Ros & John Hubbard to be Honored at 6th Annual "Oscar Wilde: Honoring The Irish in Film" Pre-Academy Awards Party

Casting agents Ros and John Hubbard will be honored at the sixth annual "Oscar Wilde: Honoring the Irish in Film," which will be held on February 24, 2011, at The Ebell of Los Angeles. The invite-only event is hosted by the US-Ireland Alliance and is also sponsored by the Irish Film Board and Culture Ireland.

The intimate, casual awards ceremony has become a must-have ticket on the Thursday night before the Academy Awards. Created to bring together people in the entertainment industries in the US and Ireland, the event has led to collaboration among artists, and business for both countries.

Trina Vargo, president of the Alliance noted that, “given the current dire economic situation in Ireland, many people there, as well as friends of Ireland, have noted the importance of Irish culture as a crucial element to Ireland’s recovery, both economically and psychologically. This event is a celebration of Irish contributions to film and we hope it will lead to even more collaborations of both artistic and commercial value.”

John and Ros Hubbard created Hubbard Casting in 1976. One of the most successful and sought after casting agencies in the world, the Hubbard’s have cast many of Hollywood’s best actors in some of the most acclaimed motion pictures of our generation. From Alan Parker’s The Commitments, to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, from The Bourne Ultimatum to Green Zone, Ros and John have been finding the right person for the role for decades.

Ros began her career working at a Dublin modeling agency. Following a period with J. Walter Thompson in New York, she returned to Ireland and launched her own company. After meeting John, Ros moved to London. John, creative director of the Creative Agency, asked Ros to cast a commercial and Ros was soon in regular demand. Their reputations grew and today Hubbard Casting is a hugely successful family business with offices in Ireland and England, serving commercial, television and film industry clients around the world.

Ros and John have started the silver screen careers of many talented actors including Kate Winslet, Orlando Bloom and Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Colin Farrell.

Ms. Vargo noted that next year marks the twentieth anniversary of the film The Commitments: “It was a given that the Hubbards would be honored at our event – given the anniversary of the iconic Irish film based on the book by Roddy Doyle, we thought 2011 was the perfect year to recognize these two people who have had such a positive impact on the careers of so many actors.”

Academy Award nominees feel the luck of the Irish from the Oscar Wilde event. In the year that screenwriter Bill Monahan was honored, he went on to win an Academy Award for The Departed. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova performed at the event just before winning an Academy Award for their song, “Falling Slowly,” from the film Once. After Kate Winslet took the stage to honor her agent, Hylda Queally, Winslet won her first Oscar a few nights later. Earlier this year, five Oscar nominees attended the event and went on to win Oscars: Richie Baneham, Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Michael Giacchino and Chris Innes.

Past honorees of the Oscar Wilde have included J.J. Abrams, Saoirse Ronan, Seamus McGarvey, Hylda Queally, Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Fiona Shaw, Colm Meaney, Jim Brooks, Van Morrison, Bill Monahan, Terry George, Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan and David Holmes.

Additional honorees for 2011 will be announced at a later date.