It's Hollywood's big weekend, with the Oscars taking place on Sunday. Last night, as is now customary, movie stars and producers took to the Green Carpet at the Oscar Wilde Awards, an event honouring the Irish in Hollywood in aid of the US Ireland Alliance and its scholarship fund.
But Hollywood itself is an unsettled place this year, following the fires that ravaged Los Angeles last month, and the return to office of President Donald Trump who dislikes much of the movie industry. The atmosphere is markedly more subdued - restrained even - than usual.
The fact that the day started with the news of the unusual circumstances of the death of Gene Hackman and his wife further contributed to the sense of strangeness in Tinseltown this year.
The wild fires didn't damage the main studios or technical facilities that supply the cinemas, streamers and broadcasters with entertainment products year round. They did cost a lot of people who work in the industry their homes: the stars - yes, some. But much more so the workers - craftspeople, technicians, musicians, riggers - the ordinary people who make the extraordinary happen. They were among the thousands who lost their homes and are living in hotels and temporary accommodation.
Some thought was given to canceling the Oscars - but that would only have brought more hardship to people who rely on the Academy Awards to make a good chunk of their annual income - from the creatives who design the show to the taxi and limo drivers who move people around for it, to the caterers who feed the attendees - and the guests at the after parties.
So the show goes on. And the first act - at least from an Irish perspective, is the Oscar Wildes, now in its 20th year.
Honoured on the night were powerhouse producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and actors John C. Reilly and Éanna Hardwicke. Their awards were presented by Reilly’s friend and occasional co-star Will Ferrell, Talent Agent Hylda Queally, and film producer Macdara Kelleher.
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Kelleher, a founder of Wild Atlantic Pictures presented the Wilde Card Award to Éanna Hardwicke. Kelleher produced the upcoming film Saipan in which Hardwicke plays soccer legend Roy Keane.
Kelleher described Hardwicke as a brilliant and fearless actor. Hardwicke addressed Reilly and Ferrell from the stage, noting that he grew up watching them in Step Brothers, and joked that quoting the movie was how he and his brother communicated with each other.
Hardwicke said he’d coveted the Wilde Card award for a very long time, noting that he was honoured to be in the company of others who’d receive the award like Saoirse Ronan, Eve Houston, and Barry Keoghan.
Last week he wrapped up shooting on a movie about the Northern Bank robbery, and will soon appear on the New York stage in a production of The Cherry Orchard.
In presenting to Kathleen Kennedy, talent agent Hylda Queally recounted how they first met in 1989, when Queally had just arrived from Ireland.
She said there was a booklet called the Hollywood Directory, it was the who's who of everyone in Hollywood: "I figured it might be a really good idea to scan it, come up with someone with an Irish name, preferably a woman, and then decide that person was going to create the map for me to navigate Hollywood. And look who I happened to find."
Queally noted that: "Kathy is a producer who for over four decades has made extraordinary contributions to storytelling, shaping the way we experience film.
"She has produced some of the most iconic and beloved stories of our time, producing or executive producing more than 70 feature films, which collectively have garnered 120 Academy Award nominations."
Kathy Kennedy spoke of her many connections from filming Star Wars with J.J. Abrams in An Daingean (Dingle) and on Sceilg Mhichíl, to collaborating with Daniel Day Lewis on Lincoln, and she said "working with Liam Neeson on Schindler's List was a highlight of my career".
Referencing Oscar Wilde's founder Trina Vargo’s previous work as Senator Ted Kennedy’s adviser, Kennedy said that "around the same time Trina was helping bring Gerry Adams to Washington, I worked with Jim Sheridan and Terry George on a project that unfortunately never made it to the screen.
"But the friendships that came from that collaboration are ones I've always treasured. Whether a movie is made or not, the experience is always an education.
"Before working with Jim and Terry, I knew little about the Troubles and Ireland's complex history. They gave me a perspective that stayed with me ever since."
She also spoke of the history of Irish animation and said she would soon embark on a project with Cartoon Saloon.
In closing she noted that there is "something about the Irish spirit. It's the resilience, creativity, and love of storytelling that has left a lasting impression on me. So tonight, let's celebrate the power of collaboration, the friendships we continue to build, and the incredible contributions of Irish artists, filmmakers, and visionaries.
"The stories we tell matter and the connections we make will shape the future of storytelling in ways we can't yet imagine."
Kennedy introduced her husband and accomplished producer and director Frank Marshall, now an honourary Irishman. Marshall recounted the saying that "if you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough".
Will Ferrell presented the Oscar Wilde Award to John C. Reilly, saying that "all the gifts that historically have come out of Irish society radiate from John".
He spoke of Reilly’s incredible body of work including Boogie Nights, Magnolia, The Aviator, Chicago and The Hours.
He also spoke of their years of working together, and joked about their near misses of working together, such as when John did The Gangs of New York instead of Anchorman.
In an emotional and moving acceptance speech, Reilly spoke of his love of Ireland and growing up in the very Irish south side of Chicago and his connections to Ireland saying that "while you give me this award tonight, you've already given me so much".
He spoke of how much he’s learned from the Irish, and "what really stands out to me at this moment is their love of democracy and their common decency… Someone more eloquent than me once said, a nation's greatness is measured by the care they give to the most vulnerable. That's how you make a country great. You put your beliefs to work. That's what the Irish do."
Speaking of Oscar Wilde and his vulnerability saying that "those in power who were not confident enough to trust the truth of love sought to destroy him. Oscar dying penniless in a cheap French hotel may make it appear to some that the establishment succeeded in destroying him.
"But his work lives on and tells another story of resilience, survival and brilliance. It lives on and it continues to inspire us... And I doubt anyone today is receiving an award named after one of those who tried to break him."
Also attending the event were Northern Ireland editor, Nick Emerson, who is nominated for an Academy Award this weekend in the category of Best Film Editing for Conclave.
Also present were Irish producers of the film The Apprentice, Ruth Treacy and Julianne Ford, of Tailored Films.
The film - the story of young Donald Trump’s association with the notorious New York lawyer Roy Cohn - had Screen Ireland support.
Sebastian Stan - who plays Trump - has been nominated for Best Actor, while Jeremy Strong - who plays Cohn - has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Screen Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen execs Desiree Finnegan, Andrew Reid, and Steven Davenport were seen speaking with a number of film executives in the room about opportunities for production on the island.
Vargo said that the event was the catalyst for director JJ Abrams filming Star Wars on Sceilg Mhichíl in Ireland, with the obvious support of Lucasfilm President Kathy Kennedy.
Referring to plans for an upcoming Star Wars film focused on the Daisy Ridley character, Vargo said: "We’re all hoping that Rey will have to return to the planet Ahch-To."
Kathleen Kennedy said she loved staying in Dingle for the Star Wars shoot on the Skelligs - particularly the fresh fish every evening.
Irish singers Lenii and Eiza Murphy performed after the speeches. Among those on hand to hear them were several Disney Music Group execs. Also present were the writers of the Disney/FX series Say Nothing - Joshua Zetumer, Kirsten Sheridan and Clare Barron. Based on New York Times writer Patrick Radden Keeffe's book of the same name, the drama explores the lives of the Price Sisters, Gerry Adams and Jean McConville.
Among those hitting the green carpet were former Oscar Wilde Award honourees Richie Baneham (double Academy Award winner for the Avatar films) and Sarah Bolger. Frankie Shaw, just back from Ireland, having directed Liam Neeson in 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank was there, as were Thaddea Graham of Bad Sisters, Eoin Macken, Matt Walsh, Aisha Tyler & Emmett Hughes, Kevin Ryan, Alice Eve, Samantha Mumba, Nick McCarthy, and Glen Keogh.
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