‘Incredibly surreal moment’

IRELAND’S Academy Award-winning animator has described the feeling of collecting his Oscar for visual effects on blockbuster film Avatar as “an incredibly surreal moment”.

Richie Baneham, who trained in Ballyfermot College and now works on some of the world’s biggest movie productions in Los Angeles, said the honour did not hit home until after the ceremony.

“The strange thing is it’s kind of a serene feeling in this weird way to be finally handed the trophy. It does not feel real in any way, until you have come through the press and done all that and walked away and handed the piece to your wife and say ‘here, what do you think of that?’

“It was only at that moment I actually said ‘it’s a lot heavier than I expected’. At that point it seems real.”

Mr Baneham was animation supervisor on Avatar – the most financially successful film in cinema history. He studied the trade in Ballyfermot College of Further Education before moving to Los Angeles and has worked on other blockbusters, including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Mr Baneham told RTÉ Radio that celebrations started in Dillon’s bar in Hollywood with family, friends and colleagues before he joined other industry figures.

Arts Minister Martin Cullen led the Irish tributes.

“Richard is one of Ireland’s most accomplished animators and winning this much-coveted award is a great personal success and a further recognition of the talent available in the Irish film industry either working at home or abroad. “Both Richard’s Academy Award and his recent Bafta will inspire young Irish creative animators and all those working in, and committed to art, design and the digital media in Ireland.”

The Dubliner was one of five Irish nominees at this year’s Oscars. Other Irish hopefuls, animations Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty and The Secret Of Kells and short film The Door, lost out in their categories.