Two of the actors from the Academy Award-winning film An Irish Goodbye were greeted in Belfast upon their return to Northern Ireland.
On Sunday, it earned the award for best live-action short film at a star-studded ceremony.
At their official homecoming celebration, co-director Ross White and actor James Martin met with family and friends while carrying a gold statuette.
Ivan Martin, James’s father, was in attendance and wore a leopard-print blazer to match his son.
As the two Martins embraced, the younger Martin remarked, “We’re like twins.”
An Irish Goodbye was shot on location in Londonderry, Templepatrick, and Saintfield. It is a black comedy about two estranged siblings who reconcile after their mother’s death.
Martin, who portrays Lorcan, stated that it was “amazing” to return home and share his accolades with his loved ones.
Not only a Bafta but also an Oscar, he told.
It has been terrific.
“Winning two awards is a major accomplishment.”
On his 31st birthday, Martin was serenaded by a star-studded audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Also he stated that he intends to transport the statuette to his Belfast Belvoir drama club.
“Where it belongs again”
The journey, according to White, who co-directed and co-wrote the film with Tom Berkeley, was extraordinary.
So he added that the Oscar and Bafta were the culmination of two years of hard labor.
“It’s one thing to have this [Oscar] in Los Angeles, but when you’re driving past Lisburn with it in your vehicle, it feels a little strange.
However, it is now back where it belongs.
