Oscar nominee Paul Mescal has said it is "hard to put into words" how exciting the last few weeks have been for him.
Speaking at the opening of the Dublin Film Festival (DIFF) at the Light House cinema, he said that coming home and seeing how well cinema in Ireland is doing is very exciting and hard to sum up.
Ireland has seen a record breaking 14 Oscar nominations this year, and Mescal paid tribute to the acting and production talent in the country, saying the question for the Government and others now is how to capitalise on the talent that is available.
God’s Creatures, starring Paul Mescal and Emily Watson, was the opening film of this year’s DIFF which runs until 4 March.
The actor said he loved working with Emily Watson, who plays his mother in the film, and said he was immensely proud of the movie, which was filmed in Donegal.
A clip of the Kildare man doing an interview with TG4 as Gaeilge on the BAFTA red carpet went viral at the weekend, and he told RTÉ News tonight he’d be very interested in making a film in the Irish language.
"Tá an suim agam, caithfidh mé cleachtadh ach tá an suim agam."
Star of God's Creatures Emily Watson said making the film in rural Donegal had been "powerful and magical".
She praised the Irish cast and crew and said it was really invigorating to be around the young talent, which included the two New York directors Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer.
When asked about the recent success of Irish film, Emily Watson said Ireland has always been a very creative place, but it feels now that there is a generation that are free and not bound by old ideas which is really exciting.
Mescal will be among the guests on Friday's Late Late Show on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player.
