Oscar Wilde awards to honour Richard Baneham

DOUBLE Oscar winner and Tallaght native Richard Baneham is set to be honoured at the Oscar Wilde Awards in California next year.

The awards ceremony is an annual event of the US-Ireland Alliance, which traditionally takes place three days before the Oscars and celebrates the achievements of Irish people in the arts.

The ceremony will take place in Santa Monica on March 7, with Richard Baneham being announced last week as the first honouree for the event.

Mr Baneham, who won Oscars for his animation work in the ‘Avatar’ film franchise, is a past pupil of Old Bawn Community School and he went on to study animation in Ballyfermot College.

He has made waves as an animation supervisor in Hollywood, having worked on films including ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’.

US-Ireland Alliance founder Trina Vargo said: “We’re delighted to honour Richie – not only is he creatively exceptional but he is also beloved in the industry as someone who has always remained connected to his colleagues and friends in the film and animation industries in Ireland.”

The 18th annual Oscar Wilde Awards will be held on March 7, 2024, at Bad Robot – the production company of JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath.