Film Ireland Podcast

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...

In this Film Ireland podcast, Conor Bryce talks to Writer Rodney Lee & Director Bonnie Dempsey about their live-action family thriller TV series 'The Unreal'. Originally commissioned by RTE, series 2 begins airing October 26th. In the first series, the Kelly family discovered they were actually fictional characters who had escaped from a 1980s TV sitcom into the real world. Now, one year later, th...

In this debut episode of the  State of the Arts Podcast , host filmmaker and writer Des Doyle chats with Ciarán Donnelly, BAFTA and multiple IFTA award-winning Director/Producer, and co-creator of  Kin.  Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme, the series explores the creative processes, ind...

The episode features filmmaker John Kelly, whose animated short Retirement Plan - winner of both the Jury and Audience Awards at SXSW - continues its successful festival run with a screening at Dinard. Our contributor Tanvi Gawali speaks with John about the film’s journey and creative process. We also hear from Myrid Carten, discussing her powerful documentary A Want in Her , which screened at the...

There was a lot to celebrate this Culture Night, as Newcastle West Film Club in Limerick marked 16 years of screening an impressive programme of films. Meanwhile, Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound and Vision Scheme has just turned 20 - and what better way to honour both occasions than with a screening of the scheme’s recent success, documentary Birdsong? In Desmond Complex on 19th September, Coimisiún na...

Today, we are partnering with Words Across Europe to welcome Johnathan Young, Executive Producer at May One and former VP of Original Programming and Production at HBO Central Europe. Words Across Europe is an innovative, paid programme that provides participants with a deep understanding of the broader industry landscape, along with the confidence to navigate series writing for television. Most e...

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Dave Byrne, Director of Sunphlowers. This podcast has been made possible with the support of Screen Ireland. Set against an agricultural backdrop, Catherine finds her husband dead in one of their glasshouses. In putting his affairs in order, the extent of secrecy and destruction her late husband Michael has left in his wake, forces Catherine to t...

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks with Donncha Gilmore, Director of 'Girls & Boys'Girls & Boys tells the story of rugby player Jace meeting aspiring filmmaker Charlie at a college party. Both attend Trinity, but their worlds couldn’t be more different—Charlie is trans, her circle full of queer artists and creatives, while Jace sticks with the more straight-laced camaraderie of his r...

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Ciarán Kissane, Director of Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO).This podcast has been made possible with the support of Screen Ireland.https://www.filmireland.net/essay-in-the-name-of-the-censor/IFCO & Screen Ireland: Classify an Irish Short FilmAs part of this year’s Culture Night, the Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) and Screen Irela...

The Meath Film Festival takes place at the Solstice in Navan on 13-14 September 2025, full details are on the website at Meathfilm.ieIn this Film Ireland podcast, shorts programmer for the festival and Film Ireland contributor Mick Jordan talks to director Steven Benedict about his new film A Lady of Paris, which is screening at the festival. Steven BenedictSteven Benedict is a multi-award-winning...

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Alan O'Gorman, Writer of 'Christy'.17-year-old Christy is at a crossroads.  Kicked out of his suburban foster home, he moves in with his estranged older brother Shane and his young family.  As far as Shane is concerned this is a temporary arrangement, but Christy begins to feel at home on Cork's working-class Northside. As he makes friends and be...

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Producer Peter Kilmartin & Director Ailill Martin, whose film 'The Good Farmer and the Failed Son' won the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund. This podcast has been made possible with the support of Screen Ireland. This story follows Jack, a performance artist, and his father Bryan, as they face an uncertain future for their farm and questions aroun...

In this Film Ireland podcast, Naemi Victoria talks to Paul Sng, Director of Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough, which had its World Premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20th August 2025.This intimate documentary explores the life, legacy, and creative genius behind groundbreaking novels like 'Trainspotting', 'Crime', and 'Filth'. Narrated by an all-star cast including Liam Nee...

In December 2024, we were thrilled to host our Screen Sessions live event, 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. We are now delighted to bring you the three live conversations as podcasts beginning with Casting Director Mau...

We are delighted to partner with the Writers’ Guild of Ireland to bring you 2 very special podcasts of panels and discussions from the 2024 World Conference of Screenwriters, an international gathering of screenwriters and Writers Guilds’ from all around the world, which took place in Galway, 2 – 3 October 2024.Day 2This second podcast features Day 2’s proceedings, beginning with:Globalising Scree...

In this Film Ireland podcast, we focus on GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival and chat to filmmakers Julia Dahmen (Somewhere Between You & Me) and Sarah Beeby (Gardening), whose shorts are screening at the festival. Ahead of that, we introduce Alba Fernandez to talk about the QUEER TALENT DATABASE, which will be launched at the festival on 4th August.https://gaze.ie/https://filmireland.net Ov...

In this episode of the Film Ireland podcast, filmmaker and contributor Paul Farren sits down for a conversation with legendary cinematographer Roy H. Wagner ASC. With a career spanning decades, Wagner has brought his keen eye to storytelling, capturing an array of worlds on camera, from Beauty and the Beast to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Paul and Roy explore the craft of cinematography and the...

In this episode of the Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh sits down with FrightFest co-director Greg Day. She also catches up with filmmakers Ali Cook and Paul Boyd, whose films both premiered at this fantastic and terrifying strand of horror at the BAFTA-qualifying Glasgow Film Festival. Dubbed “the Woodstock of Gore” by Guillermo del Toro, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is the UK’s leading horror...

We are delighted to be partnering with the Galway Film Fleadh to bring you a series of podcasts spotlighting filmmakers whose work is screening at this year’s festival. In this podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Malcolm Willis,  co-director of The Essence of Eva with Alex Fegan, which premieres at this year’s festival. The Galway Film Fleadh runs 8-13 July 2025.Featuring previously unheard songs, and...

We are delighted to be partnering with the Galway Film Fleadh to bring you a series of podcasts spotlighting filmmakers whose work is screening at this year’s festival. In this podcast Gemma Creagh talks to Gar O’Rourke, Director of Sanatorium, which screens at this year’s festival. And introducing Fleadh programmer Holly Buckley, who casts an eye over the programme. The Galway Film Fleadh runs 8-...

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Ross Whitaker about his latest documentary, Beat The Lotto. When downtrodden 1980s Ireland inaugurated a National Lottery the people began to dream.  For Cork-based mathematician Stefan Klincewicz, it was an obsession.  Spotting a flaw in the system, he recruited a ragtag team of chancers, and masterminded an audacious plan to fix the draw the wi...

We are delighted to be partnering with the Galway Film Fleadh to bring you a series of podcasts spotlighting filmmakers whose work is screening at this year’s festival. In this podcast, Gemma Creagh talking to Aisha Tyler to talk about her debut feature shot in Ireland, 'I Hope We Can Still Be Friends'.The Galway Film Fleadh runs 8-13 July 2025.A high-powered executive wakes up alone, trapped insi...

We are delighted to be partnering with the Galway Film Fleadh to bring you a series of podcasts spotlighting filmmakers whose work is screening at this year’s festival. In this podcast Gemma Creagh talks to 3 filmmakers about their short films: Georgie Cowan-Turner (The Generators), Caleb J. Roberts (Purebred) and Katie-Ruby Mclaughlin Robinson (Sam Rom).The Galway Film Fleadh runs 8-13 July 2025....

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to José Miguel Jiménez, Director of 'Amanda', which is screening at Docs Ireland (23-29 June 2025). We also catch up with Festival Programmer Stuart Sloan about this years' line up. Amanda has painted in isolation for years, using art as both expression and refuge. Now, she must face the challenge of speaking out about a painful past she wishes to l...

In this Film Ireland podcast Gemma Creagh talks to Modern Lanternist Jeremy Brooker who is in Dublin as part of the Bloomsday Film Festival (11-16 June). The Festival presents A Magic Lantern Odyssey on Saturday, 14th June at 7pm in Belvedere College, a live Magic Lantern performance based on Ulysses. We’re also delighted to welcome Irish screenwriter Stephen Shields on to the podcast to talk to M...