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Reviews

Film Ireland is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved online outlet, supported by Coimisiún na Meán and Screen Ireland stakeholders’ funding, and spanning back to 1987.

Podcast

Established in 1987, Film Ireland began as a print publication and has since moved into a popular industry podcast and digital format. Since the first episode went live in 2013, Film Ireland has produced over 500 podcasts. Interviewees include Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, Ciaran Donnelly, M. Night Shyamalan, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, Terence Davies & many more. Listen to Film Ireland where ever you get your podcasts.

Irish Film

As a Rotten Tomatoes–accredited outlet, Film Ireland has been covering Irish film, cinema, festivals and the wider screen industries since 1987. Originally established as a print magazine, Film Ireland moved online in 2013.

News

Dublin International Film Festival

For 11 unforgettable days in February, Dublin transforms into a vibrant hub of cinematic excellence. DIFF brings the best of Irish and international cinema to the capital for a celebration of storytelling. They welcome the lovers, the dreamers, and the curious newcomers. From world premieres to intimate screenings, exclusive Q&As to parties and celebrations, DIFF offers a unique journey into the world of film, all set against the backdrop of buzz of the Irish capital.

Gemma Creagh

Gemma Creagh is a writer-director and journalist whose work blends dark humour with emotional weight. Her debut funded short, Conveyance, premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh 2024 and has gone on to screen at festivals worldwide. Her plays have been staged and funded by Axis, About Face, Jerome Hynes One Act Play Series, Arts Council, and Barnstorm. She's the Associate Editor of Film Ireland and sometimes contributes to RTÉ Radio One's Arena.

Article

Galway Film Fleadh

Galway Film Fleadh is a week-long international film festival taking place every July on the western edge of Europe in Galway, Ireland. Founded in 1989 as a platform for Irish filmmakers to exhibit their work to their peers, the central goal of the Galway Film Fleadh remains unchanged: to be a platform for the boldest new films, and to bring audiences & filmmakers from around the world together, to celebrate our shared passion for film.

Paul Farren

Paul Farren is an Irish director and writer whose work spans over two decades across short and feature films. His feature Where the Sea Used to Be (2012) explores intimate interpersonal drama, while shorts including Saturday, Pandora, Choppers, Lift and Witch Hazel showcase a range of narrative and experimental styles. His short Saturday was nominated for First Prize at the Montréal World Film Festival in 2002.

Sarah Cullen

Sarah Cullen is a research assistant from Dublin. Along with writing for Film Ireland she is also a film editor for Headstuff. She has written on film and literature in several academic collections and journals including the Irish Gothic Journal and the Irish Journal of American Studies.

Stephen Porzio

Stephen is a film writer, journalist and podcaster. Formerly co-editor of the film section of HeadStuff, he is now a writer at JOE.ie. He has also had work published in Hot Press, The Times (Ireland Edition), The Irish Sun and Film Ireland and co-hosts the HeadStuff film podcast I Know That Face. He graduated with a BA in English and Film from UCD and an MA in journalism at DCU.

DocArena

The DocArena Podcast explores the art and craft of documentary filmmaking. Hosted by filmmaker Ross Whitaker, each episode features in-depth conversations with leading directors on their creative choices, storytelling methods, funding & distribution. The series offers a behind-the-scenes look at how documentaries are made, from idea to screen. Past guests include Maurice O’Brien, Colm Quinn, Felicity Morris, Bernadette Higgins, Rachel Ramsey, Andrew Gallimore, Kevin Macdonald & Jeanie Finlay.

Wayne Byrne

June Butler

Cork International Film Festival

Cork International Film Festival an exciting and ambitious annual film festival, connecting audiences and artists through a curated selection of the best films. First recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers in 1950, it now hosts three Oscar®-accredited awards. Nearly 69 years after its Cannes beginnings, Cork International Film Festival’s influence stretches from Cork to Hollywood.

Loretta Goff

Loretta Goff completed her PhD in Film and Screen Media at University College Cork, where she also teaches. She has published articles in Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media, Persona Studies, and MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States.

Michael Lee

Northern Ireland Screen

Northern Ireland Screen is the UK government-backed agency supporting the region’s film, television & digital content industries. It drives economic growth, promotes culture and enhances education by investing in production and development, offering location and crew support & marketing Northern Ireland globally. NI Screen also provides training funding, supports film education and heritage & fosters a sustainable, dynamic screen industry whose cultural and economic impact continues to grow.

Irish Film Institute

The Irish Film Institute is Ireland’s national cultural institution for film & provides audiences with access to the finest independent, Irish & international cinema; it preserves & promotes Ireland’s moving image heritage through the Irish Film Archive, & provides opportunities for audiences of all ages & backgrounds to learn & critically engage with film. The IFI delivers the best of international & Irish film culture through a programme of new releases, seasons, festivals & events.

Irene Falvey

Michael O’Sullivan

Mick Jordan

Mick Jordan is a writer and filmmaker. His latest film Letter To My 16 Year Old Self is presently screening at festivals around the country. He has a BA in Film and has written for TV and radio. He co-hosts the film review podcast Spoilerama.

Conor Bryce

Matthew Briody

National Talent Academies

The National Talent Academies is an initiative by Screen Ireland to drive Irish creative talent from diverse backgrounds and disciplines at all levels into the sector and develop greater awareness of the sector as a career path.

James Bartlett

James has spent over 25 years writing and reporting on travel, lifestyle, history, food, entertainment, and the unusual for more than 150 outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, BBC, National Geographic Traveler, The Guardian, and Variety. Author of the true crime book The Alaskan Blonde and the Gourmet Ghosts guides, he has appeared on podcasts, radio, and TV, including Ghost Adventures and The UnXplained.

Andrew Carroll

Screen Ireland

Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is the national agency for Ireland’s film, TV drama, animation & documentary sector, supporting talent, creativity & enterprise. Through funding across development, production, distribution, promotion & skills, it supports the industry at every stage, allowing filmmakers to tell artistic, cultural & commercial stories. At Film Ireland, we are grateful to Screen Ireland for their support in delivering our Depth of Field initiatives, key courses/events & Screen Sessions.

Denis Condon

Will Penn

Will Penn grew up in Luxembourg. Since moving to Dublin in 2018, his poems and essays have been featured in the Summer Hill Magazine, and the Gorko Gazette. Check out his Instagram page @wildman.will, and follow him on Substack: @willpens.

Lynn Larkin

Lynn is a former stage and screen actor with experience in animation. Originally from Dublin, she has since transitioned into writing, journalism, and creative producing.

Naemi Victoria

David Neary

Shannon Cotter

Ellen Murray

Tom Crowley

Richard Drumm

Liam Hanlon

Irish Film by Year

From podcasts to in-depth discussion and reviews, from docs to dramas, each year we take a look back at the films that were released in Ireland.

Sadhbh Ní Bhroin

Ross Whitaker

Host and Creator of the Doc Arena Podcast, and former Film Ireland Editor. Ross is a producer/director of documentaries including Beat the Lotto (2025), Katie (2018), Between Land & Sea (2016), Unbreakable (2014) & Saviours (2007). TV work includes Birdsong (2024) RTÉ/BBC, Peter the Great (2023) NBC, Rachael Blackmore: A Grand Year (2021) ITV/RTÉ & Barney Curley Beat the Bookies (2021) BBC/RTÉ. His award-winning shorts include Bye Bye Now & Home Turf. He is a former IFI DocFest director.

Early Irish Cinema

Denis Condon’s blog Early Irish Cinema looks back at the early development of cinema in Ireland on the anniversaries of those developments and offers information on what cinemagoers could have seen in Irish cinemas a century ago.

Docs Ireland

Docs Ireland is Ireland’s international documentary film festival & celebrates the best of new documentary filmmaking, showcasing the work of Ireland’s indigenous non-fiction culture & creatives. Docs Ireland is regarded across the world for its cutting edge film programming & its distinctive industry initiatives. Established in 2019 as the sister festival of Belfast Film Festival, which happens annually in November, Docs Ireland takes place in June each year in the city of Belfast.

RTÉ

RTÉ, Ireland’s Public Service Broadcaster, is a non-profit owned by the Irish people. It leads cross-media in television, radio, and online, offering free-to-air, high-quality, impartial services. RTÉ operates two TV channels, four radio stations, and Ireland’s top media website, RTÉ.ie, alongside the RTÉ Guide magazine and RTÉ Aertel teletext. It contributes to the arts, supporting five performing groups, and its Libraries and Archives preserve eight decades of radio, TV & production material.

Griffith College

Griffith College is Ireland's largest independent third-level institution, established in 1974, with campuses in Dublin, Cork, and Limerick. It offers a wide range of internationally recognized undergraduate and postgraduate programs, as well as professional courses, in fields like business, computing, law, and media. The college is known for its strong industry connections, focus on student success, and diverse student body of around 7,000 to 8,000 students from Ireland and around the world.

Liam De Brun

Mo O'Connell

Maureen O’Connell (Mo) is an award-winning actor, writer, director & producer. O'Connell got a BA and Diploma from RADA, London, then went on to get a Higher National Diploma in Film from Ballyfermot College followed by completing Screen Ireland/TUD Advanced's Producing Postgrad. Mo’s debut comedy feature, Spa Weekend, has been a hit at home & overseas at festivals across the UK, Europe, the US, Canada & Ireland. She produced award winning feature Horseshoe & is festival director at DCIFF.

Shauna Fox

Cillian Murphy

Cork actor Cillian Murphy works in stage & screen & has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA & a Golden Globe. He debuted in Enda Walsh's Disco Pigs (1996) & starred in films including 28 Days Later, Breakfast on Pluto, Red Eye, Sunshine, & The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Known for Peaky Blinders, A Quiet Place Part II & collaborations with Christopher Nolan. He won an Oscar for his role in Oppenheimer. He is EP on Tim Mielants adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novella playing coal merchant Bill Furlong.

Capital Irish Film Festival

Solas Nua’s annual Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington, D.C., presents one of the largest programs of Irish cinema in North America, showcasing the latest Irish dramatic and documentary features, shorts, art films, and animation releases by Irish and Ireland-based filmmakers. The 20th edition of the four-day festival takes place February 26- March 1, 2026, in partnership with the prestigious American Film Institute's Silver Theatre & Cultural Center (Silver Spring MD).

Cian Geoghegan

Cian Geoghegan is a writer and director from Maynooth, Ireland. His latest short, Childhood, follows the story of a former child soldier who has to deal with his trauma as his son reaches the age at which he was captured. The film was made with the support of Kildare County Council's Short Grass Film Bursary, and won VOID Magazine's Visual Storytelling of the Year Award in 2025.

Cannes Film Festival

Volta Pictures

VOLTA PICTURES (formerly Element Distribution) is an Irish independent film distributor founded in 2007 by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe. The company releases Irish, independent & event cinema. Notable titles include Calm with Horses, Room, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Rosie, Dublin Oldschool, and A Bump Along the Way. The Guard became one of Ireland’s highest-grossing independent films. Releases include God’s Creatures & Herself, alongside collaborations such as The Cherry Orchard.

Cathal Watters

Cathal Watters is a DOP born in Dublin and raised in Meath. He studied Drama at TCD and began his career working in news and documentary filmmaking before moving into film and television drama. His credits include Viva, A Dark Song, Handsome Devil, Rosie, One Million Dubliners, and work on the series Peaky Blinders. He won an IFTA Award for his cinematography on Viva and has received further nominations for his work across film and TV, and is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers.

Eclipse Pictures

Eclipse is the longest-established independent film distribution company in Ireland. Led by Siobhán Farrell and Claire Dunlop, the company brings together over 35 years of industry experience. Its predominantly female team takes pride in championing a diverse slate of Irish and international feature films and documentaries, connecting them with audiences across the country. Eclipse Pictures is driven by a passion for films it believes in, with a mission to educate and engage through cinema.

Lorcan Finnegan

Lorcan Finnegan is an award-winning Irish director, screenwriter & producer. His debut feature Without Name premiered at TIFF 2016, followed by Vivarium—starring Imogen Poots & Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg—which premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week & won the Ganne Foundation Award. In 2022 he directed psychological thriller NOCEBO with Eva Green & Mark Strong. His latest film, The Surfer, starring Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage, premiered in Cannes 2024 & received a 6-minute standing ovation.

Kimberly Reyes

Mutale Kampuni

Mutale is a reviewer, advocate, and graduate of the Silver Critics programme at DIFFl. She works as a Convener & Mentor for Insaka Ireland (African Youth and Cultural Movement), a Family Support Advisor specialising in community services & has served on the boards of the Dublin City Community Co-op and Diaspora Women’s Initiative. Mutale holds a Postgrad in Development Studies & certifications in Alternative Dispute Resolution, alongside her expertise in Entrepreneurship Development.

Seán Crosson

Khushi Jain

Khushi Jain holds an M.Phil in Classics from Trinity College Dublin & an MA in Reception from University College London. She writes about film and is doing her PhD in Dublin. Among other things, she writes Film Footnotes.

Niamh Algar

Barry Keoghan

Dublin Business School

Dublin Business School (DBS) is Ireland's largest independent third-level college, offering a variety of career-focused undergraduate & postgraduate degrees in fields like business, arts, law, & computing. The college emphasizes practical learning and industry-experienced lecturers, and its programs are validated by Quality & Qualifications Ireland (QQI). It also provides professional programs, and many students can use advanced standing to enter higher-level years of study. https://www.dbs.ie

Silver Screen Critics

David Prendeville

Eddie Marsan

East London actor Eddie Marsan, born in Stepney and raised in Bethnal Green, began as a printer before acting. He has worked with directors like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Guy Ritchie & Richard Linklater. He has won multiple awards for supporting roles and was nominated for best actor for The Disappearance of Alice Creed. A patron of the School of the Science of Acting and Kazzum, he has also worked in Ireland on Colin McIvor's No Ordinary Heist & Stephen Bradley's Fran the Man.

Éanna Hardwicke

Éanna Hardwicke is an actor from Cork, known for acclaimed roles in Normal People, Lakelands, The Sixth Commandment & The Doll Factory, earning him IFTA & BAFTA nominations & wins. He trained at The Lir Academy & began acting as a child, with a versatile career spanning stage, film (Vivarium, About Joan, William Tell) & TV, even narrating Sally Rooney's Intermezzo audiobook.

Mark O’Halloran

Mark is an actor & writer from Ennis, Co Clare. He has worked with Ireland’s major theatre companies & appeared on screen in Adam & Paul (also co-writer), History’s Future (IFTA Best Actor nomination), The Virtues, Darklands, Dead Still, Devils & Brassic. His writing credits include Garage, Prosperity, Viva & Rialto (Venice 2019). On stage, he contributed to LIPPY, co-wrote Beckett’s Room, The Silence & TRADE. He is writing the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends.

Screen Sessions

Liam Neeson

Ballymena actor Liam Neeson has enjoyed a career spanning over four decades, from theatre stages in Belfast and Dublin to Hollywood’s biggest films. He began with the Lyric Theatre and Dublin’s Project and Abbey Theatre before moving into cinema in the early 1980s. International acclaim followed his Oscar-nominated role in Schindler’s List. He has since balanced acclaimed dramas such as Michael Collins with global action success in the Taken franchise, alongside more recent comedic work.

Arts Council

The Arts Council is the national government agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland. They invest in high-quality art and excellent arts experiences through a number of competitive schemes for individual artists and organisations.

Lola Petticrew

West Belfast actor Lola Petticrew is a graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Petticrew’s screen work includes Dating Amber, A Bump Along the Way, Bloodlands, Three Families & Anne Boleyn. In 2024, they received widespread acclaim for their portrayal of Dolours Price in Say Nothing, winning an IFTA for Best Lead Actress – Drama & earning a BAFTA nomination. Recent projects include Tuesday, Channel 4’s Trespasses, and a series-regular role in Netflix’s live-action Assassin’s Creed.

Martin Cusack

Hugh O'Conor

A prolific, award-winning actor since childhood, Hugh has also built a bold body of work as a writer-director across live action, animation and opera, alongside acclaim as a still photographer. His screen debut was opposite Liam Neeson in Lamb (1985). Notable roles include the young Christy Brown in Oscar-winner My Left Foot, King Louis XIV in Disney’s The Three Musketeers, and films such as The Young Poisoner’s Handbook, Chocolat and comedy hit The Stag.

Aoife Kelleher

Aoife Kelleher is a multi-award-winning filmmaker who has sought, in her work, to tell hidden truths about Ireland and Irishness.

Imbolg: Women Who Terrify

Writers' Guild of Ireland

The WGI represents over 500 Irish writers for film, television, theatre, radio, animation and games. They campaign to ensure writers are recognised as the creative force without which, there is no production. All Guild members have access to bespoke networking events, expert advice on contracts, funding alerts through the newsletter, and an annual awards ceremony that celebrates their achievements.

Underground Cinema Film Festival

Kerry International Film Festival

Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF) is an annual film festival held in the picturesque town of Killarney, Kerry. Led by a small but mighty team of staff and volunteers, KIFF champions diverse and unique storytelling by way of a compelling festival programme of Irish and International features, documentaries and short films. Films belong in the cinema with an audience and KIFF plays a vital role in providing access to unique cultural cinema in the region.

Carmen Bryce

Carmen Bryce is a writer, journalist turned communications specialist and currently heads up comms for a national mental health charity. Carmen has the family trait of a healthy(ish) obsession with film and in particular the horror genre much to her partner's dismay. Born in County Down, Carmen has lived in Dublin for over 20 years but still sounds like the lovechild of Nadine Coyle and Liam Neeson.

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor

A graduate of Trinity College Dublin and RADA, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is an award-winning Irish actor. He is best known for playing Nidge in Love/Hate, earning multiple IFTA awards, and internationally as Ebony Maw in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. His work includes Peaky Blinders, Charlie, Rialto, Say Nothing and Baltimore, with several IFTA nominations and wins, most recently for Supporting Actor in a Drama.

Ed Guiney

Pat Collins

Pat Collins is a film maker from West Cork who has made 30 films over the last 20 years. In 2012, the Irish Film Institute curated a mid-career retrospective of his work to date. That They May Face the Rising Sun based on John McGahern’s novel premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2023 and went on general cinema & critical acclaim. He has made films on writer John McGahern, poets Michael Hartnett & Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, singer Thomas McCarthy, & writer/cartographer Tim Robinson.

Alan Gilsenan

With a film & theatre career spanning nearly 40 years, Alan Gilsenan is one of Ireland’s most prolific & respected directors of drama & documentary. Much of his work was made with producer Martin Mahon through Yellow Asylum Films. His documentaries—ranging from investigation to essay and observation—blend intellectual rigour with creative innovation, exploring Irish and global culture, history, and society across a body of over 40 films.

James Phelan

Stephen Burke

Stephen is a director and novelist born and raised in Dublin. He studied film at the Dublin Institute of Technology before making short documentaries on aspects of The Troubles, including After 68 (1994) and 81 (1996). His feature film Maze (2017) dramatises the 1983 escape of 38 IRA prisoners from Maze Prison. Burke has since transitioned to novel writing.

Sarah Griffin

Mark Sheridan

Yorgos Lanthimos

Emer Reynolds

Director Emer Reynolds is an Emmy nominated multi-award winning documentary director and feature film editor, based in Dublin, Ireland.

Element Pictures

Berlinale

The Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival), held each February in Berlin, is one of the world’s major film festivals. Celebrating cinematic artistry and emerging talent, it draws global audiences and industry professionals for premieres, market deals through the European Film Market, and cultural exchange. Irish films such as Black ’47, 32A, Christy, The Butcher Boy, and An Cailín Ciúin have all premiered at the festival.

GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival

For over three decades, GAZE has been a cornerstone of Ireland’s LGBTQIA community. Founded in 1992, before homosexuality was decriminalised, it has grown into an internationally recognised platform for bold queer and trans storytelling. Each year, the festival showcases over 100 films alongside panels and events connecting filmmakers and audiences. Celebrating stories that are tender, radical, and everything in between, GAZE continues to shape Ireland’s queer film landscape.

Ryan Gosling

Palestinian Cinema

At Film Ireland, we’re delighted to highlight and celebrate the work of Palestinian filmmakers. Through our reviews, we take a closer look at the powerful work being made in the region, while in our podcasts, we explore the depth and process behind a craft that is now more important than ever. We recognise and welcome the need for peace, and believe that art and storytelling remain powerful tools in fostering understanding and connection.

Colin Farrell

Dublin actor, Colin trained at the Gaiety School of Acting and gained early recognition in series like Ballykissangel. His breakout film role was in Tigerland, followed by Minority Report. He won a Golden Globe for In Bruges and has appeared in Miami Vice, The Lobster, Fantastic Beasts, Dumbo, and The Batman. In recent years, Colin Farrell has appeared in films such as Thirteen Lives and After Yang. He was recently featured in the documentary The Slightest Touch about Emma Fogarty.

Aidan Gillen

Aidan Gillen is an actor from Drumcondra best known for his roles in Love/Hate, Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders, and The Wire. With a career spanning four decades, he is regarded as one of Ireland’s finest actors. He has won multiple IFTA Awards for performances in Love/Hate, Charlie, and The Wire, and received further acclaim for Kin. His film work includes The Dark Knight Rises, Calvary, Sing Street, and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Neil Cadieux

Neil Cadieux is a Belfast-based film writer from Derry, Ireland who is particularly interested in experimental and esoteric cinema. Neil attended University of Glasgow, and studied Film & Television Studies alongside English Literature. Neil has written for Queen’s Film Theatre blog, and Film Ireland. Neil also hosts a Substack in his own name.

Steven Galvin

Emma Donnelly