Love it or hate it, crime drama sure does pay for second year running

No surprises as ‘Love/Hate’ and ‘What Richard Did’ dominate awards

Before it got under way on Saturday night, actor Chris O’Dowd tweeted that the Irish Film and Television Academy (Ifta) awards would be the “annual Love/Hate prize-giving night”, and so it turned out to be once again.

The RTÉ crime drama series, which this season has cemented its reputation as one of the best ever to be screened on Irish television, added another five Iftas to the seven it won last year.

“The novelty hasn’t worn off with Love/Hate,” said best television actress Charlie Murphy when she accepted her award, and that clearly extends to the academy’s judges.

Creator and writer Stuart Carolan texted his mother the word “hat-trick” having won three successive Iftas for the Love/Hate script.

There were no surprises either when the south Dublin drama What Richard Did won five awards including best picture – making it a second successive best picture award for its producers Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe of Element Pictures. Last year they won for The Guard.

Rising star

What Richard Did star Jack Reynor won the best actor award.

The film has already propelled Reynor into the big time. He recently landed the lead role in the blockbuster franchise Transformers directed by the king of popcorn schlock Michael Bay.

“There is not a lot I can say about Transformers at the moment. I would love to talk about it,” he said, but added that Bay would “kill” him if he did.

The event in the Convention Centre Dublin was decidedly light on A-list names, either foreign or domestic, but Reynor’s star is on the rise.

He’s only 21 though, and underlined his youth by thanking his mother for “the freedom to achieve my dreams”, dedicating his award to his five- and six-year-old siblings watching at home.

Reynor lost out in the best newcomer category to Kerry filmmaker Gerard Barrett, who won the award for his debut feature Pilgrim Hill shot with a €4,500 loan from his local credit union in Listowel.

Domhnall Gleeson, the son of Brendan Gleeson, has continued to establish himself as a respected actor in his own right by winning best supporting actor for his performance in Anna Karenina. Oscar-nominated cinematographer Seamus McGarvey also won an Ifta for Anna Karenina.

One small step for an actor

O’Dowd, looking tanned having been in Los Angeles in recent weeks filming the HBO series Family Tree, won an Ifta for his semi-autobiographical drama series Moone Boy which won best entertainment programme.