One of the team behind Poor Things has said the Irish presence at the BAFTAs last night was 'striking'.
Cillian Murphy made history after becoming the first Irish born man to win Best Actor at the UK awards for his role in Oppenheimer.
Poor Things, produced by Irish company Element Pictures, took home five wins: Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects and Best Hair and Makeup.
Element Pictures Co-CEO Andrew Lowe told Lunchtime Live there was a lot to celebrate.
"It was a late night, alright," he said.
"We were the second-most nominated film, we had 11 nominations, but we were definitely hopeful that we'd feature in a couple of categories.
"Five is amazing and incredible and in particular Emma Stone winning Best Actress was particularly meaningful for us all.
"Her performance was so extraordinary in the film it just felt apt that she got recognised".
Your Leading Actress winner is Emma Stone! #EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/Gyk48SQXrZ
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 18, 2024
Mr Lowe said Ireland was well represented last night.
"It was so great that Cillian [Murphy] won, and so deservedly so and we were all so proud of him," he said.
"It was really striking in the room; Earth Mama won the Debut Award and that's produced by two Irish producers.
"Paul [Mescal] and Barry [Keoghan] were nominated, Alison Oliver was there presenting, Daryl McCormack was there presenting, Andrew Scott was there.
"So, it really felt like a strong Irish presence... it's such a deep talent pool now in Ireland which is great to see."
'It takes time'
Mr Lowe said he believes the film industry here is finally catching up with larger players.
"I started working in the industry in the 1990s and at that stage it was really only starting," he said.
"You'd had Neil Jordan's The Crying Game success and Jim Sheridan with My Left Foot.
"At that stage the US had an 80 year film history, as had the UK, so it takes time to build it up and I think we are now seeing the benefit of that.
"Significant State investment between Screen Ireland and the tax incentive it has helped create this amazing pool of talent," he added.
Poor Things tells the story of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by unorthodox scientist Dr Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe).
Eager to learn she runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents.
Poor Things scored 11 Academy Award nominations this year, including Best Picture.
