BELFAST director Terry George has dedicated his Oscar success to the people of Northern Ireland.
George’s film - The Shore - won the coveted award in the live action short category at the annual cermomy in Los Angeles.
The budget film was recorded at George’s family cottage at Coney Island near Ardglass.
It stars major Ulster actors, including Ciaran Hinds and Maggie Cronin.
Mr George dedicated his win to “the people of Northern Ireland, Protestant and Catholic, who after 30 years of war sat down, negotiated a peace and proved to the world that the Irish are great talkers”.
Speaking backstage, Mr George, who wrote the Guildford Four film In The Name of the Father, said he would celebrate by going back “to the little village where we shot this”.
He said: “Already tonight they had an Oscar party at a place called The Anchor Bar, so I’m going to return with the prize, and then hopefully use it to promote, not just the peace process in northern Ireland, but tourism and everything that’s going on there.
“So I hope that this is just a reaffirmation that things have changed there and that we’re trying to move on and it’s a great place to be.”
Culture Minister Caral Ni Chuilin offered her congratulations to all those involved in the award-winning production.
“This is a fantastic achievement by our local film industry,” she said.
“It is wonderful that local talent and hard work is being recognised on the global stage.”
Meanwhile, the major winner at Hollywood was The Artist - a tribute to the world of black and white silent cinema that disappeared with the arrival of sound - which won five awards including best picture, best actor and director.
US actress Meryl Streep also picked up the third Oscar of her career in her role as former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.