IFTA Award for Best Lead Actress – Film
Irish film industry award
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The IFTA Award for Lead Actress – Film is an award presented annually by the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA). It has been presented since the 1st Irish Film & Television Awards ceremony in 2003 to an Irish actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a feature film.
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| IFTA Award for Lead Actress – Film | |
|---|---|
The 2025 recipient: Jessie Buckley | |
| Awarded for | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
| Country | Ireland |
| Presented by | Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) |
| First award | 2003 |
| Most recent winner | Jessie Buckley, Hamnet (2026) |
| Website | ifta |
The record for most wins is six, held by Saoirse Ronan, while Eva Birthistle and Jessie Buckley have both won the award twice. Ronan also holds the record for most nominations with nine. Seána Kerslake has the most nominations without winning, with four. Buckley is the award's most recent winner, winning her second award for her performance in Hamnet (2025).
Eligibility
The award is exclusively open to Irish actresses; there is a separate International award for non-Irish actresses. The rules define an Irish person as follows:
- Born in Ireland (32 counties) or
- Have Irish Citizenship or
- Be full-time resident in Ireland (minimum of 3 years)[1]
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Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years are listed as the year of film. The first three ceremonies were held at the end of the year, but since the 4th Irish Film & Television Awards the ceremonies have generally been held the following year. As there was no ceremony in 2019, the 16th Irish Film & Television Awards covered a period of two years.[2]
| ‡ | Indicates the winner |
|---|---|
| † | Indicates a posthumous winner |
2000s
| Year | Actress | Film | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 (1st) |
Angeline Ball ‡ | Bloom | [3] |
| Bronagh Gallagher | Spin the Bottle | ||
| Maria Doyle Kennedy | Mystics | ||
| Flora Montgomery | Goldfish Memory | ||
| Natascha McElhone | Solaris | ||
| 2004 (2nd) |
Eva Birthistle ‡ | Ae Fond Kiss | [4] |
| Eva Birthistle | Timbuktu | ||
| Michèle Forbes | Omagh | ||
| Brenda Fricker | Inside I'm Dancing | ||
| Louise Lewis | Adam & Paul | ||
| 2005 (3rd) |
Renée Weldon ‡ | Trouble with Sex | [5] |
| Andrea Corr | The Boys & Girl from County Clare | ||
| Jillian Bradbury | Winter's End | ||
| Winnie Maughan | Pavee Lackeen | ||
| 2006 (4th) |
Eva Birthistle ‡ | Middletown | [6] |
| Gemma Doorly | A Song for Rebecca | ||
| Pauline McLynn | Gypo | ||
| Ruth Negga | Isolation | ||
| 2007[a] (5th) |
Bríd Ní Neachtain | Cré na Cille | [7] |
| 2008 (6th) |
Eileen Walsh ‡ | Eden | [8] |
| Jenn Murray | Dorothy | ||
| Kelly O'Neill | Kisses | ||
| Saoirse Ronan | City of Ember | ||
| 2009 (7th) |
Saoirse Ronan ‡ | The Lovely Bones | [9] |
| Janice Byrne | Zonad | ||
| Amy Kirwan | Eamon | ||
| Jae Yourell | Happy Ever Afters |
2010s
2020s
Multiple awards and nominations
The following individuals have received two or more Lead Actress awards:
| Wins | Actress | Nominations |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Saoirse Ronan | 9 |
| 2 | Jessie Buckley | 5 |
| Eva Birthistle | 4 |
The following individuals have received two or more Lead Actress nominations:
Notes
- The Lead Actress Film and TV awards were combined this year. Ní Neachtain was the only nominee from a film, and she did not win the award.