Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan and David Holmes have been honoured at a Hollywood celebration of Irish writing in film.
Film stars, writers and studio executives paid tribute to the three Irishmen at an event called "Oscars Wilde: Honouring Irish Writing in Film." It was hosted by the US-Ireland Alliance at the Ebell, a 75,000 sq ft Italian Renaissance-type building in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Jodie Foster, Anjelica Huston and Adrian Dunbar were among those attending.
Foster said that it was "a cruel and unjust world" in which Neil Jordan's Breakfast on Pluto "is not this year's Oscar favourite". Foster, who is working on Jordan's coming movie The Brave One, recalled growing up in Los Angeles with her Irish mother "who every St Patrick's Day would boil up a bunch of cabbage which no one ate, dance around the kitchen and then go out to the local pub and get smashed".
Anjelica Huston, who presented Jim Sheridan with his award, recalled how he had arrived in the United States illegally and had gone on to become "one of the most respected writers and directors of his time". She said his children had told her they thought "he preferred the actor children who portrayed them in the autobiographical film In America to them, because he could get them to do what he wanted, unlike his own children".
Adrian Dunbar presented the "Oscars Wilde" award to Belfast man David Holmes who wrote the musical score for several Steven Soderbergh films.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin greeted the party guests, who included actors Terrence Howard, Daryl Hannah, Colm Meaney and Fionnuala Flanagan. Irish guests included playwright Martin McDonagh, whose film Six Shooter has been nominated for an Academy award, Samantha Mumba, Damien Rice and Keith Duffy.
The US-Ireland Alliance is a non-profit organisation dedicated to educating Americans about contemporary Ireland and to strengthening the relationship between the two countries. Its president, Trina Vargo, said the Hollywood celebration will be an annual event to honour the craft of writing and expand ties between the entertainment industries in the US and Ireland.
Ruadhraí Conroy, one of the actors in Six Shooter, was not allowed into the US this week. He was detained by immigration officials for 20 hours before being put on a plane back to Ireland. A spokesman for the Irish consul in San Francisco confirmed that they were providing assistance to the actor, but refused to say what the issue was which prevented him from entering the US.