President Higgins presented the 2024 Volta award to British film director Steve McQueen, at the Dublin International Film Festival.
One of the highest accolades in Irish film, previous Volta Award recipients include Daniel Day Lewis, Al Pacino, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thierry Frémaux, and Dame Julie Andrews.
As Minster for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, in the 1990s, President Higgins oversaw the refunding of An Board Scannáin – The Irish Film Board and the founding of TG4. Since then, the Irish film industry has thrived and a great body of original and inventive Irish work has emerged.