Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has congratulated Irish actors Michael Fassbender and Cillian Murphy, who are among 20 actors who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The newest members of AMPAS were announced last Thursday (27th June).
Fassbender and Murphy were nominated to the Academy as they have "distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures." The works of note cited for the invitations to the two Irish actors are '12 Years a Slave' and 'Shame' for Michael Fassbender, and 'The Dark Knight Rises' and 'Inception' for Cillian Murphy.
Congratulating them on their nominations, Minister Deenihan said: "I would like to congratulate Michael Fassbender and Cillian Murphy on their nomination to the Academy. Film is an international business and it is wonderful to see Irish actors doing so well on the world stage.
“The Irish Film industry grew by over 18% last year, and was up 42% on 2011, contributing over €168 million to the Irish economy through job creation and spend on local goods and services and the Government is currently developing incentives to make Ireland an even more competitive location for film internationally. Ireland's reputation in the global industry is of course enhanced by the true talent of our great actors and I am delighted to see both Michael and Cillian receiving the deserved recognition of their peers."
Another significant Irish name to be invited to the Academy was casting director Ros Hubbard. Born in Ranelagh, she has gone on to cast for major Hollywood films including ‘The Mummy’, ‘Evita’, ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’, and most recently, ‘Dracula Untold’. Ros and John Hubbard of Hubbard Casting will shortly be hosting a Casting Masterclass in Galway.
