18th October 2003

A LITTLE known Scottish actor could be heading for an Oscar triumph next year after two of his films were shortlisted for the award.

After years performing in front of the camera, the Glasgow-born actor stepped behind it to produce two short films and found he had a natural flair for the job. Now his efforts have been rewarded with the nominations for the film world’s biggest award and Mr Watson, who lives in London, admits he is excited.

"I was absolutely delighted when I found out we were in the running," he said. "It has been a year of hard work. We had a team of people around who contributed their time for free and this is a wonderful pay-back to say thank you to them. The two films are screening for the academy in America right now."

Mr Watson moved to Ireland in the early Nineties, and founded the film production company Celtic Mouse with the veteran Irish star Vincent McCabe in 1998. Now two of his films, A Dublin Story and The Last, are in the running for the award.

He said: "I have obviously thought about it and I guess there is the possibility that I could have a statue sitting on my mantelpiece soon. It is going to be a tough competition but I don’t think it is an impossible dream."

The Dublin Story won the Kodak Prize for Best Irish Short at the annual film festival in Galway and The Last won Best Irish Short at the 15th Foyle International Film Festival.