Oscars bash caps ‘epic journey’ for local film-maker

Glengormley film director Michael Lennox (left) enjoyed a chat with Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood during the Oscar nominees lunch at the Beverly Hilton.

The star-studded Oscars bash, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 22, attracted the great and the good of the movie industry.

Lennox, director of short film Boogaloo and Graham, had been hoping to pick up an Oscar to go alongside the BAFTA he won earlier this month.

Boogaloo and Graham, filmed entirely on location in Northern Ireland, is set in 1970s Belfast and follows two young boys who discover the facts of life, aided by the help of their pet chickens.

It was shortlisted in the ‘Best Live Short’ category, but alas wasn’t picked by the Academy’s judging panel. That honour went to The Phone Call, which stars Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins and Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent.

Commenting on his Facebook page after Sunday night’s Oscars, Lennox was gracious in defeat.

He posted: “The most amazing experience on this epic journey with Boogaloo. Well deserved to The Phone Call and Matt Kirby. Thanks for all the support from everyone back in the UK and Ireland. Onwards and upwards. The chickens back to the coop.”

The 29-year-old, a former pupil of Antrim Grammar School, said that even to be nominated for an Academy Award had been “overwhelming” and “an honour for all the cast and crew involved.”

Lennox is currently in post-production on his debut feature film A Patch of Fog.

The gripping psychological thriller, written by local men Michael McCartney and John Cairns, was filmed in Northern Ireland at the end of last year. It stars Stephen Graham (This is England, Boardwalk Empire), Conleth Hill (Suits, Game of Thrones), Arsher Ali (Four Lions, The Missing) and Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones, The Fall).