Film Ireland Podcast

In this podcast Gemma Creagh talks to Director and Rough Magic Theatre Company co-founder Lynne Parker about her filmed version of Hecuba, playwright Marina Carr’s new version of the classic Greek tragedy. Hecuba screens in cinemas nationwide for one night only on September 15th 2022. A dynamic filmed version of Rough Magic’s remarkable theatre production, Hecuba is a passionate reimagining of the aftermath of the Trojan War by internationally renowned playwright Marina Carr. Surrounded by the devastation of her city, her husband slain, Hecuba waits in the throne room for the conqueror Agamemnon. She and her daughters now face a future beyond their control, in a history written by the victors. An extraordinary ensemble cast (led by Aislin McGuckin, Brian Doherty and Owen Roe) offer a series of intense, dangerous, personal encounters and impossible choices in this visceral depiction of the effect of war and its cost to the individual. Hecuba screens nationwide on September 15th 2022.

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Dónal Foreman about his genre-defying blend of psychodrama and fantasy, The Cry of Granuaile. The Cry of Granuaile is a genre-defying blend of psychodrama and fantasy from Dónal Foreman, award winning director of the The Image You Missed (the IFTA-nominated documentary named by the Irish Times as one of the 50 best Irish films ever made.) Filmed on lush 16mm film and starring Dale Dickey and Judith Roddy, The Cry of Granuaile follows a grieving American filmmaker and her Irish assistant on a tour of the west of Ireland as they research a film about Granuaile (aka Grace O’Malley), the legendary 16th century rebel and pirate queen. The two women develop an uneasy intimacy as they journey towards the remote Clare Island, where boundaries begin to blur between past and present, myth and history, dream and reality. The film opened at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin on Friday, September 2nd at 6:20pm and at the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork on Sunday, Septemb

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to filmmaker Dean Kavanagh about his latest feature, Hole in the Head, a sophisticated and darkly comic exploration of the meeting point of traumatised memory and image technologies. Part-time projectionist and amateur filmmaker, John Kline Jnr, is mute and suffers from missing time. He hires local actors to play his parents in a series of recreated home movies in order to investigate their unsolved disappearance 25 years earlier. Hole in the Head screens at the Irish Film Institute from 12th August 2022 https://filmireland.net/

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Emmy-winning documentary maker Emer Reynolds about her debut feature film Joyride. Joyride stars the Academy®, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning Olivia Colman as Joy, a solicitor, who didn’t expect to get pregnant or hijacked in a taxi stolen by a 12-year-old boy. Fleeing from his father, 12-year-old Mully steals a taxi and is shocked to find a woman, Joy, in the back seat with a baby. Joy is on her way to an important meeting, and Mully needs to get some distance from his dad, who’s after the cash Mully has with him. The unlikely pair go on a journey across Ireland, gradually finding the friendship, love and learning, they never knew they needed, in each other. Joyride was developed by Embankment Films and produced by Aoife O’Sullivan and Tristan Orpen Lynch through Ingenious Media, Subotica and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. Executive Producers are Christelle Conan, Peter Touche, Tim Haslam, Hugo Grumbar and Ailbhe Keogan. Joyride was developed wit

In this podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Olivia Newman, the director of Where the Crawdads Sing, which is adapted from the best-selling novel by Delia Owens and produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter. A captivating mystery. Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh. 3000 Pictures presents in association with HarperCollins Publishers a Hello Sunshine production, Where the Crawdads Sing. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson,

The DocArena Podcast: Episode 15 -Jay Bedwani (Donna) by Film Ireland

In this Film Ireland podcast Gemma Creagh talks to Derek Ugochukwu, Laura Kavanagh and Jonathan Hughes ahead of their films screening at the Galway Film Fleadh (5-10 July 2022).

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Kate Dolan, the writer and director of You Are Not My Mother. Rooted in eerie Irish folklore, the creepy and unsettling chiller is Kate’s debut feature. Char’s mother, Angela, has inexplicably disappeared. All that remains is her abandoned car. When she returns home without explanation the following evening, it becomes clear to Char and her grandmother, Rita, that something is amiss. She might look and sound the same but Angela’s behaviour has become increasingly frightening, as if she has been replaced by a malevolent force. As Halloween night looms, a night steeped in ancient myth and legend, Char realizes that she is the only one who can save her, even if it means potentially losing her forever. Following its cinematic release this year 'You Are Not My Mother' is currently available to watch on Netflix.

In this Film, Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Emily O’Callaghan, the Festival Director of the Achill Island Film Festival. The Festival takes place from 20 – 22 May 2022. Take a look at the Festival website https://www.achillinternationalfilmfestival.com/ Festival tickets https://www.eventbrite.com/e/achill-island-film-festival-tickets-295391553087 About this event Ticket holders for the inaugural Achill Island Film Festival can expect to see a wonderful range of films from Ireland and around the world in some fantastic venues both indoor and weather dependent, outdoors as well! They will also get to enjoy the island in between watching a programme of superb local and international films. You can pick and choose from screenings, or see them all! Attendees will get to view fascinating documentaries, animations and exclusive films featuring a range of themes. There will be panel discussions and Q&A’s as well as live music and plenty of craic! Achill as we know is a special spot and we are excited f

In this episode of The DocArena Podcast, Ross Whitaker talks to Luke Sewell about his documentary Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King. If you want proof that the world of cryptocurrency is like the Wild West, look no further than Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King. The gripping new documentary follows a group of Bitcoin investors who lost their money after the strange death of Gerald “Gerry” Cotten, founder of the cryptocurrency company QuadrigaCX. His death triggered some serious conspiracy theories, the disappearance of $250 million and an unofficial investigation into the nature of virtual currency. Connected by a quest to recover their lost funds, a band of Bitcoin investors morph into a cyber-sleuth collective called The Committee. Do they find the answers they’re searching for? You’ll have to wait and see for yourself — but you won’t have to wait long. Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King premieres on Netflix on 30th March 30 2022.

In this episode of The DocArena Podcast, Ross Whitaker talks to Declan McGrath & Neasa Ní Chianáin about their documentary Young Plato. A Primary School in Belfast’s Ardoyne housing estates invokes the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosophers to fight poverty, drug dealers and the IRA – restoring hope in the heart of a battered community. Young Plato is in cinemas from 18th March 2022.

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Seán Breathnach, Writer/Director of Foscadh. Set in the stunning wild mountains of North Conamara, Foscadh (meaning Shelter) is a delayed coming-of-age tale that will have you rooting for its hapless hero as he takes his first tentative steps into adulthood. Written and directed by Seán Breathnach, Foscadh is based on characters created by award-winning novelist Donal Ryan in his book The Thing About December. It tells the story of naïve recluse John Cunliffe who is suddenly propelled into manhood at the ripe old age of 28. When his over-protective parents pass away, friendless John inherits mountain land that sits in the way of a lucrative wind-farm development where he is forced to navigate the choppy waters of trust, vengeance and romance for the first time. Foscadh is in cinemas from 11th March 2022.

In this episode of The DocArena Podcast, Ross Whitaker talks to Peter Middleton & James Spinney about their documentary The Real Charlie Chaplin. Hollywood icon Charlie Chaplin rocketed to fame from the slums of Victorian London and spent decades as one of Hollywood’s most famous and beloved stars until his scandalous fall from grace. His stage persona and incendiary media portrayal defined how he was perceived, but his private life has always been shrouded in mystery – until now. Never-before-heard recordings, intimate home movies and newly restored classic films reveal a side to Chaplin that the world never got to see. The Real Charlie Chaplin is released in cinemas and available on Atltude.film and other digital platforms from the 18th February 2022. https://filmireland.net/

In this episode of The DocArena Podcast, Ross Whitaker talks to Director Felicity Morris & Producer Bernie Higgins about their documentary 'The Tinder Swindler'. Posing as a wealthy, jet-setting diamond mogul, he wooed women online then conned them out of millions of dollars. Now some victims plan for payback. The Tinder Swindler is available on Netflix from 2nd February 2022. https://filmireland.net/ https://twitter.com/FilmIreland

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Director Damian McCann & Writer Aislinn Clarke about their film ‘Doineann’. Doineann the Irish for ‘stormy weather’, is the feature debut from Damian McCann with the screenplay penned by Aislinn Clarke and tells the story of the disappearance of a woman and her baby on a remote Irish island. Her husband must put his trust in the island’s retired policewoman to help find his family before a storm hits the island. Starring Love/Hate actor Peter Coonan, Bríd Brennan (Calm With Horses, Brooklyn), Clare Monnelly (Moone Boy) and Sean T. O’Meallaigh (Vikings). Since the film’s world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh earlier this year it has gone on to screen at Newport Beach Film Festival in California, the Foyle Film Festival and the Belfast Film Festival where star Bríd Brennan was presented with the Reálta Award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema. Doineann was produced by Diarmuid Lavery, Christopher Myers and Michael Hewitt for the multi-award-winning

In this podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to 4 filmmakers whose films are screening at this year’s Dublin International Comedy Film Festival. Bébhinn Naughton, Adam William Cahill, Lara Cassidy and Len MacKeigan talk about the craft behind their comedy. The Dublin International Comedy Film Festival 2022 runs 20-22 January 2022. https://filmireland.net/wp-admin/

In this episode of The DocArena Podcast, Ross Whitaker talks to Jamila Wignot about her documentary Ailey. Alvin Ailey was a visionary artist who found salvation through dance. Directed by Jamila Wignot, the celebrated documentary is an immersive profile of ground-breaking and influential choreographer Alvin Ailey, founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ailey captures the brilliant and enigmatic man who, when confronted by a world that refused to embrace him, was determined to build one that would. Ailey is a sensorial, archival-rich story that traces the full contours of this extraordinary artist’s biography and connects his past to our present with an intimate glimpse into the Ailey studios today, where we follow innovative hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris as he conceives a new dance inspired by Ailey’s life. Using never-before-heard audio interviews recorded in the last year of his life, we experience Ailey’s astonishing journey in his words. Ailey is released in cinemas and on demand from

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Tadhg O’Sullivan, Director of To The Moon. To the Moon is a beautiful and poetic cinematic ode to the moon. Made primarily from international cinematic archive in combination with literary fragments and original moonlit cinematography filmed across five continents, To The Moon steps lightly through the ages and ideas that people have drawn from the moon to meditate on the fragile and fleeting nature of humanity. To The Moon is in cinemas from 26th November 2021. https://filmireland.net/

Breaking Out is the remarkable story of Cork born singer-songwriter Fergus O’Farrell, the charismatic voice of Interference, one of the most compelling and influential bands to emerge from the Irish music scene in the 1990’s. He was best known for his timeless song “GOLD” which featured in the soundtrack to ONCE, the Oscar winning film and multi-Tony-award-winning musical. Despite being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age, through it all, Fergus had to keep singing. His unique talent and love for life inspired a generation of songwriters even as his own was slipping away. Close friend Glen Hansard was one of those songwriters and never forgot that voice, and in one of the many incredible moments in Breaking Out, he performs the ultimate duet as Fergus' greatest gift was failing. Hailed by Film Ireland as “extraordinary”, this intimate journey into the heart and soul of the late Fergus O’Farrell was filmed over ten years by director Michael McCormack.

In this podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Edwina Casey, the director of a new production of Peter Maxwell Davies’s chamber opera The Lighthouse, which screens in cinemas for one night only on 16th November and then goes on tour nationwide with live performances in venues from Saturday, 20th November. Presented by Irish National Opera, conducted by Nil Venditti and starring Brenton Ryan, Ben McAteer and John Molloy, The Lighthouse is based on an actual event in December 1900, when a visiting supply ship to a Scottish lighthouse finds the building in order but the keepers vanished without a trace. The three singers who play multiple roles, explore the psychological state of the fractious men, relive an official investigation and project a supernatural explanation. The composer, who based the structure of the opera on the Tower of the Tarot, leaves no simple answers. The Lighthouse screens in cinemas on Tuesday 16th November 2021.