We’re delighted to partner with the GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival and the National Talent Academy for Film & TV Drama to celebrate this year’s starGAZE participants.

starGAZE, the professional development initiative supporting six emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers, returns for its third year in 2026. Applications are now open and will close at 5pm on Monday 20th April. For more information on how to apply, visit www.nationaltalentacademies.ie/film-tv.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast & Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Venus Patel is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist working in film, theatre & visual arts. Her work examines social conformity & Queer/POC suppression through the lens of absurdity, informed by her experiences as a trans woman of colour. Her debut short film, Eggshells, which she directed, wrote & acted in, premiered at GAZE Film Festival & won the RDS Taylor Art Award & the Image Now Multimedia Award. Her most recent short film, Daisy: Prophet of the Apocalypse, has screened at film festivals across the US, the UK, Ireland, Germany, & France, & won an Audience Award from Translations: Seattle Trans Film Festival. Her film work has been exhibited in the Crawford Art Gallery, the Complex, IMMA, Butler Gallery & Hypha Gallery (Mayfair, London).

Jack Warren is a writer/filmmaker based in Dublin. Their award-winning short films have screened all over the world, including: Papergirl, which has screened at GAZE, Final Girls Berlin, Body is Reality: Trans Horror on Screen at the Irish Film Institute & the Trans Genre, Trans Form Film Festival, where it took home the audience prize; Toxic Astrology Ex-Best Friends, which has screened at the FRINGE! Queer Film & Arts Fest & TITE; and Artemis, which screened at the Woodstock Film Festival. Jack recently took home the Bronze Prize from Soho Horror Film Festival for their horror comedy short Blair’s Craft Projects, where it was honoured by Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project) & Jed Shepherd (Host). Jack’s screenplay Violent Delights was selected to be pitched at the American Cinematheque’s PROOF Festival, as well as selected for workshop by Stowe Story Labs and the NTAs Writers’ Club, facilitated through the GALPAL Collective. Their screenplay Forty Foot, which they co-wrote with Beatrix Herriott O’Gorman, was selected for a Screen Ireland Fellowship for the Stowe Story Labs Connemara Writers’ Retreat.

Stephen T. Lally is an award-winning queer director, screenwriter & concept artist known for his visually inventive storytelling & commitment to LGBTQIA narratives that blend humour with heart. A graduate of Technological University Dublin, his breakout short film musical Lost for Words screened at over thirty international festivals, including Cork Film Festival, Brno 16 & Stuttgart Filmwinter. The script was nominated for an Oxygen SMEDIA Award, while the film won multiple accolades, including at the New York International Independent Film Festival. His work is defined by bold, whimsical storytelling & a distinctive visual style. Alongside his narrative projects, Lally has directed commercial content, music videos & animation for global clients such as RuPaul, Rimmel London, Disney, Universal & The Royal Opera. His LGBTQIA fantasy romcom Empress Clawscream marked a significant step into narrative filmmaking, earning awards including Best Sci-Fi Film at the Berlin Short Film Festival.

The National Talent Academy for Film & TV Drama is an initiative of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland & is managed by Ardán.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re joined by producer Billy Buckley, writer-director Eleanor Rogers, and producer-director Lewis Doherty to discuss their creative journeys, the projects they’re working on, and the impact starGAZE has had on their careers so far.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-in-conversation-with-stargaze-participants-billy-buckley-eleanor-rogers-lewis-doherty

starGAZE, the professional development initiative supporting six emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers, returns for its third year in 2026. Applications are now open and will close at 5pm on Monday 20 April. For more information on how to apply, visit www.nationaltalentacademies.ie/film-tv

Billy Buckley

Billy is an emerging queer producer from Galway focused on contemporary Irish and queer storytelling. With a background in live-action drama, his work explores identity and morality.He was casting director and production manager for Soulmate Wanted with Heritage (premiered at Rhode Island International Film Festival 2023) and production manager on Medicinal (Galway Film Fleadh 2024, “Best of Kerry” winner). His short Where Will We Go? explored the defective concrete crisis and screened at Disappear Here Film Festival before broadcast on Virgin Media. In 2024, he joined the National Talent Academies’ First Credit scheme, mentored by Maggie Ryan.

His latest short Over the Moon, about a young trans man revisiting his past in the Burren, premiered at Dublin International Film Festival 2025. Billy also produces music videos for queer artists and works with Tiny Ark across commercial and documentary projects.

Eleanor Rogers

Eleanor is a queer writer, director, and photographer from Co. Louth. A First-Class Honours graduate of IADT, she wrote and directed Breastfriends (2018), which premiered at GAZE and won Best Irish Short before screening internationally. She was nominated for Best Under 25 Director at Underwire and has since directed music videos for artists including Elkae and PureGrand. In 2022, she was selected for Screen Ireland’s Spotlight TV Comedy scheme. In 2024, she was filmmaker-in-residence at An Táin, where she developed her debut feature Going Somewhere.

Lewis Doherty

Lewis Doherty is a queer Irish producer/director working across film, TV, and documentary. Starting in the camera department, they progressed to director of photography on indie and major productions including Dungeons and Dragons. Their directing work includes Pastor Ed, and documentaries such as It Takes a Village, When It Rains (Docs Ireland award winner), Viet-Glish, and Outlasting (BBC NI), selected for Docs Ireland and GAZE 2025. They have also worked on unscripted shows including Britain’s Got Talent, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Lewis has participated in development programmes including Sheffield DocFest and Cork International Film Festival IGNITE Docs. They were runner-up at the 2024 Docs Ireland Feature Pitch and are a 2025 Celtic Media Festival finalist.

National Talent Academy for Film & Television Drama

Established in 2021, the NTA (an initiative of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, managed by Ardán) supports emerging talent across Ireland.

It provides training, mentorship, and career pathways for writers, directors, producers, and creatives, with a strong focus on regional and diverse voices. The Academy aims to remove barriers to entry and build a connected, inclusive screen industry.

GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival

Founded in 1992, GAZE is a cornerstone of Ireland’s LGBTQIA cultural landscape. The festival champions bold queer storytelling across genres, celebrating the full spectrum of LGBTQIA experiences while fostering a strong community of filmmakers and audiences.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

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In this Film Ireland Podcast, we’re delighted to be chatting with Colin McIvor, director and co-writer of No Ordinary Heist as the film arrives in cinemas across Ireland and the UK.

Inspired by true events in Belfast in December 2004, No Ordinary Heist tells a gripping fictional story of two bank employees forced into a chilling scheme, orchestrating a £26.5 million robbery to save their families’ lives, while those behind it never set foot inside the bank. Taut, claustrophobic and immersive, the film stars Eddie Marsan, Éanna Hardwicke, Eva Birthistle and Michelle Fairley.

We chat with the Colin about working across television and commercials, the importance of creative collaboration, and how he built tension and atmosphere in this high-stakes, emotionally driven story.

This podcast has been made possible with the support of Screen Ireland’s Stakeholder’s Scheme.

The film was produced by Ruth Carter, Damon Lane and Johanna Hogan for Picture Locked Productions and Next Wednesday Films with funding from Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen, RTÉ, Epic Pictures Group and Wildcard.

The film is released theatrically in Ireland and the UK from Friday 27th March and will come to Sky Cinema as a Sky Original later in the year.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Colin McIvor

No Ordinary Heist marks Colin's third feature film, based on the remarkable £26.5m Northern Bank Robbery, and stars Eddie Marsan and Éanna Hardwicke. Its world premiere took place at Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026, from which it went on to make its Irish premiere at Dublin IFF, followed by its UK premiere at the Glasgow IFF. It is due for theatrical release in theatres across the US, UK and Ireland in March 2026.

Previously, Colin wrote and directed a number of award-winning short films. His debut feature film, Cup Cake, starring Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones) and Clive Russell (Game of Thrones), won numerous international awards, including Best Feature at Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Audience Award at Belfast Film Festival.

His second feature, Zoo, as writer/director, starring Toby Jones (The Hunger Games) and Dame Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey), was released in US (Samuel Goldwyn) and UK (eOne) cinemas to great critical acclaim. Zoo went on to win its category at Seattle International Film Festival, Giffoni Film Festival, Filemon Int. Film Festival, Castellinaria Int. Film Festival and Doha Int. Film Festival. He has also directed numerous TV dramas, including, recently, the WW2 epic World on Fire (2023) for primetime BBC One.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on location at RENDR 2026 in Belfast, we catch up with CG & On-Set Supervisor Noel O’Malley and BAFTA-winning DFX Supervisor Dean Koonjul of Union VFX. With credits spanning Ex Machina to 28 Years Later and Poor Things, they discuss their exciting careers, creative collaboration, and the changing demands of high-end visual effects across film and TV.

After, (at timecode 31:37) we speak to James Carson, CG Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks, whose work includes KPop Demon Hunters and the upcoming feature Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling. In this conversation, he reflects on his career journey from Belfast to supervising major international productions, sharing insights into working in animation and live-action, and working with teams on ambitious projects.

This series of talks was recorded in The Spinners Mill Studio, a podcast and DJ studio based in Banana Block offering tailored solutions for DJ sessions, small-scale events and podcasting from concept to final distribution.

We are delighted to present a very special speaker series in partnership with RENDR Festival and supported by the National Talent Academy for VFX.

James Carson - CG Supervisor

James is a CG Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks, most recently working on the global phenomenon KPOP Demon Hunters for Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix. Carson is currently supervising the live-action feature Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and starring Ryan Gosling. His other CG Supervisor credits include the animated feature In Your Dreams and the Academy Award®-nominated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Carson joined Imageworks in 2015 and has served as a Lighting TD and Lighting Lead, working on both animated and live-action projects. His additional Imageworks credits include: In Vaulted Halls Entombed, Mulan, the Academy Award®-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Smurfs: The Lost Village, The Angry Birds Movie 2, The Meg, and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Prior to Imageworks, Carson worked in various roles at Image Engine, ScanlineVFX, Prime Focus World, MPC, DNEG, and Zoic Studios. Carson is from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Union VFX

Headquartered in Soho, London with a sister company in Montréal, Union has established an unrivalled reputation for seamless invisible effects on a wide range of projects building strong creative relationships with really interesting directors including Danny Boyle, Susanne Bier, Martin McDonagh, Marjane Satrapi, Sam Mendes, Fernando Meirelles & Yorgos Lanthimos. The studio’s regular clients number some of the world’s top filmmakers, who return to Union time and again as a trusted technical partner and creative ally. The team works closely with clients throughout every phase of the creative process. Union has been the sole visual effects studio behind many prestigious film projects, including Three Billboards Outside, Ebbing Missouri, Florence Foster Jenkins, T2: Trainspotting, 127 Hours, Black Sea, The Two Popes, Radioactive, The Dig, Stan & Ollie, Mamma Mia! Here we go again, The Gentlemen, Empire of Light, The Banshees of Inisherin and Poor Things. Episodic projects include Black Mirror, The Regime, Moon Knight, Trust, The Third Day, The Irregulars, Pistol, The Undoing, Happy!, The Crown, Outlander, For All Mankind, The Wheel of Time, The Sandman, The Power and Slow Horses. A significant highlight on the Union roster saw the company joining Danny Boyle’s creative team to deliver the short films for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

RENDR FESTIVAL

This is a unique event celebrating creative craft and artistry in a fully immersive two-day festival exploring the space between Creativity and Technology. Ignite your imagination with inspiring speakers from the worlds of Film, Gaming, Animation, Immersive, and more! Learn from the best, with 30+ creatives from the likes of Netflix, Pixar, Walt Disney Studios and Epic Games among others.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-in-conversation-with-creative-producer-laura-mcnicholas-spilt-milk/In this Film Ireland Podcast, we’re delighted to be chatting with creative producer Laura McNicholas, as her film Spilt Milk hits cinemas across the country.

Founder of 925 Productions, Laura has been doing exciting work developing and produces television drama and feature films. Following a series of acclaimed shorts and extensive work across the industry, now her debut feature, Spilt Milk, has enjoyed a successful festival run, picking up major awards including the MUBI Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival, the Golden Slipper for Best Film at the Zlín International Film Festival, and a top prize at the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People, alongside many others.

We chat with Laura about her career journey, bringing Spilt Milk to the screen, and her approach to developing strong, character-driven stories.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-in-conversation-with-creative-producer-laura-mcnicholas-spilt-milk/

Spilt Milk

In a gritty 1980s Dublin inner city neighbourhood, 11-year-old Bobby (Cillian Sullivan - Blue Moon) idolises TV detective Kojak and sets up a private eye agency with his best friend. However, when Bobby’s rebellious older brother goes missing, their investigations turn chillingly real — leading them into secrets and danger far beyond what children are ready to face. Nevertheless, Bobby’s brave, loving and inspirational Mother (Danielle Galligan -House Of Guinness) leads him through these tough times.

The filmmaking team includes Cathal Watters (The Dry, Peaky Blinders, Foundation), director of photography; Shane McEnroe (Foundation, Abigail, Disenchanted), production designer; Gwen Jefferes Hourie (Sing Street, Abigail, I Kill Giants); Colin Monie (Hallam Foe, The Magdalene Sisters), editor; Scott Twynholm (Vanilla Sky) as composer and Áine O’Sullivan (The Tourist).

Spilt Milk is in cinemas from 20th March 2026.

Laura McNicholas

Laura established and runs 925 Productions, which develops and produces television drama and feature films. Her debut feature, Spilt Milk, had its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and was nominated for four Irish Film and Television Academy Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. Spilt Milk went on to win the MUBI Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival, the Golden Slipper for Best Film at the Zlín International Film Festival, and a top prize at the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People. It also received audience awards at the Mediterranean Film Festival Split, the British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg, and the Kerry International Film Festival. Further festival selections included its US premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival and a screening at Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

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Directed by Muldowney (Pilgrimage, The Cellar), the film sees Dyer (The Football Factory, Marching Powder, Rivals) take centre stage as Jimmy Banks, an old school football agent who desperately needs to get his troubled star footballer one last big payday before Jimmy’s life, and his player’s reputation, comes tumbling down. When the prospect of a major new deal with a promising young player appears, Jimmy sees a route to get himself back on top… but when a blackmailer calls and the shady dealings of his past resurface, can Jimmy keep calm and get the job done?

Written by Peter Howlett and shot on location in Ireland last year, the film was produced by Paul Kennedy (Nightride) for Village Films, Richard Bolger (Father, Mother, Sister, Brother) for Hail Mary Pictures, and Patrick O’Neill (Kneecap) for Wildcard, with support from Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann and Northern Ireland Screen.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Brendan Muldowney

Brendan is an Irish writer/director. After graduating from the National Film School/IADT he wrote and directed 9 award winning shorts. His debut feature Savage (2009) was nominated for 6 Irish Film and Television awards and he was nominated for the IFTA ‘Rising Star’ award. His second film, Love Eternal (2013) has played at over 80 festivals worldwide and was winner of the ‘Dublin critics circle’ award for best Irish film at the 2014 Dublin Film Festival. His film Pilgrimage (2017) starring Tom Holland, John Bernthal and Richard Armitage, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and sold to multiple territories, including the US (RLJ Entertainment) and the UK (Studio Canal).

His last feature, The Cellar (2022), premiered at the SXSW film festival. It has made a theatrical box office of over 2 million worldwide and is streaming on Shudder and multiple platforms. He is represented by the Independent Talent Agency. He is one of the founders and co-owner of the Irish production company SAVAGE PRODUCTIONS. He has taught at the LIR, Huston School of Film, Filmbase, and mentors under the Screen Skills Ireland – Mentorship Programme. He lectures in directing.

This episode has been made possible with the support of the Screen Ireland Stakeholders Fund.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First, we chat to from Eavan King, Head of Film Programming at the Foyle Film Festival & Nerve centre, about how the festival began, how it has evolved and how much fun it is to visit.

Then, at 10:08, we catch up with David Pope, an internationally renowned script consultant, who was working with screenwriters at the festival as part of their comprehensive industry programme. 

Finally at 17:12 we host a live discussion on presenting local stories to an international market, recorded live and featuring producer Dearbhla Regan from Wild Atlantic Pictures and Louise Gallagher from Hat Trick Productions and Gallagher Films.

Submissions have just opened for the Foyle Film Festival, so get yours in.

https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-david-pope-dearbhla-regan-louise-gallagher-at-foyle-film-festival

Foyle Film Festival

This vibrant film festival takes place in venues across Derry each November to bring the best of international cinema and industry players to the city. The festival also delivers screenings, events and workshops throughout the year, including Reel Lives which has replaced the Intercultural and Anti-Racism Festival, as well as Educational and Community Outreach Screenings. The prestigious Light In Motion (LIM) competition is open to filmmakers and animators across the world, with winners qualifying for consideration in the Live Action and Animated Short Film categories of the Academy Awards® and BAFTA.

Louise Gallagher

Louise has been working in the media industry for 30 years, with 23 of those years spent at the BBC in Belfast in various production roles across Radio, TV and Online services. In 2011 she flew the BBC nest and moved into the independent film and TV sector, working on independent shorts and features. Louise went on to found Gallagher Films in 2018. Major recent projects for Gallagher Films include BAFTA award-winning ‘Blue Lights’, a BBC drama series set against the backdrop of policing in Northern Ireland, on which Louise is Co-Creator / Executive Producer. Her first feature film, ‘A Bump Along The Way’, had a successful cinema release and won several awards at home and internationally. Written by Tess McGowan, directed by Shelly Love and produced by Louise, it starred Bronagh Gallagher and Lola Petticrew. ‘A Bump Along the Way’ was developed with the assistance of Northern Ireland Screen through their New Talent Writers and New Talent Focus programmes. Louise recently received an IFTA for best short film ‘Rough’ written and directed by Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson.

David Pope

David is a script consultant and screenwriter working internationally. Script consultation projects include Obraz, candidate for Best International Film Academy Award 2026; Tiger Stripes, winner of the Jury Prize Critics’ Week Cannes Film Festival 2023 and candidate for Best International Film Academy Award 2024; Take It or Leave It, candidate for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award 2019; and Truth or Justice, candidate for Best International Film Academy Award 2020. Other recent projects as script consultant include the feature films Natatorium; Last Sentinel; Splendid Isolation and the drama series Imperial Spy for Fremantle (American Gods, Deutschland 83). David was Creative Producer on feature film The Goat. In addition to designing and delivering for Stowe Story Labs, he is the long-standing annual advisor & facilitator for Rotterdam Lab at IFFRPro for producers. David has been a creative consultant on Rawi Screenwriting Lab for Royal Film Commission - Jordan, facilitated the Convergence programme funded by Screen Scotland & British Film Institute, and is the script consultant for Funny Features delivered by Glasgow Film Festival and funded by British Film Institute.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

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If you have any problems getting this to work, please email us at info@filmireland.ie. Thanks for your patience.

In this Film Ireland podcast, recorded live on location in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Irish Film Festival, we chat with author, playwright and screenwriter Sheena Lambert about her feature Báite.

Presented annually by Solas Nua, the 20th edition of the Capital Irish Film Festival ran from 26th February to 1st March 2026, presenting one of the largest programmes of Irish cinema in North America. Irish-language feature Báite tells the story of a rural village during an All-Ireland weekend in 1975. Blending murder mystery with family drama, the film follows Peggy Casey as her life begins to unravel after a body surfaces in the local man-made lake.

In this episode, we catch up with Sheena Lambert about her journey as a writer, the origins of the story, and the ins and outs of adapting a project from page to screen.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Sheena Lambert

Dublin-based screenwriter, playwright and novelist Sheena Lambert has an exciting few months ahead with the 2025 release of her debut feature film, BÁITE, an adaptation of her own novel The Lake (HarperCollins, 2015) which was filmed in Galway and produced by Danú Media under TG4/Screen Ireland’s Cine4 Scheme. Following a hugely successful, sold-out, extended summer run, Sheena’s stage play COSIMA, based on her Screen Ireland supported feature screenplay of the same name, is scheduled for an Irish tour via Breda Cashe Productions, with some pre-Christmas Dublin dates already announced. Cosima was the daughter of Franz Liszt, who refused to allow her to perform publicly; she married Richard Wagner to get away from her controlling father and helped him become a much greater success than her father had ever been.

Báite

Winner of Best Irish Language Feature Film at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh and nominated in four categories at the 2026 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards, Báite arrives in cinemas nationwide on 6th March 2026 to coincide with Seachtain na Gaeilge (1–17 March). Directed by Ruán Magan (The Hunger, Our Blue World – A Water Odyssey), the film is a haunting Irish-language mystery set in rural Ireland in September 1975.

When a body is discovered in the receding waters of a lake, the find sends shockwaves through a small community. For 23-year-old Peggy Casey, who runs the local pub, the revelation threatens to upend not just her life, but an entire town built on secrets long submerged.

About Capital Irish Film Festival

Solas Nua’s annual Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington, D.C., presents one of the largest programmes of Irish cinema in North America, showcasing the latest Irish dramatic and documentary features, shorts, art films and animation releases by Irish and Ireland-based filmmakers. The 20th edition of the four-day festival takes place 26 February – 1 March 2026 in partnership with the prestigious American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre & Cultural Center.

The festival provides a US platform that amplifies the work of independent filmmakers working in Ireland and beyond, and celebrates the strength of Ireland’s contemporary cinematic culture. The programme highlights the country’s rich cultural heritage while fostering an inclusive and diverse community of Irish filmmakers. Capital Irish Film Festival champions emerging voices on Irish screens, showcases the exceptional talent and craft within Irish filmmaking, and reflects the robust and vibrant screen industry that has grown in Ireland in recent years.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme, the State of the Arts series explores the creative processes, industry challenges, and new opportunities that both Irish and international creatives face in today’s ever-evolving artistic landscapes.

In this conversation, Shawn reflects on his early years writing plays after his move to Los Angeles, where he worked on popular series such as Nash Bridges and Angel before creating FX’s first original drama, The Shield. He discusses his craft and his work on The Night Agent in some depth, his career journey, and the evolving landscape of television.

Follow the journey of State Of The Arts on instagram.

Listen to this podcast now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Soundcloud, Podtail, Podbean and Deezer.

 https://www.filmireland.net/state-of-the-arts-podcast-showrunner-shawn-ryan-the-night-agent-the-shield-s-w-a-t-with-des-doyle/

Shawn Ryan

Shawn was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, and graduated from Middlebury College, where he began writing plays. After moving to Los Angeles, he was staffed on Nash Bridges and Angel before creating and showrunning FX’s first original drama, The Shield. For his work on The Shield, Ryan received a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama, an Emmy nomination for writing, a Peabody Award, and two AFI Awards.

Other series Ryan has created, co-created, or showrun include The Unit, The Chicago Code, Terriers, Last Resort, Mad Dogs, Timeless, S.W.A.T., The Night Agent, and the forthcoming series American Hostage.

Ryan has also served on the Board of Directors for the Writers Guild of America West and was Co-Chair of the WGA Negotiating Committee in 2020.

Des Doyle

Des is a D.I.T. graduate who spent fifteen years working in the Camera Department in the Irish film industry before moving into directing. He is the writer/director of the critically acclaimed feature documentary Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show, featuring JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost, Fringe), Robert and Michelle King (The Good Wife), Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) and Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory) amongst others.

He has created a number of courses in conjunction with Screen Ireland over the last few years, which provide breakdowns of all the major US and international streaming networks and what their evolving programming needs may be. He also initiated the Pitching Programme for TV Drama and Comedy with Screen Ireland, giving a selected group of writers the opportunity to pitch directly to some of the major Irish production companies based on briefs they provide, and created the LA Writers Room Placements scheme, which allowed Irish writers to travel to LA and spend time in real-world US TV series writers’ rooms.

He has also lectured on Showrunning, US TV Production and the Future of Content at USC Los Angeles, Rowan University Philadelphia, Scriptmakers Berlin, APIT TV Producers Conference Lisbon, Northern Ireland Screen, IADT Dublin, Writers Guild of Ireland and as part of the recent Greenlight Screenwriting Labs in Galway. He is currently developing a new documentary series, which is a US/Irish co-production, as well as providing creative consultancy services to Irish producers, writers and directors with projects targeting the US or global streaming markets.

He is also the co-founder of Destination TV along with Ciarán Donnelly, a creative skills live events company that recently brought Oscar and Emmy-nominated writer/director/showrunner Jonathan Nolan to Dublin for a masterclass.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Her new album In The Forest Singing Sorrowless, released in late November, is inspired by the poetry of J. R. R. Tolkien and features a special collaboration with his great-granddaughter. Unfortunately there are some technical issues with this section that have impacted the audio. 

Then at 28:56, contributor Dolapo Agunbiade sits down with writer-director Adam Mura to discuss his indie series Midlands Mayhem. From the origins of the concept to the realities of independent production, they delve into the making of the show and look at what audiences can expect.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-midlands-mayhem-writer-director-adam-mura-harpist-joy-shannon

Midlands Mayhem

Jared Ennis is a disaffected young man working in a scrapyard in the midlands of Ireland. In years prior, Ennis was a hard-partier among a group of young people in the town who frequently drink, do drugs and engage in petty crime, branding themselves The Sesh Council. Ennis is contacted by Council member and former friend Tristan ‘Canner’ Corcoran, who reveals their acquaintance, Fearghal, has been murdered. The two meet with Jessica ‘Seshica’ Hegarty, the Grand Elder and leader of the Sesh Council, who tries to bring Ennis back into the fold to investigate the murder. A local young man and former classmate of Ennis, Mad Jack Wensleydale, takes credit for Fearghal’s murder, vowing to rid the midlands of the crime and violence that the Council brings. It’s made clear to the Council that he’s not working alone. 

The two main creative minds behind the project were Adam Mura and Shane O’Baoill, who met studying film at college. They produced the series together with Adam in the director’s chair and Shane serving as the Director of Photography. Adam went to school in the Midlands and most of his friends were from the area. This included two of the main characters portrayed by William Ennis and Tristan Canning.

Joy Shannon

Joy is an Irish harpist and singer whose ethereal and haunting songs come from depths of Irish folklore. Her melodies evoke images of witch’s lairs in dark woods or the distant echoes of the voices of spirits in the ancient places of the Irish countryside.

Joy Shannon’s newest album release In the Forest Singing Sorrowless is inspired by author J.R.R. Tolkien’s poetry, with Shannon’s original music accompanying Tolkien’s wonderful words. Shannon decided to create this album during a personally challenging year, when she went through medical treatments for breast cancer. Tolkien’s works have always been an inspiration for Shannon, especially to have hope and purpose at the darkest times, so the recording of this album carried her through a difficult time. The resulting album is a mystical dream-walk through Tolkien’s landscapes, through the magical lens of Shannon’s intimate harp and vocals.

Last year, Shannon released an album called An Chailleach, or Irish for the crone or elder goddess. For this album, Shannon delved into the lore of the dark wintertime goddess of Ireland, with stark and stunning compositions. Shannon’s fascination with ancient lore, led her to this year’s album, as Tolkien’s works are similarly inspired by ancient mythologies. Through her signature dark folk, full of longing and a mystical air, her music pairs perfectly with the words of Tolkien.

The record, which has been met with critical praise, was composed while Shannon was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Shannon is set to head to Ireland in 2026 to shoot a new documentary titled The Cailleach, based on her own life experiences. 

Check out her website here: www.joyshannon.com.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on location at RENDR 2026 in Banana Block, Belfast, we catch up with Irish TV and feature film photographer Helen Sloan, whose expansive list of credits includes How to Train Your Dragon, Wednesday, Derry Girls, and Foundation. In this in-depth conversation, she discusses the responsibilities and artistry of the role, and shares how she ascended in her career following her first big break on Game of Thrones.

https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-tv-feature-film-photographer-helen-sloan-wednesday-game-of-thrones

This series of talks was recorded in The Spinners Mill Studio, a podcast and DJ studio based in Banana Block offering tailored solutions for DJ sessions, small-scale events and podcasting from concept to final distribution.

Helen Sloan

Helen was born in rural Ireland. Given her first camera at age 11, she quickly came into her “fly on the wall” role, capturing snapshots of life around her. At age 18 while studying Art in Belfast, she landed among a group of circus performers - where her non intrusive style of photography and technical mind lent itself well to performance photography. She travelled the world with various troupes and performers, spending a large amount of time in Iceland. A series of melancholy portraits caught the eye of a movie producer - who invited her to work on a series of horror films. Sloan landed more and more jobs on film and television sets over the next decade - and the “Game of Thrones” came to her doorstep. Helen is responsible for the photography from the hit HBO drama having been there from the first day of the pilot, until the very last day of filming. The job covered many genres of photography; landscape, portraiture, studio posters and behind the scene documentary. She is a European Nikon Ambassador and the first Irish member of The Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers.

RENDR Festival

This is a unique event celebrating creative craft and artistry in a fully immersive two-day festival exploring the space between Creativity and Technology. Ignite your imagination with inspiring speakers from the worlds of Film, Gaming, Animation, Immersive, and more! Learn from the best, with 30+ creatives from the likes of Netflix, Pixar, Walt Disney Studios and Epic Games among others.

Witness creative uses of new technology, explore the gallery of digital art, chow down at the food village or play in the arcade. You will be transported to the future, and provide you with unforgettable and inspirational nights. Like nothing you have experienced before, our unique combination is guaranteed to provide two nights you can’t miss. Come for the talks, stay for the experience!

National Talent Academy for Visual Effects

As the newest of the Academies, the National Talent Academy for VFX provides support and opportunities for anyone interested in a career in VFX. Launched in 2024, the National Talent Academy for VFX is an initiative of Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, managed by Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet. Their mission is to transform aspiring VFX artists into industry-ready professionals while providing ongoing upskilling opportunities for current talent.

Through comprehensive courses and programmess, we introduce participants to best practices both locally and globally, creating clear pathways and solidifying Ireland’s reputation as a premier destination for VFX. The National Talent Academy for VFX is dedicated to attracting individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, fostering greater awareness of VFX as a viable and exciting career choice. Learn more about the work they do here.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on location at RENDR 2026 in Banana Block Belfast, we caught up with Emmy and Visual Effects Society award-winning VFX Supervisor Jay Worth, whose impressive list of credits includes Westworld, Lost, Fringe, Alias, Person of Interest, The Magicians and Fallout. In this in-depth conversation, he discusses his transition from theatre to VFX, creatively collaborating with J.J. Abrams, and building the beautiful worlds that he’s most proud of.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

This series of talks was recorded in The Spinners Mill Studio, a podcast and DJ studio based in Banana Block offering tailored solutions for DJ sessions, small-scale events and podcasting from concept to final distribution.

Read more about this episode here:

https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-in-conversation-with-vfx-supervisor-jay-worth-westworld-fallout/

Jay Worth

Jay Worth is an Emmy and Visual Effects Society award winner who began his career in 1997 at Digital Domain. He fell in love working on episodic television in 2005 on Alias. He has had the privilege of collaborating with Jonah Nolan and Kilter films as well as J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot throughout his career. He has worked on over 500 episodes of television such as Westworld, Lost, Fringe, Alias, Person of Interest, The Magicians and Fallout. He has won an Emmy for his work on Westworld as well as collecting 9 other nominations spanning 7 different shows - along with winning a Visual Effects Society award for Fringe and collecting 11 additional nominations.

RENDR FESTIVAL

This is a unique event celebrating creative craft and artistry in a fully immersive two-day festival exploring the space between Creativity and Technology. Ignite your imagination with inspiring speakers from the worlds of Film, Gaming, Animation, Immersive, and more! Learn from the best, with 30+ creatives from the likes of Netflix, Pixar, Walt Disney Studios and Epic Games among others. Witness creative uses of new technology, explore the gallery of digital art, chow down at the food village or play in the arcade. You will be transported to the future, and provide you with unforgettable and inspirational nights. Like nothing you have experienced before, our unique combination is guaranteed to provide two nights you can’t miss. Come for the talks, stay for the experience!

National Talent Academy for Visual Effects

As the newest of the Academies, the National Talent Academy for VFX provides support and opportunities for anyone interested in a career in VFX. Launched in 2024, the National Talent Academy for VFX is an initiative of Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland, managed by Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet. Their mission is to transform aspiring VFX artists into industry-ready professionals while providing ongoing upskilling opportunities for current talent. Through comprehensive courses and programmess, we introduce participants to best practices both locally and globally, creating clear pathways and solidifying Ireland’s reputation as a premier destination for VFX. The National Talent Academy for VFX is dedicated to attracting individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, fostering greater awareness of VFX as a viable and exciting career choice. Learn more about the work they do here.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nostalgie stars Aidan Gillen and features original songs and a score by Dan Smith, the Grammy-nominated, Brit Award-winning frontman of Bastille.

Drew Lord Haig (Gillen), a faded English 1980s pop star, is unexpectedly invited to perform in Northern Ireland, pulling him out of musical retirement and into a moral dilemma tied to the unintended legacy of his work. What begins as an exercise in nostalgia turns into a reckoning when Drew discovers his music has been repurposed in ways that contradict its original intent.

The film also stars Jessica Reynolds (Kneecap) and Michael Smiley (Bad Sisters), alongside a predominantly Northern Irish cast. Written by Stacey Gregg and based on a short story by Wendy Erskine, Nostalgie explores the intersection of personal vanity, collective memory, and the political afterlife of pop culture.

Read more here:

www.filmireland.net/podcast-kathryn-ferguson-on-bafta-ifta-nominated-short-nostalgie

Kathryn Ferguson

Belfast-born Kathryn is an Emmy-nominated, BIFA and IFTA winning director whose innovative and boundary-pushing documentary work has screened globally. Kathryn studied at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, and in 2022 was awarded the inaugural BFI & Chanel Award for Creative Audacity. 

In 2018, Kathryn's short documentary Taking the Waters premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest, and was long-listed for a BAFTA. Then, in 2021, Kathryn worked with Passion Pictures on the short Space to Be for The Guardian's acclaimed documentary series. 

After a decade of short-form work centred on identity, gender politics, and community, Kathryn recently completed her debut feature documentary Nothing Compares - which takes as its subject Sinéad O'Connor's artistry and activism. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2022 then toured the international festival circuit, where it picked up multiple awards, before hitting cinemas in October 2022. It has received over thirty award nominations internationally, including Emmy, Critics Choice, IDA, and PGA Awards, and was awarded winner of Best Feature Documentary at BIFA 2022 and IFTA 2023. Nothing Compares is now available to watch on Showtime and Sky. 

Kathryn's second feature documentary, a collaboration with Universal, is due to be released in 2024.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this panel discussion, Gemma Creagh chats with four talented filmmakers Sodiq Ajibola Abiola (4C), Louise Bruton (Let Go), Edelle Kenny (The Race) and Clare Monnelly (Babysitter). Their films were funded under the NTAs short film schemes, and are set to have their world premieres at the Dublin International Film Festival on 20th February.

With the NTAS First Credits Scheme deadline approaching on 6th March, applicants must attend the information session taking place on 25th February.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Sodiq Ajibola Abiola, 4C

Writer & Director

Nigerian born artist, writer and actor raised in Ireland. Writing horror, surreal and humorous based scripts to bring light to various unrepresented topics with a fun twist. Sodiq trained for screen acting at Bow St Academy in 2020, attending The Lir Academy for the 6 months Actors Ensemble program. With experience in editing, directing his first short Rock Rock Scissors as part of the KinoD Filmmaking weekend. Sodiq enjoys art that challenges the audience while allowing them to also have fun engaging with the art.

Louise Bruton, Let Go

Writer & Director

Louise Bruton, Writer & Director, Irish. Arts Journalist, DJ, writer and disability rights activist.

Edelle Kenny, The Race

Director

Edelle is writer/director/producer who has a wealth of varied experience over her past 15+ years in the industry. She spent 10 years in the United States where she built a career with notable networks such as Paramount, Discovery and Viacom directing and story producing some of USA's most successful docu-series and reality television. Her first short film Ossobuco credited her as “one to watch” tackling challenging feminist themes and ran a successful worldwide festival circuit. She returned home in 2022 and began working in the scripted format assisting award winning writers, directors and executive producers on films with Universal Pictures, Blumhouse and Amazon MGM studios. She has completed multiple shadowing experiences including Declan Lowney, Alicia Mac Donald and most recently directed a 2nd unit on RTÉ’s Hidden Assets following her NTA shadow placement there. She is currently mentored by Dearbhla Walsh for the year 2026 and has been awarded a spot on the sought after Spotlight programme by Screen Ireland where she is developing her Tv Series Slánú.

Clare Monnelly, Babysitter

Director

Clare is an actor and a writer. She has worked with Druid, the Gate, the Abbey and Decadent amongst others, and was nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Actress in her self-penned Charlie’s a Clepto and Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mary in Livin Dred’s production of Tom Murphy’s Bailegangaire. On screen she has worked with RTÉ, Sky One, Deadpan Pictures, Element and many more. She plays Anita Fallon in The Gone for Keeper Pictures. She leads the Cine4 feature Fréwaka for DoubleBand Films, Wildcard and TG4.

Clare’s first play Charlie’s a Clepto was nominated for two Irish Times Theatre Awards (Best New Play, Best Actress) and the Stewart Parker New Playwright Bursary. Her second play minefield premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival 2019 and was nominated for three Fringe Awards (Best Design, Fishamble New Writing Award, First Fortnight Award). In 2023 she premiered three new plays - The Hare with Once Off Productions and Cairde Arts Festival, The Local with Asylum Productions and Kilkenny Arts Festival and SuperBogger with Livin’ Dred Theatre Company.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John is behind the popular feature films The Stag, Handsome Devil and Papi Chulo, and was a writer and second director on Stephen Merchant’s The Outlaws for BBC One and Amazon Studios. His latest series, These Sacred Vows, is now airing on RTÉ, with the first two episodes available to watch on the RTÉ Player, and episode three airing at 9.30pm this Sunday on RTÉ One.

This episode has been made possible with the support of the Screen Ireland Stakeholders Fund.

Secrets of love, lies, and betrayal unravel at an Irish wedding in Tenerife after the body of a priest is found floating face-down in the swimming pool of the young guests' villa.

John Butler Biography

John is a novelist and an RTS and IFTA award-winning director and writer for TV and film. He wrote on and directed Stephen Merchant’s “The Outlaws” (BBC/Amazon), starring Christopher Walken, Darren Boyd and Eleanor Tomlinson In 2019, “Papi Chulo” (which John wrote and directed) premiered as special presentation at TIFF. Other premieres included DIFF19 (Dublin), TFF (Torino), Palm Springs, LFF (London), BFI Flare, Guadalajara, Glasgow, Prague and Sydney. Prior to that, John wrote and directed “Handsome Devil”, which sold to Netflix worldwide and picked up awards including the DIFF Critic’s Circle Award, the Miami Film Festival audience award and best drama at the Celtic Film and TV Festival. In 2014, John directed and co-wrote “The Stag” which premiered at TIFF, TriBeCa, Turin and elsewhere. In 2012, John’s debut novel “The Tenderloin” was published by Picador and shortlisted at the Irish Book Awards. John’s other writing has appeared in Esquire magazine, The Irish Times, The Dublin Review, The San Francisco Chronicle, FilmMaker magazine, Shot List, and on NPR.

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Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marissa’s short film Recipe is screening at Imbolg: Women Who Terrify on 31st January, while her latest short film, The Parting (funded by the National Talent Academies), is about to have its world premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival on 20th February.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Marissa Aroy

Marissa is an award-winning filmmaker whose work spans over two decades in documentary storytelling. She received an Emmy for her PBS documentary Sikhs in America and an Emmy nomination for The Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the United Farm Workers, which highlights the critical yet overlooked role of Filipinos in the American labour movement. A Fulbright Scholar, Aroy was honoured with the inaugural Hatsuye Yamasaki Award for Visionary Leadership by the College of William and Mary, where she also served as the Asian Centennial Distinguished Film Fellow in Residence.

Her work extends beyond filmmaking to teaching and mentorship, having taught film at Trinity College Dublin, Berkeley City College, and The New School in New York, and now teaching New Media Studies at IADT in Dún Laoghaire. She has also contributed to Irish cinema through her leadership roles with Irish Screen America, the San Francisco Irish Film Festival, and as a board member of Women in Film and Television Ireland. She served as producer on the award-winning short film The Ferry that was shown on RTÉ and long-listed for the Oscars. Aroy’s projects reflect her commitment to amplifying marginalised voices and cultural heritage. She was commissioned by the Smithsonian Museum of American History in the US to create short films for the exhibition “How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories.”

Her short film Recipe, previously titled (Losing Cock/Talunang Manok), is a suspenseful short film shot in the Philippines and edited by award-winning editor John Murphy (The Quiet Girl). This film will be shown at Imbolg: Women Who Terrify film festival, in Strand C at 2.30 pm on Saturday 31st January at Griffith College. She has another short film called The Parting that she directed, which will be in the Dublin International Film Festival on 20th February. She is currently working on another short film called Birthday Swim, for which she received funding from Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown’s First Frames.

Now based in Wicklow, Ireland, with her husband and filmmaking partner Niall McKay, Aroy continues to develop independent projects including the radio drama The Morrigan, a fictional radio drama about Ella Young that combines fantasy and history in early 20th century Ireland, which was broadcast on Dublin FM. They are also developing a historical documentary on the Philippine-American War. Her work reflects her passion for storytelling that bridges her Filipino, Irish and American identities. “I want someone to see our brown faces on the screen or behind the scenes and feel proud of who we are as a people,” she says, underscoring her dedication to creating art that inspires, entertains and empowers.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marjo Viitala, I Remember You - Strand A

Margaret Kane-Rowe, ShadowFable - Strand A

Nadia Moosa, In the Season Thereof - Strand C

Vanessa Gildea, on leaving you - Strand C

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

As winter draws to a close, this coven of creatives and connoisseurs will gather to mark the Celtic festival of Imbolg. In partnership with Film Ireland and Griffith College, join us for this jam-packed line up!

The programme features Women Who Terrify Shorts (Strands A, B and C), alongside the Goth Film Club: Irish Network for Gothic and Horror Studies talk on horror film selection, appreciation and critique. Also included are Faoin Talamh (AV Experience), In Conversation with Filmmaker Laura Moss, and a screening of birth / rebirth, introduced by director and co-writer Laura Moss.

Read more about the festival here:

https://www.filmireland.net/imbolg-women-who-terrify-film-festival/

Read more about the filmmakers here:

https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-imbolg-filmmakers-vanessa-gildea-marjo-viitala-nadia-moosa-vanessa-gildea/

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Iron Ladies tells the story of the working-class women who became the backbone of the 1984–85 Miners' Strike. From Scotland to Kent, women from coalfield communities share their experiences of the year-long struggle, and how their actions reshaped political activism for working-class women.

The film shines a spotlight on voices that have too often been overlooked. Featuring Heather Wood, Lorraine Stansbie, Rose Hunter, Kate Alvey, Betty Cook, Aggie Currie, and many more, Iron Ladies is both a vital historical record and a celebration of solidarity, resilience, and determination.

The screening of Iron ladies will take place at 7pm on 30th January and is followed by a post-screening discussion with Daniel and contributor to the film, Rose Hunter. Get your tickets at NerveCentre.org.

Daniel Draper

Daniel is a Liverpool-based filmmaker. His debut film, Nature of the Beast was released across UK cinemas in 2017. Since, Daniel has produced and directed an additional three feature documentaries and continues to explore place, identity, class and politics through his current and forthcoming work.

Meet the Iron Ladies

• Heather Wood: Born and bred in the pit village of Easington, Heather was chair of Save Easington Area Mines in East Durham, and became involved in National Women Against Pit Closures during the Miners’ Strike. Her activism remains strong - a key organiser of the National Women Against Pit Closures 40th anniversary event. She has written a book (Just a Pit Lass) and featured in two Ken Loach films - Sorry We Missed You and The Old Oak.
• Lorraine Stansbie: Now Sheffield based, Lorraine Stansbie was a student at Northern College when the Strike started. She became a key figure in Barnsley Women Oppose Pit Closures and was a speaker at the 12,000 woman-strong rally at Barnsley Town Hall in 1984.
• Rose Hunter: A key member of the The North Staffs Miner's Wives Action Group, a very active group during 1984/95 and beyond - occupying pits during the final closures in the 1990s and supporting causes across the country to highlight injustice and fight for workers’ rights. The group is still active today.
• Kate Alvey: Part of Chesterfield Women’s Action Group. Was politically active before the Strike and led a women’s group who campaigned for Tony Benn to be elected as MP for Chesterfield in the weeks before the Strike. Chesterfield was the centre of operations for organising support for miners and their families across the Derbyshire area.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen now on SoundCloud or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

As mentioned during the discussion, here are the links to:

• Life On Wheels - Original Comedy Pilot www.youtube.com/@lifeonwheels-footballcomedy
• Simon's Average Joe & The PRO YouTube Golf Channel https://www.youtube.com/@averagejoeANDthepro
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Simon Killick

Simon has recently starred in the new British comedy feature film Time Travel Is Dangerous which was released in Cinemas all over the UK & Ireland in August 2025 after gaining a prestigious 4 star review in the Guardian. It then went on to win Best Comedy Film at the National Film Awards. Simon Played Rick the Landlord along side Sophie Thompson, Jonny Vegas and Jane Horrocks. It is now available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Virgin Media TV.

In late 2023 Simon completed his first lead role in a feature called Little Girl. A horror/thriller following Lucas (a truck driver who tragically lost his daughter). Simon is also a credited comedy writer. Reaching the shortlist for the British Comedy Guide Talent Awards for his episode Celebrity Disorder, from web series Fame Disease Created by Nessa Wrafter. He co-owns the multi award winning TV/Film Production Company Klick Productions where they have two feature films in development and pre-production. 

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, Film Ireland presented Screen Sessions Live, an afternoon of in-depth conversations on craft, career and creativity between talent from the Irish screen industries - made possible with the support of Screen Ireland and hosted by our partners Griffith College.

In this special live podcast recording, graphic artist Annie Atkins (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, Bridge of Spies) is in conversation with production designer, art director, and concept illustrator Jill Beecher (Babylon, Elvis, The Revenant). Both creatives are key voices in the art department on some of Hollywood’s most ambitious and visually distinctive films. In this discussion, Annie and Jill explore the creative realities of working behind the scenes - from collaboration and artistry to problem-solving on set - and discuss how design shapes the stories we see on screen.

Visit Film Ireland here to check out the images mentioned during the discussion: https://www.filmireland.net/screen-sessions-live-podcast-on-design-with-annie-atkins-the-grand-budapest-hotel-jill-beecher-babylon/

Annie Atkins

Annie Atkins has created graphic props and set pieces for multiple Oscar-nominated and winning movies such as Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and The French Dispatch; Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and West Side Story; and the map for the latest Indiana Jones movie, The Dial of Destiny.

Her first book, Fake Love Letters, Forged Telegrams, and Prison Escape Maps, was published by Phaidon and drew critical acclaim as a behind-the-scenes look at film design, winning accolades from Jeff Goldblum, among others: “Annie makes the unreal seem hyperreal, and the real more supremely alive and utterly magical...” Her latest book, Letters from the North Pole, is a children's picture book and is available now.

Jill Beecher

Jill was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1984. She is a production designer, art director, and concept illustrator who has worked across Hollywood productions and local Irish projects (Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, The Revenant, Alien: Covenant, Babylon, Elvis). Jill is now represented by William Morris Endeavour and is a member of the British and American Art Directors Guilds. She is also a visual artist who has exhibited in Europe, America, and Australia.

Subscribe now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify , Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Showkids is set around a very special after-school drama class for talented kids, run by the brilliant but super-intimidating Miss Bethany Jessop (Amy De Bhrún). The show is seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Sam Curtain (Flynn Gray), whose constant daydreaming has begun to cause mayhem in his life. When his parents, Sally & Con (Philippa Dunne & Killian Sundermann), stumble across Miss Jessop’s, they wonder if drama might be the perfect way to harness Sam’s overly active imagination?

An initially reluctant Sam soon realises he’s discovered his tribe – other kids with equally vivid imaginations, inspired by Miss Jessop to use drama to help solve the problems they’re going through in their own lives. As well as experiencing his first, terrifying taste of showbiz, Sam has finally found somewhere he is free to let his cares and dreams run wild – but this time, with a purpose!

Showkids is available to watch now on the RTÉ Player. 

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About Hugh O'Conor

Hugh is an award-winning filmmaker, actor and photographer. He won the 1991 Youth in Film award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the young Christy Brown in the Oscar-winning My Left Foot (1990), and was nominated at the 2001 SAG awards for Best Ensemble for his performance as Pére Henri in the Oscar-nominated Chocolat (2000). In 2013 he won the Irish Times Theatre award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Fool in King Lear at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. 

Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1975, he studied drama at Trinity College, Dublin and film at New York University as a Fulbright scholar. He wrote and directed several shorts with the Irish Film Board, including Corduroy (2010), which was selected for the Generation 14+ programme at the 60th Berlinale. 

His debut feature, Metal Heart (2018), written by the Booker Prize-nominated Paul Murray, and his animated adaptation of Nikolai Gogol!s The Overcoat (2018), directed by Sean Mullen and Meelis Arulep, were award-winners at their premieres at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2018. Metal Heart had its US premiere at the 2019 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where Hugh was nominated for the Panavision Spirit award. The Overcoat, voiced by Cillian Murphy and Alfred Molina, was nominated for Best Short Animation at the 2020 IFTAs, and acquired internationally by Amazon Prime. 

More recently, his short animation Worry World (2023), directed by Jess Patterson, and voiced by Florence Adebambo and Domhnall Gleeson, won the Oscar-qualifying James Horgan award at its premiere at the 2023 Galway Film Fleadh. It went on to win the Audience Award for Best Animated Short at the 2023 Newport Beach Film Festival, and Best Animated Short in 2024 at Animation Dingle, Manchester Film Festival, Boyne Valley International Film Festival, and Best Script at the 2024 Writer’s Guild of Ireland Zebbie awards. 

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Radical Witness Retrospective at Irish Film Institute

After graduating in Fine Art from the Ulster College of Art and Design in 1974, Harkin worked as an art teacher and community worker in socially deprived areas of Derry. She joined Field Day Theatre Company in 1980 as an Assistant Stage Manager on Brian Friel’s Translations, before going on to work as a stage designer for the company.

In 1984, Harkin co-founded Derry Film & Video Workshop with Anne Crilly and Trisha Ziff delivering critical perspectives that ran counter to the censored narratives then broadcast by British and Irish television. The signal works of this period were Mother Ireland (1988), Anne Crilly’s controversial documentary about feminism and Irish republicanism, and Harkin’s own Hush-A-Bye Baby (1990), a feature drama about teenage pregnancy following the 1983 abortion referendum in Ireland.

Harkin established Besom Productions in 1992 making educational films for Channel 4 but her reputation as an astute, local documentarian of injustices was soon forged through a series of highly regarded television documentaries. Her cinema films, the surf documentary Waveriders (2003), by Joel Conroy (which she produced), and Stolen (2023), about the plight of unmarried mothers in Ireland in the 20th century, provided thoroughly researched, compelling accounts of their subjects. Margo Harkin is a member of Aosdána. Her work has won countless awards and is widely taught to third-level film and media students.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First, Mo O’Connell chats with actor Carolyn Bracken about their feature Horseshoe, which is released in cinemas on 5th December. Mo, an accomplished actor herself, and a producer on the award-winning family dramedy, chats with about their Carolyn about their exciting new indie film.

Then, contributor Hayley Jorja sits down with IFTA-nominated filmmaker Nathan Fagan to discuss his short animated documentary Inside, The Valley Sings, which has qualified for the 98th Academy Awards® and won Best Animated Short Film at the Dublin International Film Festival. The film follows three prisoners trapped in prolonged solitary confinement, who seek comfort and escape in the boundless landscapes of their imaginations. (Starting at 19:38)

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

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Mo O'Connell is a RADA-trained, multi-award-winning actor and filmmaker. She is the founder and head of both 3 Hot Whiskeys Films and the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival. Earlier this year, she was awarded Completion Funding from Screen Ireland for the feature film Horseshoe, which she co-produced with Wavewalker Films and 3 Hot Whiskeys Prods. In the past year, she completed the Screen Ireland Creative Leaders Course led by Stephen Fagan and Fiona Flynn and was selected by the Catalyst International Film Festival for their new Screenwriting Lab for Emerging Writers. Mo has made over 12 short films and produced and directed her own multi-award-winning comedy feature-length film, SPA Weekend, which won the 'She is on Fire' Award at its world premiere at the Female Filmmakers Film Festival Berlin in 2019. Mo's most recent films as director,Haven and Bruise, have won numerous awards on the festival circuit, with Mo also winning the Pitching Award at the Galway Film Fleadh 2022 for Haven. She was awarded a Distinction for her studies for the Diploma in Advanced Producing, ratified by Screen Ireland and TU Dublin University, and was selected by the Advanced Producers Programme to partake in the prestigious Lord David Puttnam Scholarship.

Carolyn Bracken

Carolyn has worked in films such as the IFTA award- winning ODDITY (for which she received an IFTA nomination for Best Lead Actress), the IFTA nominated You Are Not My Mother by Kate Dolan and Oscar nominated An Cailín Ciúin by Colm Bairéad. TV works includes RTE's The Gone, BBC's WRECK, and BBC's Dublin Murders. Upcoming work includes the leading role in Andrea Corsini's Beasts of Prey for Emmy award-winning EDI (Effetti Digitali Italiani) and Cara Holmes feature documentary Lesbian Lines for Keeper Films.

Horseshoe

All Families Are Mad…Not least the Canavans. A drama comedy with a twist set in the wild West of Ireland. When Colm, the head of the family, dies, there are few who mourn his passing, not even his four estranged adult children. But the legalities of his will must be observed and more than one Canavan sibling is harbouring secrets. As the Canavans return to the family home, the fate of the family unit, their sanity and the Canavan estate all hang in the balance.

In cinemas 5th December 2025.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First, we catch up with director Daire Collins to discuss Beo Faoin Bhfód (Buried Alive), the story of two Irish daredevils who vied for the world record for the longest time spent buried alive, which recently aired on TG4 and is now available to stream on the TG4 Player.

Beo Faoin Bhfód (Buried Alive) was supported by Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound & Vision Scheme, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. 

Then, actor and musician Olivia Phoenix sits down with award-winning photographer and filmmaker Ian Thuillier to talk about his moving Oscar-qualifying documentary Conflicted, in which two mothers - one Israeli, one Palestinian - confront the unimaginable loss of their children. Through grief they find the courage to meet, forgive, and work together for peace.

Listen now on  SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Daire Collins

Daire is an Irish documentary filmmaker and animator whose work explores humanity’s enduring fascination with legacy. Before moving into creative documentaries, he worked as a multimedia journalist for major international outlets including Channel 4 News, BBC, HuffPost and AJ+. Daire’s shift into creative filmmaking began in 2020, just as the world shut down. That year he directed his first creative short documentary, For Emergency Use Only, for The New Yorker magazine. Inspired by a childhood experience that echoed the collective fear of the pandemic, the film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2021.

In the years that followed, Daire undertook a self-taught crash course in cinema, supported by several acclaimed development schemes. He was selected for the Documentary Campus Masterschool in 2022 and has pitched his feature projects at the Galway Film Fleadh, Docs Ireland and DOK Leipzig. In 2024, Daire directed Beo Faoin Bhfód. Supported by TG4 and Coimisiún na Meán, the film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh before screening at the Irish Film Institute Documentary Festival, OFFline Film Festival, IndieCork and KIFF, culminating in a television broadcast in November 2025.

His debut feature film, The Fool or The Holyman - a Swiss-Irish co-production - begins production in May 2025. His second feature documentary, The Sperm King, is currently in development; supported by Screen Ireland, it was showcased at several festivals throughout 2024. In 2025, Daire founded Paper Mountain Films Ltd, a production company dedicated to developing his own creative work. Paper Mountain also operates in the commercial and branded content space, bringing a distinctively empathetic, documentary-led approach to every project.

Ian Thuillier

Ian is an award winning photographer and documentary maker based in Bray, Co. Wicklow. Past documentaries include Ladies and Gentlemen, Gavin Friday and Ghost Blues – The Rory Gallagher Story. Both documentaries include interviews by Ian with Edge and Bono of U2, Johnny Marr, Slash and Bob Geldof to name but a few. His 2003 debut documentary Darkroom about his late brother, the fine art photographer Harry Thuillier Jnr, won best documentary at the Boston Irish Film Festival and Ian was also nominated for an IFTA award for Best New Talent.

His recent short film called Driven was selected for the Cork Independent Film Festival, IndieLisboa 2014 and Glasgow Short Film Festival. Driven also won an Honourable Mention Award at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival. 2013 saw Thuillier travel to Cambodia and Thailand where he made a photographic study of the Monks of Angkor Wat and the Sea Gypsies of southern Thailand.

2015 saw Thuillier selected from over 100,000 photographers worldwide for the finals of the Sony World Photography awards.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

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First up, festival director Mo O’Connell talks through this year’s jam-packed programme.

Then we have a live recording from the first heat of the DICFF stand-up competition, held earlier this year in collaboration with Culture 8 and the Dublin Liberties Distillery.

Finally, Film Ireland contributor Rachel Melita is in conversation with actor, writer, and filmmaker Laoisa Sexton. Laoisa’s short I Can't Go On screens as part of Shorts Block F on Friday, 29th November.

Listen to this podcast now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Soundcloud, Acast or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode has been made possible with the support of Coimisiún na Meán and the Screen Ireland Stakeholder’s Scheme.

As Mo mentions in the podcast, here is the GoFundMe link to support Haneen Koraz, as she empowers the children of Gaza through art. 

Here's the link to support Aisling & her three boys, Ted, Sonny & Max. 

Festival Director Mo O’Connell 

The festival is the brainchild of Maureen “Mo” O’Connell, an award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer. Mo is co-producer on the dramedy Horseshoe, which will be released in cinemas this December. The filmmaking duo behind Horseshoe first met Mo through DICFF, after submitting their short to the festival.

Mo’s own debut comedy feature, Spa Weekend, has been a hit both at home and internationally, screening at festivals across the UK, Europe, the US, Canada, and Ireland. It won the ‘She Is On Fire’ Award at the Female Filmmakers Festival in Berlin. She has also received multiple awards for directing shorts including Haven, Bruise, and Hum.

Mo is the founder and head of the multi–award-winning company 3 Hot Whiskeys Productions Ltd., and was recently nominated for the TU Dublin TrailblazHer Awards in the Future Leader 2025 category.

Laoisa Sexton

Laoisa is an actress, writer and filmmaker originally from County Clare. She won a green card in school lotto which took her to study drama in New York City. Onstage, she has worked extensively in prominent Off Broadway theaters including Irish Repertory Theater (where she is a company member), Irish Arts Center, Labyrinth, The Actor's Studio, Symphony Space, 59E59 and more. She has also appeared in prestigious regional theaters across the US amongst them The Guthrie, Minneapolis and Studio Theater, Washington DC. She wrote and performed three of her own plays, all of them received Off Broadway productions in New York: For Love and The Last Days of Cleopatra (both received 5* NY Times Critics Picks), and The Pigeon in The Taj Mahal with further productions in Ireland and Canada. Her fourth play Blessed Art Thou Amongst Women received the Agility Award from the Arts Council.Laoisa has appeared in many independent films and TV appearances in the US and Ireland.  Laoisa wrote, acted and directed the short films- I didn’t... I wasn’t ...I amn’t, featuring veteran Irish actor Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) . The film premiered at Cork International Film Festival and picked up multiple awards internationally, and was nominated for a ZEBBIE Award by the Writer's Guild. The Lucky Man premiered at Galway Film Fleadh and won multiple awards at Bafta recognized LOCO London Comedy Film Festival picking up Best Short, Best Script and Best Actor in 2023, and was broadcast on RTE ShortScreen. Laoisa received Screen Ireland funding for her third short film I Can't Go On which premiered at Galway Film Fleadh. Laoisa is represented by RBM Actors in London. 

This year’s line-up includes over 50 comedy films, sketches, live stand-up, script readings, Q&As, competitions, and a brilliant final awards ceremony. Explore the full programme at dublininternationalcomedyfilmfest.com or buy your festival pass here.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme, the State of the Arts series explores the creative processes, industry challenges, and new opportunities that both Irish and international creatives face in today’s ever-evolving artistic landscapes.

In this conversation, DeKnight reflects on his journey breaking into the entertainment industry as a writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He discusses his work writing, directing, and producing on iconic series such as Angel, Smallville, and Dollhouse, before creating the hit show Spartacus for Starz and showrunning season one of Marvel’s Daredevil. He also talks about making his feature directorial debut with Pacific Rim: Uprising and his return to the Spartacus universe with the upcoming Spartacus: House of Ashur. 

Listen to this podcast now on Apple, Spotify, Soundcloud, Podbean, Deezer, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts here. 

Steven S. DeKnight

Steven attended the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and went on to earn an M.F.A. in playwriting from UCLA. He got his start in the entertainment industry as a staff writer on the groundbreaking television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He then wrote, directed, and produced on the series Angel, Smallville, and Dollhousebefore creating and running the hit series Spartacus for the premium cable channel Starz. From there he went on to executive produce and showrun season one of the acclaimed Marvel/Netflix series Daredevil. He made his feature directorial debut with Pacific Rim: Uprising, the sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s international hit. He is currently the creator/executive producer of Spartacus: House of Ashur, a Spartacus spinoff series for Lionsgate/Starz. 

A lover of comic books since before he could read, DeKnight has penned issues of Wolverine, Black Widow, and Conan the Barbarian for Marvel. He has also recently published his first two original graphic novels: Hard Bargain, a 1940’s supernatural detective noir for the acclaimed French comic book company Humanoids and, Beneath, a tense, socially relevant horror story for Comixology/Amazon.

Des Doyle

Des is a D.I.T. graduate who spent fifteen years working in the Camera Department in the Irish film industry before moving into directing. He is the writer/director of the critically acclaimed feature documentary Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show, featuring JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost, Fringe), Robert and Michelle King (The Good Wife), Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) and Bill Prady (he Big Bang Theory) amongst others. He has created a number of courses in conjunction with Screen Ireland over the last few years, which provide breakdowns of all the major US and international streaming networks and what their evolving programming needs may be. He also initiated the Pitching Programme for TV Drama and Comedy with Screen Ireland, giving a selected group of writers the opportunity to pitch directly to some of the major Irish production companies based on briefs they provide, and created the LA Writers Room Placements scheme, which allowed Irish writers to travel to LA and spend time in real-world US TV series writers’ rooms.He has also lectured on Showrunning, US TV Production and the Future of Content at USC Los Angeles, Rowan University Philadelphia, Scriptmakers Berlin, APIT TV Producers Conference Lisbon, Northern Ireland Screen, IADT Dublin, Writers Guild of Ireland and as part of the recent Greenlight Screenwriting Labs in Galway.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First, we chat with Dominique Green, Artistic Director of Dinard, who shares insights into the festival’s vision, programming, and what makes it such a unique event on the film calendar.

At the festival, Associate Editor Gemma Creagh caught up with writer/director Damian McCann to talk about his gripping feature Aontas, where three unlikely women rob a rural Irish Credit Union. Listen back to their conversation for a deep dive into the film’s themes and creative process.

Finally, we sit down with writer/director Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor to discuss her powerful debut feature Dreamers, exploring ambition, belonging, and the pursuit of hope.

You can listen to this podcast directly on Apple, Spotify, Acast, and Soundcloudor subscribe to Film Ireland on this list of other hosting platforms.

Aontas

Three unlikely thieves, led by a woman on the verge of a breakdown, rob a rural Irish Credit Union. Opening in the tragic aftermath of the heist-gone-wrong, the story uses reverse chronology to unravel the events that led to this point. What starts as a poorly executed robbery becomes a portrait of a wilful woman trapped in her own past. Aontas is about the choices that change our path, the moments we get trapped in, and how we are prisoners of our memories.

Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor 

Joy founded Joi Productions in 2016. In 2019, she produced the breakout hit BLUE STORY, which became the highest-grossing film of its genre. That same year, she was recognised as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow and a BAFTA Breakthrough. In 2021, she produced Aml Ameen’s rom-com debut BOXING DAY, the UK’s first all-Black Christmas film.

In 2022 Joy produced CHAMPION for BBC and Netflix. In 2024, she made her debut as a writer-director with DREAMERS, backed by BBC Film. The film premiered at the 75th Berlinale Film Festival in 2025, earning a Teddy Award nomination for Best Feature Film. Additionally, she produced FLORID and ANIMOL, further cementing Joy's reputation for producing groundbreaking storytelling.

About Dinard British and Irish Film Festival

The Dinard British and Irish Film Festival is an annual celebration of cinema that takes place in the coastal town of Dinard, Brittany. Now in its 36th year, the festival showcases the best of contemporary British and Irish filmmaking, highlighting emerging talent alongside established voices. Known for its warm hospitality and discerning audiences, Dinard provides a unique platform for filmmakers to connect with international industry figures and audiences in France.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme, the State of the Arts series explores the creative processes, industry challenges, and new opportunities that both Irish and international creatives face in today’s ever-evolving artistic landscapes.

In this conversation, Doyle shares insights into her creative journey, from inspirations, to the practical aspects of building emotionally rich, imaginative worlds for young readers to co-authoring the bestselling Twin Crowns trilogy. She discusses her journey, becoming successful, and gives helpful insight into how she managed to pen 13 books in a decade.

Listen to this podcast now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Soundcloud, Acast, Podtail and Deezer. 

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Catherine Doyle

Catherine Doyle lives in the West of Ireland. Her award-winning and internationally bestselling work, which includes middle grade and young adult fiction, has been published in 30 languages. Her No.1 Sunday Times and New York Times Bestselling YA novel, The Dagger and the Flame, published in September 2024. The sequel, The Rebel and the Rose, followed in 2025. She is the co-author of the bestselling YA trilogy, Twin Crowns, Cursed Crowns and Burning Crowns, alongside Katherine Weber, as well as the Blood for Blood mafia trilogy, Vendetta, Inferno and Mafiosa. Her children’s fiction includes the Storm Keeper trilogy and The Miracle on Ebenezer Street.

Des Doyle

Des is a D.I.T. graduate who spent fifteen years working in the Camera Department in the Irish film industry before moving into directing. He is the writer/director of the critically acclaimed feature documentary Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show, featuring JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost, Fringe), Robert and Michelle King (The Good Wife), Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) and Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory) amongst others.

He has created a number of courses in conjunction with Screen Ireland over the last few years, which provide breakdowns of all the major US and international streaming networks and what their evolving programming needs may be.

He also initiated the Pitching Programme for TV Drama and Comedy with Screen Ireland, giving a selected group of writers the opportunity to pitch directly to some of the major Irish production companies based on briefs they provide, and created the LA Writers Room Placements scheme, which allowed Irish writers to travel to LA and spend time in real-world US TV series writers’ room

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this discussion, Donnelly shares his experience and insight, having directed and produced some of the world’s most successful television series, including global hits such as Amazon’s The Wheel of Time, Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla, and MGM/History’s Vikings.

I

Listen to this podcast now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Soundcloud, Podtail, Podbean and Deezer. 

Ciarán Donnelly

Ciarán is a BAFTA and multiple IFTA award-winning filmmaker who has directed and produced some of the world’s biggest TV shows, including global phenomena such as Amazon’s The Wheel of Time, Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla and MGM/History’s Vikings.

He co-created and exec produced the acclaimed Irish crime drama series Kin(starring Daredevil’s Charlie Cox) for AMC+, which also became a breakout hit on RTÉ, BBC and Netflix, and has created the new series Sarah Says, which he is co-producing with the UK’s Vertigo Films.

He has been at the forefront of groundbreaking television for nearly twenty years. Other notable credits include directing multiple episodes of The Tudors, EP/Director on Disney’s Harley and the Davidsons, NBC’s Crossbones starring John Malkovich, along with ABC’s Once Upon a Time and 3 Arts’ Titanic: Blood and Steel starring Neve Campbell.

He is currently directing the new Netflix original series Grown Ups – based on the Marian Keyes novel – which is now filming in Dublin, as well as writing and developing new film and TV projects under his own banner, T4 Productions.

Des Doyle

Des is a D.I.T. graduate who spent fifteen years working in the Camera Department in the Irish film industry before moving into directing. He is the writer/director of the critically acclaimed feature documentary Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show, featuring JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost, Fringe), Robert and Michelle King (The Good Wife), Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) and Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory) amongst others.

He has created a number of courses in conjunction with Screen Ireland over the last few years, which provide breakdowns of all the major US and international streaming networks and what their evolving programming needs may be.

He also initiated the Pitching Programme for TV Drama and Comedy with Screen Ireland, giving a selected group of writers the opportunity to pitch directly to some of the major Irish production companies based on briefs they provide, and created the LA Writers Room Placements scheme, which allowed Irish writers to travel to LA and spend time in real-world US TV series writers’ rooms.

He has also lectured on Showrunning, US TV Production and the Future of Content at USC Los Angeles, Rowan University Philadelphia, Scriptmakers Berlin, APIT TV Producers Conference Lisbon, Northern Ireland Screen, IADT Dublin, Writers Guild of Ireland and as part of the recent Greenlight Screenwriting Labs in Galway.

He is currently developing a new documentary series, which is a US/Irish co-production, as well as providing creative consultancy services to Irish producers, writers and directors with projects targeting the US or global streaming markets.

He is also the co-founder of Destination TV along with Ciarán Donnelly, a creative skills live events company that recently brought Oscar and Emmy-nominated writer/director/showrunner Jonathan Nolan to Dublin for a masterclass.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

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Dubbed “the Woodstock of Gore” by Guillermo del Toro, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is the UK’s leading horror and fantasy film festival. A seasoned film and television publicist, Greg Day has worked with icons such as Dario Argento and George A. Romero, represented Columbia Pictures, and served as Head of Entertainment Publicity at Channel 4. After Greg, we hear from comedian and magician-turned-filmmaker Ali Cook, who discusses The Pearl Comb, his fantastical mermaid-themed short.

Then, Scottish filmmaker Paul Boyd joins us to talk about Scared to Death, his darkly comic haunted house feature, which had its international premiere at the festival.

The 26th FrightFest edition takes place in the heart of London's Leicester Square and runs 21st - 25th August 2025.

https://www.frightfest.co.uk/

THE PEARL COMB

Director: Ali Cook. Cast: Beatie Edney, Ali Cook, Simon Armstrong, Clara Paget, Roxana Cook, Thomas Stocker. UK 2024. 21 min. A doctor – hell bent on proving a woman’s place is in the home and not practising medicine – discovers the source of a woman’s unearthly power when investigating her miraculous claim to be the first person to cure tuberculosis.

SCARED TO DEATH

Director Paul Boyd. Cast: Lin Shaye, Bill Moseley, Rae Dawn Chong, Olivier Paris. USA 2024. 1h38m N/C 18+ Thanks to Brick Lane Entertainment Jasper is a young opportunistic filmmaker yearning to climb the Hollywood ladder. Working as a lowly production assistant, he seizes his chance to be a ‘real’ director when he suggests to his cantankerous boss that the crew and actors from their upcoming horror film attend an actual séance in an old, haunted house for research. They choose an abandoned children’s shelter closed for 70 years since the mysterious murders of five children in 1942, apparently discovered scared to death. Once the séance begins, the motley crew find themselves trapped and haunted by the children . . . and something possibly worse.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

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Listen back as cinematographer Alba Fernandez, producer and screenwriter Philip Emo, and director and screenwriter Hiram Harrington talk about craft, career and what makes a film great.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

starGAZE

GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival has announced the second year of their professional development programme starGAZE, supporting by the National Talent Academies. The initiative supports six emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers. starGAZE provides a platform for LGBTQIA talent through an internationally recognised film festival by giving participants access to Irish and international creatives, full festival access and a mentorship with an established LGBTQIA filmmaker.

Philip Emo

Philip Emo is an emerging film producer and screenwriter with a portfolio of award-winning short films featured at renowned international film festivals. A graduate of the NFS at IADT, he gained acclaim for producing Breastfriends, a short film that won Best Irish Short Film at the GAZE Film Festival and has amassed over a million views online. In 2023, Philip co-founded the production company All My Friends with Killian Casey. Their inaugural short film, This is Not An Attack on Your Parenting, has screened at film festivals worldwide. Their next project, His House, Home, has been selected for Screen Ireland’s Focus Shorts Funding. He was also a recipient of the starGAZE programme, a new professional talent development initiative run by the GAZE Film Festival and the National Talent Academy. All My Friends' first feature film, Fishing, has received early-stage development funding from the Incubator scheme run by X Pollinator.

Hiram Harrington

Hiram Harrington is a macabre screenwriter and director from North Dublin. Holding an MA in Directing from the MetFilm School Berlin, he currently works between a box office and his creative practice as a writer and director for short films and music videos. His horror/thriller short film, "GLORY,HOLE", premiered at the GAZE International LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2023 and is currently screening at festivals worldwide. In 2021, he was awarded a Virgin Media Discovers development fund, and in 2022, was a finalist writer in RTÉ’s Storyland for his queer heist dramedy script "Goodnight Girl", co-created with award-winning director Janna Kemperman. It is now in the early stages of development as a limited series with Escape Pod Media and Screen Ireland, and was selected for the 2024 Torino Film Festival SeriesLab programme. Hiram was selected for X-Pollinator (Screen Ireland's network for female, trans, and non-binary filmmakers), Element Pictures' inaugural StoryHouse LAB, and First Cut! Youth Film Festival's Youth Music Video Competition. At present, Hiram is participating in the Transilvania International Film Festival Full Moon Creative Lab developing a horror mystery television series. He also writes episodes of RTÉ's Fair City.

Alba Fernandez

Alba Fernandez is a cinematographer based in Dublin. Having graduated from the National Film School of Ireland in 2017 she has quickly become one of Ireland’s most prolific female cinematographers with a staggering 60 shorts in the past 5 years. In 2021, she won the Best Cinematography award at the Galway Film Fleadh for her work in FAITÍOS and has since garnered recognition at the European Cinematography Awards for her work on ANIMAL (2023), STABLE (2023), CALLUS (2023) and GILLYFISH (2024). Alba is currently being mentored by Irish cinematographer Kate McCullough (The Quiet Girl, 2022).

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

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Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

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In this episode of The DocArena Podcast, Ross Whitaker talks to Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie about their film Sugarcane.

A tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, Sugarcane, the debut feature documentary from Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie, is an epic cinematic portrait of a community during a moment of international reckoning. In 2021, evidence of unmarked graves was discovered on the grounds of an Indian residential school run by the Catholic Church in Canada. After years of silence, the forced separation, assimilation and abuse many children experienced at these segregated boarding schools was brought to light, sparking a national outcry against a system designed to destroy Indigenous communities. Set amidst a groundbreaking investigation, SUGARCANE illuminates the beauty of a community breaking cycles of intergenerational trauma and finding the strength to persevere.

In cinemas from 20th September 2024 and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu.

Julian Brave NoiseCat

Julian is a writer, filmmaker and student of Salish art and history. His first documentary, SUGARCANE, directed alongside Emily Kassie, follows an investigation into abuse and missing children at the Indian residential school NoiseCat’s family was sent to near Williams Lake, British Columbia. A proud member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq'escen and descendant of the Lil'Wat Nation of Mount Currie, he is concurrently finishing his first book, We Survived the Night, which will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in North America, Profile Books in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, Albin Michel in France and Aufbau Verlag in Germany. NoiseCat’s journalism has appeared in dozens of publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The New Yorker and has been recognized with many awards including the 2022 American Mosaic Journalism Prize. In 2021, NoiseCat was named to the TIME100 Next list of emerging leaders alongside the starting point guard of his fantasy basketball team, Luka Doncic. Before turning to filmmaking, NoiseCat was a political strategist, analyst and organizer.

Emily Kassie

Emily is an Emmy® and Peabody®-nominated investigative journalist and filmmaker. Kassie shoots, directs and reports stories on geopolitical conflict, humanitarian crises, corruption and the people caught in the crossfire. Her work for The New York Times, PBS Frontline, Netflix, and others ranges from drug and weapons trafficking in the Saharan desert, to immigrant detention in the United States. In 2021, she smuggled into Taliban territory with PBS Newshour correspondent Jane Ferguson to report on their imminent siege of Kabul and targeted killing of female leaders. Her work has been honored with multiple Edward R. Murrow, World Press Photo and National Press Photographers awards. Her multimedia feature on the economic exploitation of the Syrian and West African refugee crises won the Overseas Press Club Award and made her the youngest person to win a National Magazine award. She previously oversaw visual journalism at Highline, Huffington Post’s investigative magazine, and at The Marshall Project. Kassie was named to Forbes 30 under 30 in 2020 and is a 2023 New America fellow. Her first documentary, I Married My Family’s Killer, following couples in post-genocide Rwanda, won a Student Academy Award in 2015.

• Ross Whitaker is a documentary filmmaker (Katie, The Boys in Green, Between Land and Sea) and is a former editor of Film Ireland Magazine and programmer of the IFI Dublin Documentary Film Festival @RossWhitakerTV
• Podcast music composed by michaelflemingmusic.com 

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

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Zoë Gibney.

Zoë completed her debut short film, I Found A Place, which she wrote and directed, starring Brian Gleeson, Bríd Ní Neactain and Enda Oates.I Found A Place received development funding from Screen Ireland and Virgin Media as part of the Virgin Media Discovers Awards.She had previously made it to the finals in 2021 with Screen Ireland and Virgin Media for her script The Day She Caught The Train.

Zoë grew up immersed in Irish film and theatre communities. With 25 years experience in the film industry, both in front of and behind camera, spending the last 13 years as a makeup and effects artist. Having spent years working with some of the best directors in film, (including Martin McDonagh, Tim Mielants, Yorgos Lanthimos, Jim Sheridan & Whit Stillman). Zoë’s education in film, writing and directing has been through on set experience and osmosis! It took the pandemic and a long length away from set for Zoë to eventually start to share her writing.

Trevor Whelan

Trevor is an Irish director, writer and cinematographer with a passion for documentary filmmaking. Having worked in the camera department on numerous films, TV series and commercials, Trevor has learned from some of the world’s best filmmakers.

Trevor focuses on creating compelling and inspirational stories conveying strong messages. With a small, highly skilled crew he succeeds in delivering captivating cinematic work that is outstanding in the global forum. His previous short documentary films have toured many international film festivals in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, Paris, London, Dublin and Cannes. Trevor received nominations at the YDA Cannes, Kinsale Sharks and was an award winner at the 2018 Dublin International Film Festival, receiving the Discovery Award for Directing, 2019 Irish Emerging Director Awards, 2019 Coronado Islands Film Festival Emerald Award and Best film at the 2020 Paris Film Festival.

Maeve McGrath

From Limerick, Maeve is currently the Director of Programming at the Galway Film Fleadh. Maeve studied Theatre Studies in Trinity College, has a Masters in Media Studies and is Producer/Director at Dromglen Productions. Previous work includes Artistic Director of the Kerry Film Festival, Producer at the Carlow Arts Festival, Short Film Programmer at Dublin International Film Festival, Producer for the Change Makers Conference for the Arts Council of Ireland, Curator of Tiny Little Histories for The GAFF and Project Manager at Creative Communities Midwest.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

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Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

In cinemas from 5th July 2024.

Starring: Ollie West, David O’Hara, Éanna Hardwicke, Aisling O’Sullivan, Isabelle Connolly, Dara Devaney and Mark O’Halloran 

Wild teen Kevin Coyle grapples with guilt over a deadly secret. As his world unravels and consequences mount, Kevin is pushed to confront the truth in a heart-wrenching climax that will change him forever.

AWARDS 

• Best First Irish Feature, 34th Galway Film Fleadh
• Punto Enuentro Audience Award, Seminici Film Festival, Valladolid
• Best Sound, IFTA winner
• Best Lead Actor, Ollie West IFTA nominee

Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland in association with RTÉ and Coimisiún na Meán / Broadcasting Authority of Ireland

Michael Kinirons is an Irish screenwriter and director. He studied, amongst other places, at the National Film and Television School, (NFTS) London and the Torino Film Lab, and is an alumnus of the Berlin Talent Campus. His first produced feature as screenwriter - STRANGERLAND (an Australian set mystery drama starring NICOLE KIDMAN, HUGO WEAVING and JOE FIENNES) had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2015.

In 2022, Michael made THE SPARROW, his debut film as writer/director. The film won Best First Feature at the Galway Film Fleadh, the audience award at Seminci FF, Valladolid and went on to win an IFTA. Kinirons’ short films have mostly been funded through Screen Ireland and have had successful runs on the international festival circuit with LOWLAND FELL winning the Special Jury Prize at the Seattle Int’l Film Festival in 2009 among other awards.

Producer, writer, and director Alicia Ní Ghráinne is founder and CEO of Tiger Darling since 2016. She has produced four shorts and two features: The Sparrow (2022) and Five and a Half Love Stories in an Apartment in Vilnius (2023), a Lithuanian-Latvian co-production. Both features won European awards, including Best First Feature at Galway Film Fleadh and Best Film in The Rebel With a Cause section at Black Nights, Tallinn. Alicia is developing a slate for 2024/25 and was selected for the Rotterdam Film Lab 2024.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

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Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to The DocArena Podcast in association with Film Ireland. My name is Ross Whitaker and every fortnight, I want to dig deeply into the motivations of documentary filmmakers – how do they choose their subject material and what approaches and strategies do they employ to fund, craft and distribute their work…

Ransom '79 tells the story of legendary Irish reporter Charlie Bird and his determination to break one final story before his life is cut short by Motor Neurone Disease. Charlie's sources have given him an extraordinary true crime story, one that had remained secret for decades - the attempt by a criminal gang to extort millions from the Irish government. The disease has already taken Charlie's voice. But clever use of technology means he can still do interviews - using a voice app on his ipad - and, even as his strength falters, he keeps chasing the story.Ransom '79 charts Charlie’s investigation and reconstructs a scarcely-believable sequence of events that led from farce to tragedy, in a very different Ireland. But beneath it all, the film is an exploration of how one man confronting his own mortality can find respite in doing the thing he loves, even in the most terrible of circumstances.

Ransom '79 is directed by Colm Quinn and is produced by John Kelleher and David Power with backing from Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, Virgin Media, Derrin Group and S481.

In cinemas 24th May 2024.

Check out DocArena episodes here

Ross Whitaker is a documentary filmmaker (Katie, The Boys in Green, Between Land and Sea) and is a former editor of Film Ireland Magazine and programmer of the IFI Dublin Documentary Film Festival @RossWhitakerTV

Podcast music composed by michaelflemingmusic.com

Ross Whitaker is a producer and/or director of the feature documentaries Beat the Lotto (2025), Katie (2018), Between Land and Sea (2016), Unbreakable (2014) and Saviours (2007). His recent work includes the TV documentaries This Is Open Country (2025) for NBC/Sky, Birdsong (2024) for RTÉ (+ BBC, ARTE), Rachael Blackmore: A Grand Year (2021) for ITV/RTÉ, Barney Curley Beat the Bookies (2021) for BBC/RTÉ and The Boys in Green (2020) for RTÉ. His short documentaries include the award-winning Bye Bye Now (2009) and Home Turf (2011), as well as the documentary commercial Sleeping Flags (2019), which won prestigious D&AD and Cannes Lions Awards. He is a former festival director of IFI DocFest and editor of Film Ireland magazine.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

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So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.