IT WAS A successful night for Irish production company Element Pictures as Poor Things picked up four Oscars at the 96th Academy Awards.

Emma Stone picked up the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthamos’ latest film, which was coproduced by Element Pictures along with Film4 and TSG Entertainment.

Reacting to the success on Twitter, the studio tweeted: “POOR THINGS has won a phenomenal 4 Academy Awards. We are absolutely thrilled! We couldn’t be prouder of our team, and the POOR THINGS cast, crew and creatives. Sending huge congratulations to all!”

While the film missed out at some of the bigger gongs including Best Picture and Best Director, it picked up three technical awards, including: Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design. A final tally of four awards made Poor Things the second-most decorated film of the evening, behind only Oppenheimer which picked up seven (including a Best Actor win for Cillian Murphy). 

Irishman Robbie Ryan was nominated in the Best Cinematography category for his work on Poor Things but lost out to Oppenheimer’s cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. It is Ryan’s second time to be nominated in the category, having also been nominated for The Favourite — Lanthamos’ previous film, also produced by Element Pictures. 

Alongside Lanthamos and Stone, the film’s other two credited producers are Irish-American Ed Guiney and Irishman Andrew Lowe.

Guiney and Lowe are the co-CEOs and founders of Element Picture, and said it was an “absolute honour” and a “dream come true” to pick up four awards.

They described Poor Things as an “incredible project” and added that it was “particularly gratifying that the Academy has recognised the incredibly imaginative, ambitious, and iconic work of our talented team”.

Minister for Arts, Culture and Media Catherine Martin tweeted her congratulations to the production house shortly after the ceremony concluded, saying: “Brilliant to see #PoorThings pick up multiple Oscars tonight. I’m delighted for the Irish team @ElementPictures behind this outstanding film. Truly well deserved, comhghairdeas libh.”

Brilliant to see #PoorThings pick up multiple Oscars tonight

I'm delighted for the Irish team @ElementPictures behind this outstanding film

Truly well deserved, comhghairdeas libh 👏 #Oscars2024 pic.twitter.com/QT9RySuLgM

— Catherine Martin TD (@cathmartingreen) March 11, 2024