Film Ireland Podcast

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In the latest episode of the State of the Arts podcast ( @sotapod) , filmmaker and writer Des Doyle sits down with acclaimed television creator, writer, and showrunner Shawn Ryan to discuss his journey from playwriting in Illinois to creating some of the most influential drama series in modern television. Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through...

In this Film Ireland Podcast, contributor Will Penn chats with Irish-American harpist Joy Shannon, who's preparing to shoot a documentary in Ireland.  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...

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

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

In our latest podcast, Naemi Victoria chats with director Kathryn Ferguson about her short film Nostalgie, which is nominated for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award, as well as being nominated in the Best Short Film category at the 2026 Irish Film & Television Awards. Nostalgie stars Aidan Gillen and features original songs and a score by Dan Smith, the Grammy-nominate...

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we’re delighted to partner with the National Talent Academy of Film & TV Drama, an initiative of Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann, managed by Ardán. 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 ). Th...

In this Film Ireland Podcast, supported by Screen Ireland, we’re delighted to be chatting once again with director, screenwriter and novelist John Butler. 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,...

In this Film Ireland Podcast, we are delighted to welcome a very special guest host, Mark Hernandez. He will be speaking with Emmy-winning filmmaker Marissa Aroy, discussing her inspiration, career and creative processes.  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), i...

Taking place on 30th - 31st January at Griffith College Dublin, the Imbolg Women Who Terrify Film Festival celebrates women who terrify, both on screen and behind the camera. In today's podcast we catch up four of the wonderful filmmakers whose work is screening at the festival. Marjo Viitala, I Remember You - Strand A Margaret Kane-Rowe, ShadowFable - Strand A Nadia Moosa, In the S...

In this podcast - which was recorded last year - academic and journalist Naemi Victoria chats with filmmaker Daniel Draper about his documentary Iron Ladies , which will screen in the Nerve Centre on 30th January 2026. 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...

In this podcast, we catch up with actor, writer and director Simon Killick, who plays sketchy landlord Rick in the comedian-laden, zany sci-fi  Time Travel Is Dangerous . Now based in Ireland, Simon chats about his craft, career and his fantastic slate of upcoming creative projects. Listen now on  SoundCloud or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts . As mentioned durin...

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 Disp...

In the latest episode of the State of the Arts podcast (@sotapod), filmmaker and writer Des Doyle sits down with executive producer, director and writer Neasa Hardiman to discuss her expansive career across feature film and television, and her transition to working on large-scale, big-budget streamer projects. Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland th...

In this podcast, we catch up once again with actor, writer and filmmaker Hugh O’Conor, whose quasi-autobiographical comedy series  Showkids  - co-written with Amy Stephenson and Shane Langan - is available to watch on RTÉ. We talk with Hugh about his expansive career, from performance and working with the greats at a young age, to training at NYU, and his move into directing features, an...

In this episode of Film Ireland Presents, we chat with Margo Harkin, an accomplished and masterful filmmaker who has been directing and producing fiction and documentary work for over forty years. Her films span all aspects of life on the island of Ireland, from chronicling Northern Ireland’s political history, to examining the systemic oppression of women, to exploring the healing power...

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we celebrate two great new Irish films. 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 Hayle...

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, supported by Coimisiún na Meán, we shine a light on two powerful new documentaries. 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&n...

In this Film Ireland Podcast, we’re shining a spotlight on the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival (DICFF), which returns for its sixth edition from 27th - 30th November, to Tailors’ Hall, The Liberties. 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...

In the latest episode of the  State of the Arts Podcast , host, filmmaker and writer Des Doyle chats with Steven S.DeKnight, acclaimed screenwriter, director, producer, and creator/showrunner behind some of the most influential genre series of the past two decades. Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Sch...

In today’s Film Ireland podcast, we are delighted to partner with two wonderful film festivals. Last month at the Dinard British & Irish Film Festival, we caught up with acclaimed actor Bríd Brennan to talk about her extraordinary career on stage and screen, as well as her powerful performance as Cait in her latest film, Aontas. We’ll also be reporting live next week from the Foyle Film Festival,...

In this Film Ireland Podcast, we're delighted to partner with the Cork International Film Festival, which runs until the 16th of November. In this very special episode, we highlight some of the standout films in this year’s line-up. First, IMRO Award-winning journalist and reviewer Yuliia Riabova speaks with Aurélie Godet, Cork International Film Festival’s Director of Programming, about this year...

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we are delighted to once again partner with the Dinard British and Irish Film Festival, which held its 36th edition last month in the picturesque seaside town of Dinard, Brittany. 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...

In the latest episode of the  State of the Arts Podcast , host, filmmaker and writer Des Doyle chats with Catherine Doyle, internationally bestselling and award-winning author of  The Dagger and the Flame  and  The Storm Keeper  trilogy. Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme, the...

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we’re celebrating filmmaking, storytelling, and cinema across the island of Ireland - with a special focus on the Belfast Film Festival, which runs from October 30th to November 8th. We begin with Rose Baker, Head Programmer of the festival, who shares insights into this year’s exciting lineup. Then, we’re joined by writer-director Stroma Cairns, whose...