Jessie Buckley won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film Hamnet at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 15, 2026. The film adapts a novel by Coleraine-born author Maggie O’Farrell, published in 2020.

Buckley portrayed Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in the story of the couple’s loss of their son. The film was directed by Chloé Zhao.

SDLP MLA Cara Hunter stated that the success held special meaning for the North Coast due to O’Farrell’s local roots. Hunter noted that O’Farrell’s storytelling brought the story to the global stage and highlighted creative talent in local communities.

O’Farrell was born in Coleraine in 1972. Her father taught economics in Derry at the time. The family moved to Britain in the 1970s after he took a position at the University of Wales.

Hunter expressed pride in watching Buckley’s win alongside other Irish people.