DIFF 2025 Podcast: Filmmakers’ Roundtable

In this DIFF 2025 podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to 4 filmmakers whose films are screening at this year’s festival. Sophie Meehan (A Little Bird Told Me) , Fatoumata Gandega (I Belong), Conor McCormick (Bunker Baby) and Táine King (The Wilde Sisters).

Film Ireland Podcast · DIFF 2025 Podcast: Filmmakers’ Roundtable

The 2025 Dublin International Film Festival runs 20th February – 2nd March.

A Little Bird Told Me (DIR/WRI: Sophie Meehan)

Film Still: Daniel Martin

A teenage girl caring for her seriously ill father attempts to contact the spirit of Phil Lynott, to prove to her dad that there’s life beyond death.

A Little Bird Told Me screens as part of National Talent Academy Shorts on February 21st, 14:30, Light House Screen 1.

I Belong (DIR/WRI: Fatoumata Gandega)

Laliya navigates her cultural identity and belonging, reconciling Somali heritage with suburban life in Ireland while facing isolation and misunderstanding.

I Belong screens as part of National Talent Academy Shorts on February 21st, 14:30, Light House Screen 1.

Bunker Baby (DIR/WRI: Conor McCormick)

In the midst of Ireland’s housing crisis, soon-to-be parents Theo and Lauren, grapple with impending parenthood. As pressure mounts, their relationship is pushed to the brink when Theo’s neurosis leads him to become obsessed with a mysterious project.

Bunker Baby screens as part of The Deadliest Of All Things on February 24th,15:00, Light House Screen 2.

The Wilde Sisters (DIR: Táine King WRI: Joanne Heffernan, Lorraine Higgins, Taine King)

After dying in a tragic party fire, sisters Emily and Mary Wilde are trapped in purgatory, struggling with denial and painful truths about their lives as they seek a way to finally move on.

The Wilde Sisters screens as part of DIFF Shorts: Shut Your Eyes and See on February 26th, 13:30, Light House Screen 2.

Meet the Filmmakers

Sophie Meehan

Image: Shane O’Connor

Sophie Meehan is a filmmaker, poet, comic artist and musician from Dublin. Her first short film, Monday to Friday Person, was a lo-fi absurdist take on the Irish housing crisis, and debuted at Kerry International Film Festival. Her second short Young People of Ireland, set during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Dublin in 1979, followed two young women who decide to boycott the Pope’s mass. Screenings included official selections at Galway Film Fleadh and Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin. Sophie’s work explores social realities through a poetic lens, and introduces us to some of the unseen members of society. Her new short premiering at DIFF, A Little Bird Told Me, was supported by the National Talent Academy’s First Credit Short Film Scheme. The short is inspired by Sophie’s experiences caring for a parent.

Sophie on Instagram @someehan & @fishty.fagan.films

Fatoumata Gandega

Fatoumata Gandega is a writer, director and film programmer who focuses her craft on the sense of belonging from the Black and Brown immigrant experience in Occident. Through her work, she aims to amplify marginalised voices by exploring intersectional identities and community empowerment.

Her credits « Where the Heart Is » and « Beyond Borders » were screened in several festivals across Ireland and France. Fatoumata was recently selected for the International Documentary Association’s Getting Real’ 24 delegation in Los Angeles.

Conor McCormick

Conor McCormick is an emerging Irish filmmaker and a graduate of the National Film School of Ireland. His work has been recognised at various national and international festivals, with his debut short, Beautiful Youth, earning a nomination for Best Student Short at the Oscar-qualifying Austin Film Festival. His sophomore film, Wild Hunger, enjoyed a strong festival run both nationally and internationally, while his debut spec ad, Fiverr Fever, was shortlisted for the 1.4 Awards in London. His third short, Bunker Baby, premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh, and screened at multiple Oscar-qualifying festivals, and received a nomination for the Discovery Award at the Dublin International Film Festival. In addition to narrative filmmaking, Conor has directed several music videos, bringing his distinct visual style to emerging and established artists alike. His latest short, For The Cure, supported by Film Offaly, is currently in post-production and set for release in 2025.

Táine King

Táine King is a director and producer from Co. Monaghan, Ireland, known for her bold storytelling and striking visuals. Over the past decade, she has worked with world-renowned directors, actors, and producers, earning recognition at prestigious international film festivals.

Her directorial work has received numerous accolades, including Embryo (Milan & Berlin Fashion Film Festivals) and The Holy Ghost (Berlin Commercial, ‘Best Emerging Talent’). She was later nominated by the 1.4 Directors Awards in London as a director On the Cusp of Greatness. In 2020, her short documentary Making Tom earned her a nomination for ‘Best Female Director’ at the Cork Indie Film Festival.

Táine’s most ambitious project, The Wilde Sisters, a period drama set in 1871 Monaghan, premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh and is now on the festival circuit, earning selections at New York Shorts, Luxembourg Irish and British Film Festival, Disappear Here Festival, Louth Film Festival, and Crossings Film Festival in Norway, Chicago Irish Film Festival and now Dublin International Film Festival. It has already received an Honourable Mention Award at New York Shorts International Film Festival.

Beyond directing, Táine has spent years as an Art Director, most notably collaborating with Ridley Scott on The Last Duel, House of Gucci, and Napoleon, the latter nominated for Best Production Design at the 2024 Academy Awards.

With a slate of new projects, including Molly and The Robot, now in post-production, and her debut feature film in development, Táine continues to push creative boundaries and cement her place as a rising force in the industry.

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