Irish Abroad: Irish films and filmmakers win 5 awards at 2015 Moët British Independent Film Awards

The 2015 Moët British Independent Film Awards took place in London tonight (Sunday 6 December), with the Irish recording a very successful night. In total there were 5 wins for Irish films made north and south of the border.

Brooklyn star Saoirse Ronan took home the prize for Best Actress for her engaging portrayal of an Irish emigrant to America. Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson accepted two awards on the night, despite winning neither, when he received the award for Best Actor for Tom Hardy in Legend, and Best Supporting Actor on behalf of his father Brendan Gleeson for his role in Suffragette. English actress Olivia Coleman won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Element Pictures Irish co-production The Lobster. Director Lenny Abrahamson, producer Ed Guiney, and star Jacob Tremblay were on hand to accept Best International Film on behalf of Element Pictures Irish/Canadian co-production Room. Northern Irish director Stephen Fingleton won Best Debut Director for his post-apocalyptic drama The Survivalist.

The big winner on the night was Alex Garland and his film Ex Machina, which starred Domhnall Gleeson. Ex Machina won Best British Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Outstanding Achievement in Craft for the Visual Effects of the film. Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance was the surprise winner of Best Documentary, beating out the heavily fancied AmyOrion: The Man Who Would Be King picked up the Discovery Award, with Edmond winning Best British Short.

[quote title=”James Hickey – Irish Film Board, CEO”]It is wonderful to see such films as The Lobster, Brooklyn and Room honoured this evening amongst the very best in independent filmmaking. In what has been a terrific year for Irish film to date, these awards are testament to the wealth of Irish talent and to what can be achieved through international co-productions. Congratulations to all involved.[/quote]

The Lobster, Brooklyn and Room were all supported by Bord Scannán na hÉireann/ the Irish Film Board.

The winners were announced at in a star-studded awards ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London.

All the winners:

Best British Independent Film (Sponsored by Moët & Chandon) – Ex Machina

Best Actor(Sponsored by Movado) – Tom Hardy – Legend

Best Supporting Actor – Brendan GleesonSuffragette

Best Actress (Sponsored by M.A.C Cosmetics) – Saoirse RonanBrooklyn

Best Supporting Actress – Olivia Colman – The Lobster

Best Director – Ex Machina – Alex Garland

Best Documentary – Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance

The Douglas Hickox Award – Debut Director (Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios) – The SurvivalistStephen Fingleton

Best Screenplay (Sponsored by BBC Films) – Ex Machina – Alex Garland

Most Promising Newcomer (Sponsored by The London EDITION) – Nina Forever

Producer of the Year – Paul Katis, Andrew De Lotbiniere – Kajaki: The True Story

Outstanding Achievement in Craft – VFX – Andrew Whitehurst Ex Machina

The Discovery Award (Sponsored by Raindance) – Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

Best British Short – Edmond

Best International Independent Film – Room