THE directors of the Bafta winning short film An Irish Goodbye have said their feet have yet to touch the ground after rubbing shoulders with Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg.
Set in rural Northern Ireland, the film tells the story of two estranged brothers brought together by their mother’s death.
Accepting the award for Best British Short Film, directors Ross White and Tom Berkley made sure to thank their mothers.
"Short films are often described as a labour of love, typically with the emphasis on the labour part,” said Mr White.
"But with this film it was very much on the love part. This award will serve as a constant reminder of the small but mighty cast and crew who gathered together on a farm in rural Northern Ireland for five days to help us tell this story."
Mr Berkley joked: "To all the casting directors out there, please don't give these lads any more work, we'd like exclusive access to them for the rest of their careers.
"This is a film about two lads' love for their mum, so I think if we forgot to ask our mums then there might not be any tea on the table tomorrow night."
Speaking afterwards, the duo delighted in the head spinning experience of meeting their cinematic idols.
"These are just silly rooms to be a part of, these are the people you've looked up to your whole life as a film maker,” Mr White said.
"To be rubbing shoulders. We were at this luncheon at the Oscars, we met Steven Spielberg, we met Tom Cruise.
"I wouldn't say we spoke to Tom Cruise, I would say Tom Cruise spoke to us...it's been very surreal, we're slowly acclimatising."
On meeting Spielberg, Mr Berkley added: "He's Mr Cinema isn't he? When he was our age he was making Jaws."
It’s a feeling the team will need to get used to as they have also been nominated for an Oscar for Best live action short.
The Bafta success was part of a triumphant night for Irish cinema, with the Banshees of Inisherin picking up awards for Outstanding British Film, Best Original Screenplay as well as Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards for Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon.
Set during the Irish civil war, the dark comedy has also emerged as one of the serious players for the Oscars with nominations in nearly all major categories.
