
- “Still: A Michael J Fox Movie” – Michael Harte
VFX
- “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” – Kev Cahill, Ben Snow
SCREEN IRELAND RISING STAR AWARD
- Siobhán Cullen
