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 Film

As part of this year’s Culture Night, the Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) and Screen Ireland invite visitors behind the scenes of the world of film classification for a one-of-a-kind experience. Step into IFCO’s intimate onsite cinema and take part in classifying a Screen Ireland short film alongside an official IFCO Film Classifier – a rare opportunity to see exactly how IFCO comes to a decision and why a particular age rating would be applied.

Each screening will be followed by an interactive discussion, where audiences can explore the guidelines and decision-making process that determine whether a film gets a G, PG, 12A, or 15A classification and debate where they would draw the line themselves!

With multiple screenings running between 16:00 – 20:00, there’s something for everyone, including options suitable for younger audiences. Booking is essential – make sure to reserve the screening that’s right for you and your family for this unmissable Culture Night event.

The Meath Film Festival takes place at the Solstice in Navan on 13-14 September 2025, full details are on the website at Meathfilm.ie

In 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 Benedict

Steven Benedict is a multi-award-winning writer, producer, and director of several short films and co-director of an award-winning feature. Steven lectures part-time at the National Film School of Ireland, where, among other subjects, he teaches in the Masters in Screenwriting program.Steven also curates his own website, www.stevenbenedict.ie, hosting over 400 podcasts and several video essays. In addition, he is a regular contributor to RTE radio’s arts program, Arena.

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 begins to let the community in, he also reconnects with his past through his seemingly more corrupting extended family, despite Shane’s efforts to protect him. Shane wants something better for Christy at any cost – even if it means he has to push him away.  As the brothers look to reconcile their turbulent past, their family and the community around them offer hope for Christy’s future.

Christy is in cinemas from 29th August 2025.

https://filmireland.net/

Fundraiser Mentioned : Help Asmaa & her little girls survive in Gaza and rebuild

https://chuffed.org/project/112878-help-asmaa-her-little-girls-survive-in-gaza-and-rebuild-their-destroyed-lives

Read Alan's article for rundale.org

https://www.rundale.org/2025/05/29/human-animals-dehumanisation-and-ireland/

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 around Jack’s place in it. In the traditional world of farming much is expected of Jack as the family’s only son, however up until this point Jack has never really considered farming an option.

Last December, Netflix announced the six teams of winners of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund, which included the winning Irish team: filmmakers Ailill Martin and Peter Kilmartin from Dublin & County Roscommon.

Now in its third year, the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund supports emerging filmmakers to nurture their talent through making a short documentary. The six recipients were challenged to respond to the prompt  “you’re never gonna believe this…”.

Each team was supported by Netflix to produce a short documentary between 8-12 minutes long with a budget of £30,000 each.  As part of the process the team participated in a boot camp which provided training from experts at Netflix who coached them and host workshops covering Creative, HR and Production. The initiative provides filmmakers with a personalised experience to best suit their levels of expertise and help them further their careers.

The Netflix Documentary Talent Fund films had their global premiere on the closing night of London’s Raindance Film Festival on 26th June 2025.

Netflix has released the six films on the Still Watching Netflix YouTube Channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGie8GMlUo3kBKIopdvumVQ

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 Neeson, Maxine Peake, Nick Cave, Ruth Negga, and Stephen Graham, the film follows Welsh as he embarks on a profound psychedelic journey, reflecting deeply on his upbringing in Edinburgh, his wild years in London's 1970s counterculture, and the fame that followed his global literary success.

Irvine Welsh: Reality Is Not Enough will be in UK & Irish cinemas from 26th September

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 Maureen Hughes (The Miracle Club, Small Things Like These, Once, Abigail) in conversation with Actor/Director/Producer Mo O’Connell (SPA Weekend, Girls, Hum, Horseshoe).

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 2

This second podcast features Day 2’s proceedings, beginning with:

Globalising Screen Industries: Balancing Inward Production and Domestic Screenwriting Talent

This panel delves into the dynamics of globalised production and the implications for screenwriters worldwide. As the influx of inward production persists, often sidelining domestic writing talent, the panel examines the risks inherent in developing an industry heavily reliant on external service productions and share strategies to encourage more domestic projects.

Speakers

Alice Shearman

Rachel Kilfeather

Gabor Krigler

Bruce M. Smith

Lesley Gannon

In Conversation with the WGA East and WGA West

This conversation takes a deep dive into the organisation of 2023''s WGA negotiations and strike.

[from 1hr 04mins]

Speakers

Josep Gatell

David Goodman

Meredith Stiehm

Chris Keyser

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen

Roddy Who? A Commitment to Credits

This panel explores how credits for screenwriters and producers diverge in different territories. The discussion analyze why showrunners sometimes belong in one category and sometimes in the other, and yet it’s still not a recognized credit, how much the “created by” credit matters, who’s getting it, and the value of a global standard for credits.

[from 2hr 05mins]

Speakers

Denis Goulette

Barbara Petronio

Emma Reeves

Betsy Thomas

Marcus Seibert

Artificial Intelligence

A conversation on what’s being done to protect screenwriters, and what they need to do next.

[from 2hr 59mins]

Speakers

Jennifer Davidson

Dr Abigail Rekas

Ellen Stutzman

Victoria Shen

David Kavanagh

KEYNOTE SPEECH: The Future is Unwritten

Speakers

[from 3hr 45mins]

Laura Slattery

Terry George

Liaten back to Day 1

https://filmireland.net/2025/04/18/wcos-podcast-2024-world-conference-of-screenwriters-day-1/

https://script.ie/

https://filmireland.net/

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

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 act of interpreting a narrative through light, shadow and lens. They discuss Wagner’s approach to visual language, the evolution of the craft, and what it means to sustain a career in the industry.

About Roy H. Wagner

Roy is a two-time Emmy Award-winning cinematographer with over 50 years of experience shooting TV series and feature films. Major DP credits include House, CSI, Quantum Leap, Burn Notice, and Ray Donovan. In addition to two Primetime Emmy wins, he also won the ASC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for the mini-series Drug Wars. Born in a very small community in the Midwest, Roy had no other contact with his dream of becoming a cinematographer than through the local theatre and the Los Angeles phone directory. He would recall the names of cinematographers as they appeared on their films and call them blindly to talk with them about their work. Many of them were so surprised by this young man’s ambition and interest that they took him under their wing, mentoring him.

When he arrived in Los Angeles, he spent every moment with them on their sets and in their homes, learning as much about them and their work as he could. Because of this, he was able to meet and befriend many of the greatest cinematographers in Hollywood. His key mentor was Harry Stradling Sr. Through him, he developed friendships with Joseph Ruttenberg, George Folsey, James Wong Howe, Leon Shamroy, Frank Phillips, Leonard South, and many, many others. In the late 1970s, he began a life-long process of interviewing cinematographers on videotape or film. A deep reverence for all that is old Hollywood remains a great part of his life, and the memory of the behind-the-scenes stories told to him as a young man is an important basis for his life and work.

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 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.