DocArena: BAFTA-Winning Director John Dower (The Balloonists, Thriller in Manila, My Scientology Movie)

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we are delighted to once again partner with the Dinard British and Irish Film Festival, which held its 37th edition the weekend before last in the picturesque seaside town of Dinard, Brittany. At the festival, Film Ireland's Associate Editor Gemma Creagh caught up caught up with Eric Lagesse, CEO of Pyramide Films, to discuss Eric's passion for storytelling, the French film industry and the opportunities and challenges of bringing Irish films to international audiences. With decades of experience in independent film distribution and international sales, Lagesse shares his insights into the art of selling films across markets, the complexities of film financing, and the role of independent distributors in supporting filmmakers and bringing distinctive stories to audiences around the world.

In today’s episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we’re delighted to be partnering with the Roscommon International Film Festival (RIFF) to discuss a very important topic. As part of Dyslexia Awareness Month, RIFF is teaming up with Dyslexia Ireland to showcase films created by dyslexic filmmakers and raise awareness of dyslexia. We’re delighted to welcome Christine (CC) Braithwaite, a BAFTA-winning filmmaker, writer, director and producer, and co-founder of the Roscommon International Film Festival; and Keith Dunphy, an award-winning RADA-trained actor working across theatre, film and television. His screen credits include Star Wars: Rogue One, Children of Men and The Wind That Shakes the Barley. He is currently touring with his one-man play, Word Against the Word. In this episode, we discuss filmmaking, dyslexia, representation, and the importance of creating space for diverse voices within the film industry. Roscommon International Film Festival (RIFF) takes place from 22–24 October 2026 at Roscommon Arts Centre. Check out the full programme and get your tickets now at roscommonfilm.com. Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts or watch the original recording here: https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-actor-keith-dunphy-filmmaker-festival-founder-christine-braithwait-on-dyslexia-riff Keith Dunphy Keith Dunphy is an award-winning actor with over 25 years’ experience across theatre, film and television in London and Ireland. A RADA-trained actor, his extensive theatre work includes the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe, Abbey Theatre Dublin, Bristol Old Vic, Royal Exchange and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. His screen credits include The Winter King, Professor T, Peaky Blinders, The Hollow Crown, Beowulf, No Offence and Rebellion, alongside feature films including Star Wars: Rogue One, Les Misérables, Children of Men, The Wind That Shakes the Barley and Inside I’m Dancing. Most recently, Keith filmed the feature Improper Bastards for Fire in the Whole Productions and toured Ireland with his acclaimed one-man play Word Against the Word, written and performed by Keith. Christine “CC” Braithwaite Festival director, Christine is a writer, director, producer, festival director and workshop facilitator with over 30 years of experience across television, film, theatre, radio and creative writing. She recently directed for Channel 5’s Milkshake! children’s documentary series Love Nature and delivers creative film workshops for organisations including Screen Yorkshire, Leeds Film Festival, Roscommon International Film Festival, Foróige and Foxford Youth Drama. She also specialises in interactive workshops for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), using puppetry and shadow puppetry.

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we’re joined by Irish director and novelist Stephen Burke, whose work has explored some of the most complex and turbulent chapters of Ireland’s recent history. Stephen’s latest film, Chasing Millions, is inspired by the Northern Bank robbery. The film follows veteran Northern Irish detective Crayford and ambitious young Australian police officer Diana as they investigate what becomes the biggest bank job in British, Irish and Australian history. Starring Emmy-winning actor Christopher Eccleston (28 Days Later, The Leftovers, True Detective: Night Country) and Australian actress Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time, Dora and the Lost City of Gold), Chasing Millions is a true(ish) story of a legendary bank job. Chasing Millions is in cinemas from Friday 9th October 2026. Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts or watch the origional recording here: podcast-co-writers-director-stephen-burke-chasing-millions

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we're joined by Irish screenwriter and actor Niall Cassin, whose career has taken him from the Irish financial sector to film and television productions on both sides of the Atlantic - and now to the world of feature filmmaking. With credits including Mister Mayfair, Spice of Life, A Song to Kill For, and History Channel’s Colosseum, as well as production experience on major titles including Deadpool and War for the Planet of the Apes, Niall brings a mix of writing, production, and industry experience to the creative practice. Niall’s latest project, LOVE/HATE/HUNT/KILL, is a survival thriller with an ominous premise: a romantic escape into the desert becomes a fight for survival when a young woman finds herself hunted by a masked killer, all against the backdrop of an impending, world-ending comet strike. Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts - or watch the original recording back here: https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-writer-niall-cassin-on-shooting-love-hate-hunt-kill The film is set to have its World Premiere at the Louth International Film Festival on September 25th, followed by a special in-person Q&A with Niall.

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we’re talking about the award-winning documentary World Without Cows with the award-winning journalists/filmmakers behind it, Michelle Michael and Brandon Whitworth. The documentary takes us on a global journey across 22 countries and five continents, exploring the complex relationship between food, sustainability, biodiversity, and the people whose lives hang in the balance. World Without Cows kicked off its global theatrical screening tour with its world premiere here in Dublin on 9th September 2026, at the Pearse Lyons Distillery. From Covid restrictions to stolen equipment, the duo chat about the making of the film, their journey following the science, and the importance of telling a story that matters. Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast, Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts or watch the original recording here: https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-filmmakers-michelle-michael-brandon-whitworth-world-without-cows World Without Cows This film follows Michael and Brandon across five years and 22 countries, from the cattle-crowded streets of India to the drought-worn grasslands of Kenya, in pursuit of a question most people assume is already settled: What role should cows play in the future of our food, our communities, and our planet? What they find complicates the story. In India, cattle provide up to a quarter of the country’s protein (through milk), even as millions of cows roam the streets as strays, no longer producing milk but remaining culturally protected. In Kenya, cattle are survival itself for nomadic communities losing pasture to an increasingly shifting climate. And beneath the debate, scientists and ranchers alike are finding that well-managed grazing animals can actually help rebuild the soil the world depends on to feed itself. Michelle Michael Michelle Michael’s curiosity about the wider world began in a small Ohio town and ultimately led to a decades-long career in journalism, including years spent abroad as a U.S. military correspondent. Her work has taken her from local newsrooms to war zones, earning recognition from the National Press Photographers Association, West Point Military Academy, the Poynter Institute, and the Kentucky News Photographers Association. Over the past decade, Michael has turned her journalistic eye increasingly towards agriculture and the people whose lives are connected to the land. Working alongside longtime collaborator and World Without Cows co-filmmaker Brandon Whitworth, she has travelled extensively to document farmers and producers around the world, bringing their experiences, challenges, and perspectives to the screen. That combination of curiosity, field experience, and a reporter’s instinct for asking questions became the foundation for World Without Cows, a five-year investigation that took Michael and Whitworth across five continents in search of a deeper understanding of one of the world’s most familiar, and increasingly debated, animals. Brandon Whitworth Brandon Whitworth began his career in local television news, spending more than a decade with CBS and NBC affiliates in Kentucky and Utah before becoming an international video producer. A two-time Emmy Award-winning television news photojournalist, he has also received regional honours from the American Advertising Federation, the Associated Press, and the National Press Photographers Association. Like his directorial counterpart, Whitworth is originally from Ohio. He has followed stories wherever they have taken him, from covering wildfires by helicopter to travelling the globe reporting on agriculture, science, and food. For the past decade, he has worked alongside longtime collaborator and World Without Cows co-filmmaker Michelle Michael, documenting the lives of farmers and producers across cultures and continents Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shy