Film Ireland Podcast

Last year, Film Ireland presented Screen Sessions Live, 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.In this special live podcast recording, graphic artist Annie Atkins (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, Bridge of Spies) is in conversation with production designer, art director, and concept illustrator Jill Beecher (Babylon, Elvis, The Revenant). Both creatives are key voices in the art department on some of Hollywood’s most ambitious and visually distinctive films. In this discussion, Annie and Jill explore the creative realities of working behind the scenes - from collaboration and artistry to problem-solving on set - and discuss how design shapes the stories we see on screen.Visit Film Ireland here to check out the images mentioned during the discussion: https://www.filmireland.net/screen-sessions-live-podcast-on-design-with-annie-atkins-the-grand-budapest-hotel-jill-beecher-babylon/Annie AtkinsAnnie Atkins has created graphic props and set pieces for multiple Oscar-nominated and winning movies such as Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and The French Dispatch; Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and West Side Story; and the map for the latest Indiana Jones movie, The Dial of Destiny.Her first book, Fake Love Letters, Forged Telegrams, and Prison Escape Maps, was published by Phaidon and drew critical acclaim as a behind-the-scenes look at film design, winning accolades from Jeff Goldblum, among others: “Annie makes the unreal seem hyperreal, and the real more supremely alive and utterly magical...” Her latest book, Letters from the North Pole, is a children's picture book and is available now.Jill BeecherJill was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1984. She is a production designer, art director, and concept illustrator who has worked across Hollywood productions and local Irish projects (Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, The Revenant, Alien: Covenant, Babylon, Elvis). Jill is now represented by William Morris Endeavour and is a member of the British and American Art Directors Guilds. She is also a visual artist who has exhibited in Europe, America, and Australia.Subscribe now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of the State of the Arts podcast (@sotapod), filmmaker and writer Des Doyle sits down with executive producer, director and writer Neasa Hardiman to discuss her expansive career across feature film and television, and her transition to working on large-scale, big-budget streamer projects.Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme, the State of the Arts series explores the creative processes, industry challenges, and new opportunities that both Irish and international creatives face in today’s ever-evolving artistic landscapes.In this conversation, Neasa reflects on her journey honing her craft, developing her debut feature, and stepping into directing on a major Netflix project. She and Des also pay tribute to Rob Reiner, discussing the lasting legacy of his work and its influence on contemporary storytelling. Drawing on her unique experience working across the Atlantic, Neasa shares insight into navigating the industry between Ireland and the US, and the creative advantages - and opportunities - of operating in both worlds.Follow the journey of State of the Arts here: https://www.instagram.com/sotapod/Read more about the podcast here: www.filmireland.net/state-of-the-arts-podcast-ep-director-writer-neasa-hardiman-jessica-jones-untamed-the-day-of-the-jackal-with-des-doyle Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast, we catch up once again with actor, writer and filmmaker Hugh O’Conor, whose quasi-autobiographical comedy series Showkids - co-written with Amy Stephenson and Shane Langan - is available to watch on RTÉ. We talk with Hugh about his expansive career, from performance and working with the greats at a young age, to training at NYU, and his move into directing features, animation, and now this witty and heartfelt show.Showkids is set around a very special after-school drama class for talented kids, run by the brilliant but super-intimidating Miss Bethany Jessop (Amy De Bhrún). The show is seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Sam Curtain (Flynn Gray), whose constant daydreaming has begun to cause mayhem in his life. When his parents, Sally & Con (Philippa Dunne & Killian Sundermann), stumble across Miss Jessop’s, they wonder if drama might be the perfect way to harness Sam’s overly active imagination?An initially reluctant Sam soon realises he’s discovered his tribe – other kids with equally vivid imaginations, inspired by Miss Jessop to use drama to help solve the problems they’re going through in their own lives. As well as experiencing his first, terrifying taste of showbiz, Sam has finally found somewhere he is free to let his cares and dreams run wild – but this time, with a purpose!Showkids is available to watch now on the RTÉ Player. Read more about this episode here:www.filmireland.net/podcast-hugh-oconor-actor-writer-filmmaker-on-showkids Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Film Ireland Presents, we chat with Margo Harkin, an accomplished and masterful filmmaker who has been directing and producing fiction and documentary work for over forty years. Her films span many aspects of life on the island of Ireland, from chronicling Northern Ireland’s political history, to examining the systemic oppression of women, to exploring the healing power of creativity, and much more beyond. The Irish Film Institute has curated a wonderful retrospective of her seminal works, available to watch back on their player now. Radical Witness Retrospective at Irish Film Institute After graduating in Fine Art from the Ulster College of Art and Design in 1974, Harkin worked as an art teacher and community worker in socially deprived areas of Derry. She joined Field Day Theatre Company in 1980 as an Assistant Stage Manager on Brian Friel’s Translations, before going on to work as a stage designer for the company. In 1984, Harkin co-founded Derry Film & Video Workshop with Anne Crilly and Trisha Ziff delivering critical perspectives that ran counter to the censored narratives then broadcast by British and Irish television. The signal works of this period were Mother Ireland (1988), Anne Crilly’s controversial documentary about feminism and Irish republicanism, and Harkin’s own Hush-A-Bye Baby (1990), a feature drama about teenage pregnancy following the 1983 abortion referendum in Ireland. Harkin established Besom Productions in 1992 making educational films for Channel 4 but her reputation as an astute, local documentarian of injustices was soon forged through a series of highly regarded television documentaries. Her cinema films, the surf documentary Waveriders (2003), by Joel Conroy (which she produced), and Stolen (2023), about the plight of unmarried mothers in Ireland in the 20th century, provided thoroughly researched, compelling accounts of their subjects. Margo Harkin is a member of Aosdána. Her work has won countless awards and is widely taught to third-level film and media students. Spanning over four decades, Harkin’s work has consistently challenged societal narratives, giving voice to the silenced and bearing witness to the social and political upheavals that have shaped the contemporary Irish landscape. The retrospective will span across the IFI’s cinema screens, as well as online via IFI@Home, IFI International and the IFI Archive Player. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we celebrate two great new Irish films.First, Mo O’Connell chats with actor Carolyn Bracken about their feature Horseshoe, which is released in cinemas on 5th December. Mo, an accomplished actor herself, and a producer on the award-winning family dramedy, chats with about their Carolyn about their exciting new indie film.Then, contributor Hayley Jorja sits down with IFTA-nominated filmmaker Nathan Fagan to discuss his short animated documentary Inside, The Valley Sings, which has qualified for the 98th Academy Awards® and won Best Animated Short Film at the Dublin International Film Festival. The film follows three prisoners trapped in prolonged solitary confinement, who seek comfort and escape in the boundless landscapes of their imaginations. (Starting at 19:38)Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.Horseshoe is in cinemas 5th December 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.