And the award goes to...
The 22nd anniversary of the IFTA Awards was a star-studded affair with host Kevin McGahern at the helm at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre on Friday.
The night celebrates the very best of Irish talent in the film and TV sector across 29 categories in Film and Drama - and the following stars took home the gold.
Small Things Like These won the top award for Best Film, while Cillian Murphy, who won the Oscar for Best Actor last year, also took home the award for Actor in a Lead Role for his performance in the film, on which he was also a producer. Enda Walsh won Best Screenplay for adapting Claire Keegan’s acclaimed book.
Cillian Murphy receives the award for Actor in a Lead Role for Small Things Like These at Friday's IFTA Awards 2025, presented to him by Ruth Negga#IFTA @BigThingsFilms_ pic.twitter.com/ggGHcamzf6
— Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) (@IFTA) February 16, 2025
Saoirse Ronan was a big winner, taking home two awards for Actress in a Lead Role and Actress in a Supporting Role for her roles in The Outrun and Blitz, respectively.
Saoirse Ronan received the award for Supporting Actress in a Film for her performance in Blitz at Friday’s IFTA Awards 2025, presented to her by Andrew Scott#IFTA @AppleTV pic.twitter.com/GXMz0ftuP0
— Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) (@IFTA) February 17, 2025
Irish language hit Kneecap was a big winner across categories including Best Director for filmmaker Rich Peppiatt; as well as Costume Design; Editing and the award for Casting, which was presented to Carla Stronge, in the first year of the awards celebrating Irish Casting Directors.
Iconic Irish actor Colm Meaney was presented with the Irish Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, for his outstanding contribution to the Irish and international screen industry, across both film and television.
Anthony Boyle, breakout star of Say Nothing and Masters of the Air, was announced as the 2025 Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland IFTA Rising Star.
On the Drama side, Bad Sisters was a big winner, taking home Best Drama, Director Drama for Dearbhla Walsh, and Script Drama for creator and star Sharon Horgan.
Sharon Horgan accepts the Best Drama award alongside the Bad Sisters cast at Friday’s IFTA Awards 2025, presented by Caitriona Balfe.#IFTA @AppleTV @HelloMerman pic.twitter.com/guccfKO7v1
— Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) (@IFTA) February 17, 2025
Say Nothing also won a number of key awards, including Actress in a Lead Role for Lola Petticrew, Actress in a Supporting Role for Hazel Doupe, and Actor in a Supporting Role for Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.
Colin Farrell picked up Actor in a Leading Role (Drama) for his performance in Batman spin-off series The Penguin.
Actor in a Supporting Role (Film) was awarded to Brían F. O’Byrne for his performance in Vatican-set drama Conclave.
Conclave also won two International awards, for International Film and International Actor for Ralph Fiennes. Meanwhile, International Actress went to Demi Moore in The Substance.
The George Morrison Feature Documentary Award went to The Flats, with Best Cinematography awarded to Robbie Ryan for his work on Bird.
Best Live Action Short Film was awarded to Clodagh, while Dembaya won Best Animated Short.
Ed Bruce and Andrew Barry won VFX for Shōgun, with Sandra Kelly and Tom McInerney winning Hair & Makeup for their work on Irish-produced film The Apprentice about the early career of Donald Trump.
It was a big night for horror, with the award for Original Music going to Die Hexen for Fréwaka, while Susie Cullen won in the Production Design category for Abigail; and Aza Hand and Hugo Parvery won Sound for Oddity.
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