Women in Film and TV Podcast

Is the future of film on the Island of Ireland decentralised? On Thursday 1st December, WFT Ireland in partnership with Wexford Screen Writers Academy and with the support of BAI presented Producing Beyond the Pale. This lively industry discussion, covering all aspects of filmmaking outside of Dublin took place in the National Opera House, Wexford.

This event has been made possible with the support of the BAI.

This Winter, WFT Ireland announced that our chair Dr Susan Liddy has been elected as the President of Women in Film and Television International. In this conversation, which was recorded live in Brooks Hotel, Susan and outgoing President Helene Granqvist discussed the problems with the industry, as well as the work Helene has been doing for women in the screen industries, on a global scale, over the last four years.

This event has been made possible with the support of the BAI.

About Helene Granqvist

Helene has headed up WFT Sweden since 2013. She was elected President of WIFTI in 2018 and during her period in office the organisation has spread across six continents. It now has a diverse Board which is today comprised of representatives from all the chapters and affiliate organisations. How did the Swedish Producer and Pitch Coach achieve that? And where does she see the organisation going in the next four years when Ireland will be carrying the baton?

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On the 7th of May, WFT and WGI collaborated on a very special joint event, Women Writing for the Screen: Strategizing for our Future which took place at the Museum of Literature Ireland. WFT Chair Dr Susan Liddy moderated a lively panel discussion on the opportunities available for writers over the age of forty with Liz Gill, Angeline Ball, Julia Berg, Ruth Spencer and Jean Pasley.

This talk has been made possible with the generous support of the BAI.

In this WFT Writers' Room podcast, WFT Administration Executive Gemma Creagh examines the ins and outs of adaptation with the very talented Suzanne Allain. Suzanne has written the screenplay for Mr. Malcolm’s List, which was released in cinemas this month. Shot in Dublin/Wicklow last Spring, this film stars Freida Pinto and Zawe Ashton and is based on Suzanne’s original novel. WFT spoke with her about the writing process and what it was like adapting work – even if it’s your own.

About Suzanne Allain

Suzanne Allain is a novelist and screenwriter whose first novel, Incognito, was published in 2001. She later adapted her second novel, Mr. Malcolm’s List, into a feature script. It was one of the highest-rated romance screenplays on the Black List, was produced as part of their Black List Table Reads Podcast in 2015, and released as a feature film in 2022. Her books have received starred reviews in Library Journal and Booklist and script readers have said Suzanne’s dialogue “sparks with wit and intelligence” and that her characters have “palpable chemistry.”

On the 7th of May, WFT and WGI collaborated on a very special joint event, Women Writing for the Screen: Strategizing for our Future which took place at the Museum of Literature Ireland. WGI Chair and WFT Member Jennifer Davidson moderated a lively panel discussion on the opportunities available for writers in the world of soap with John Fox, Emma Keaveney, Rachel Kilfeather & Ciaran Hayden.

This event was made possible with the support of the BAI.

How can Neurodiversity enrich our industry? What does an inclusive set really look like? In the latest WFT Podcast, WFT Vice-Chair and DOP Jaro Waldeck was chatting with Anna Czarska and Caoilinn Handley about autism as well as the importance of making authentic films with autistic filmmaking talent in front and behind the camera.

This event has been made possible with the support of the BAI.

Caoilinn Handley

Caoilinn is an autistic activist and film producer from Dublin, Ireland. She currently works as a Junior Producer in MK1Studios Productions across a range of international co-productions. Caoilinn is also developing a number of her own shorts centred around the themes of diversity and inclusion. Caoilinn is completing research into neurodivergent and disabled cast/crew in the Irish screen industry, which has been funded by the Arts Council. The results are shared with Screen Ireland, and are available to all other interested parties.

Anna Czarska

Anna is a neurodiverse producer, director and writer, as well as the Managing Director of Sticky Tape Productions. Anna has been involved with the film industry on and off throughout their life. They have a background in business and produce, direct, write, and manage projects that exemplify their interest in unconventional cinema, often regarding topics involving mental health or societal matters that require greater public awareness. Anna especially likes to challenge the everyday thinker to try something new, something different; this is at the heart of where their enthusiasm lies. Selected Works: Mildly Different, Cost You Nothing, The Dining Room

Jaro Waldeck started her journey in cinematography with undergraduate photography studies in the USA. Soon, she realised she was interested in movement in her images and made the transition to cinematography studies at Columbia College Chicago. She graduated in 2008 and was placed on a coveted internship with Oscar nominated DOP Phedon Papamichael, ASC (Sideways, Walkd the Line, Nebraska, Ford vs. Ferrari) on a movie “W.” which he was shooting for Oliver Stone. After the internship, Jaro moved back home to Prague, Czech Republic, where she pursued further cinematography studies at the world renowned film school Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU). She studied under the guidance of accomplished and award winning cinematographers such as Miroslav Ondricek (Amadeus) and Vladimir Smutny (The Painted Bird), and graduated with a Masters Degree in Cinematography in 2011. The following year Jaro moved to Ireland, where she’s worked on short narrative and documentary films, commercial and corporate productions and kept up her photography work alongside it all. She’s also collaborated with some of her former classmates from Columbia College and FAMU on a documentary feature and served as a camera operator on a season of reality television series Survivor. Jaro is a member of the Czech Society of Cinematographers and is Vice Chair of Women in Film and TV Ireland.

With the support of Screen Skills Ireland and in partnership with the Cork International Film Festival, last November, WFT Ireland presented a very special panel ‘In Her Own Voice: Spotlight on Crew’ as part of the First Take Industry Day. Moderated by our chair Dr Susan Liddy, this lively discussion featured director/camera woman Edel O Brien, Grip Hollie Tsan and DOP and WFT Vice-Chair Jaro Waldeck.

This event was organised with the support of Screen Skills Ireland.

Hollie Tsan is an assistant grip. At 5 years old she was out on the set of single handed helping her dad with loading trucks and prepping grip equipment and meeting new people. When she was 12 she was on Fergie the little grey tractor pushing the dolly and since then she knew she wanted to become a grip. She was a trainee on Striking Out, End of Sentence, Miss Scarlet and the Duke and Conversations with Friends and then an assistant grip on holding, and a second grip on the Queen Mary in London. She helped build rigs for the Galway Girl music video. She also flies drones, she did her first drone shot when she was 14 on a commercial and did a few drone shots on Holding. She is 17 and has been working in the industry for the last 5 years. She has various departments in the industry such as stunts and hair and makeup however finds gripping more exciting and interesting.

Edel O’Brien: For over 30 years, Edel has worked in documentary and factual programming in Ireland and abroad as both a Series Director and Shooting DP. The focus of her work is to portray powerful, entertaining stories that reveal characters whose voices are not so often heard. Over the last decade, award-winning Irish television series include: Raised By The Village, The Rotunda, The Shelbourne, Life & Death, Ireland’s Battle With Covid and Bullyproof. It all began donkey’s years ago with a short live-action animation combination Bread & Honey, which won awards at Cork, Annecy, Berlin and Chicago Film Festivals as well as C4’s First Work award. A last minute opportunity to travel to Russia with a group of Irish teens to the Perm State Ballet School sparked a long-term solo-shooting project which became a BBC Video Diary The Reluctant Mamoushka. This adventure and success sparked the beginning of an on-going passion to capture and convey true lives as they unfold. Edel is currently working on Heaven Made, a new BBC2 series about Monastic life in Ireland and the UK, to be broadcast in December 2021.

Jaro Waldeck started her journey in cinematography with undergraduate photography studies in the USA. Soon, she realised she was interested in movement in her images and made the transition to cinematography studies at Columbia College Chicago. She graduated in 2008 and was placed on a coveted internship with Oscar nominated DOP Phedon Papamichael, ASC (Sideways, Walkd the Line, Nebraska, Ford vs. Ferrari) on a movie “W.” which he was shooting for Oliver Stone. After the internship, Jaro moved back home to Prague, Czech Republic, where she pursued further cinematography studies at the world renowned film school Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU). She studied under the guidance of accomplished and award winning cinematographers such as Miroslav Ondricek (Amadeus) and Vladimir Smutny (The Painted Bird), and graduated with a Masters Degree in Cinematography in 2011. The following year Jaro moved to Ireland, where she’s worked on short narrative and documentary films, commercial and corporate productions and kept up her photography work alongside it all. She’s also collaborated with some of her former classmates from Columbia College and FAMU on a documentary feature and served as a camera operator on a season of reality television series Survivor. Jaro is a member of the Czech Society of Cinematographers and is Vice Chair of Women in Film and TV Ireland.

For our third event in our Crew Talks series, WFT is continuing the conversation when it comes to spotlighting the women working in the field of Sound. Irish Foley Artist Caoimhe Doyle and Oscar-winning Supervising Sound Editor Nina Hartstone talk about their experiences working in the industry – and how sound can elevate a story.

This event has been made possible with the support of Screen Skills Ireland.

About Caoimhe Doyle

Caoimhe Doyle is a Foley artist and co-owner of The Foley Lab, a dedicated Foley studio located on a quiet country estate in County Wicklow, Ireland. She has 24 years experience creating Foley sound effects and footsteps for film, television and video games. In 2018, Caoimhe was nominated for a MPSE Golden Reel Award for her work on The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. She won a MPSE Golden Reel Award and was nominated for an Emmy for Game of Thrones: Season 1 (2011). In 2008, she was nominated for a MPSE Golden Reel Award for her work on David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises (2007). Caoimhe received a BA Honours Degree in Film Production from Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design + Technology.

About Nina Hartstone

Nina Hartstone is an Oscar-winning Supervising Sound Editor working in feature films, specialising in Dialogue and ADR. She is always seeking to create the highest quality soundtrack for every project by working with leading industry professionals to implement innovative ways of recording, creating and editing sound for film. In 2019, this work was recognised with Oscar, BAFTA, AMPS and MPSE award wins for sound editing on the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Other credits include Evita, The Hours, An Education, Everest and multi-award winner, Gravity. She is particularly passionate about nurturing the next generation of sound creatives and in particular, fostering opportunities for under-represented groups.

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You’ll always remember the films you love by those iconic images on the screen. It’s the Director of Photography who captures these visuals, curating the aesthetic vision of a project. In our latest podcast, we celebrate the art form. WFT Vice-Chair, DOP Jaro Waldeck is in conversation with celebrated DOP Kate McCullough about the role, expertise and artistic input of a cinematographer on a project, as well as her impressive career to date.

This event has been organised with the support of the BAI.

About Kate McCullough

Kate McCullough has recently been listed in Screen International’s “Stars of Tomorrow 2020” and has won prestigious awards for her work on Normal People and Arracht. She received the Golden Frog for Best Cinematography on a Docudrama I Dolours at Camerimage 2018. In the same year, she was nominated for an Emmy for her work on The Farthest. The Hollywood Reporter listed McCullough as top 10 to watch in Irish Film Industry 2017. More recently she was nominated for the IMAGO award 2019 for her work on The Farthest. Upon completing her studies at The National Film School, Lodz, Poland, McCullough shot the Irish box office hit His and Hers. This film went on to win the ‘World Cinematography Award in Documentary’, Sundance 2010. McCullough is a member of the Irish Society of Cinematographers and Illuminatrix. Most recently, the feature film An Cailín Ciúin which Kate lensed, was the first Irish language film to win the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for Best Film.

In the latest WFT podcast our Chair, Dr Susan Liddy talks to four screenwriters/directors about their long careers in the industry.

This Creating Sustainable Careers: Challenges and Opportunities panel will ask wider questions about how women can build and, importantly, sustain a career in an industry that has often been unwelcoming and ageist, especially to women.

Ruth Meehan, Maeve Murphy, Geraldine Creed and Hilary Reynolds share their experiences and ambitions.

This event was made possible with the support of the BAI.

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