Sharon Horgan has said the success of Irish talent throughout the 2023 awards season is "unsurprising" and that she hopes it will mean "more punts" are taken on Ireland's film industry.
Speaking at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, the Irish star and writer-director said the island had historically produced "incredible acting talent", but that more focus is needed on its achievements.
Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin has led the charge this year, scooping either awards or nominations at all the major ceremonies, including the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.
It is also nominated for nine Oscars at the 95th annual ceremony on 12 March.
Irish Oscar nominee Paul Mescal has also won plaudits for his performance in the independent film Aftersun, in which he plays a father struggling to connect with his daughter.
At Saturday evening's Film Independent Spirit Awards, Bad Sisters star Horgan reflected on Irish success over the past months.
"It's nuts, isn't it? I'm a long-term fan of Kerry Condon, obviously Brendan (Gleeson) and Colin (Farrell) and Paul (Mescal) - it's bonkers," she told the PA news agency.
"But it's unsurprising because I do think the Irish have always produced incredible acting talent historically. It's a small island and it just needed a bit of focus on it.
"Everything sort of came along at the one time.
"But it was exciting because of that because when Bad Sisters came out, it was right about the time that Banshees (came out) and I was just delighted to bask in whatever was going on with them."
Asked how the ongoing success would affect Irish talent, she said: "It will affect the film industry because more punts will be taken and a lot of great films will come out of Ireland - so maybe bigger distributors will get on board.
"You have to ride those waves, don't you? Who knows what will happen? But it can only get better. All the talent is there."
Mescal also received a nod at the Spirit Awards in the gender-neutral category of Best Lead Performance, alongside fellow Oscar nominees Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh.
Source: Press Association
