DIFF 2025 Podcast: Claire Frances Byrne, Director & Ruth Coady, Producer of ‘Ready or Not’

In this Film Ireland podcast, Gemma Creagh talks to Claire Frances Byrne, Director and Ruth Coady, Producer of ‘Ready or Not’, which screens at this year’s Dublin International Film Festival.

Film Ireland Podcast · DIFF 2025 Podcast: Claire Frances Byrne, Director & Ruth Coady, Producer of ‘Ready or Not’

Dublin, 1998. Teenagers are all attitude, high ponies and low-waist jeans. Everyone is talking about sex, but no one is talking about consent. What Katie (Ruby Conway Dunne) thinks will be a summer of hanging out in the estate, blaring her favourite tunes and playing football with her best mate Steo (Alex Grendon), becomes a summer of expectations, of crossing lines she didn’t know existed. Byrne’s debut feature is a bursting coming-of-age story with a twist, revealing the grey areas we create to make sense of the world.

Ready or Not screens on February 22nd 20:30 at the Light House Cinema.

Book Tickets

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

Meet The Filmmakers

Claire Frances Byrne

Claire Frances Byrne, a Dublin native and award-winning Irish filmmaker, is set to premiere her feature directorial debut at this year’s Dublin International Film Festival 5 years on from winning the festival’s prestigious Discovery award in 2020. READY OR NOT, written by Lynn Ruane is produced by Ruth Coady for Gaze Pictures. The film is an exciting exploration of Irish youth culture and female friendships and much like Claire’s favourite films it’s funny! It is supported by Screen Ireland, Bankside, RTÉ, and Article1.

One of Claire’s standout projects, the Screen Ireland-funded short film SISTER THIS, garnered critical acclaim, earning a nomination for a 2020 IFTA, winning Best Film at the Fastnet Short Film Festival, special mention at Foyle Film Festival and securing Best Short Film and Best Director at the 2020 Kinsale Shark Awards. Claire’s other short films including Ascending Grace written by Karen Healy have earned accolades at prestigious festivals, including Heartland Festival Indianapolis, the London Irish Film Festival, the Richard Harris Film Festival, and the Dublin Feminist Film Festival, among others. Ascending Grace is a comedy set on an airplane funded by the Female Film Force by Bumble in 2019.

As 2025 promises to be a landmark year with the release of READY OR NOT, Claire is already developing her next slate of feature films. DAUGHTERHOOD, produced by Keeper Pictures and co-written by Claire and Karen Healy is a Screen Ireland backed project that Claire is attached to direct. Daughterhood originated from Claire and Karen’s winning submission to X-Pollinator’s 2020 Incubator. DAUGHTERHOOD is another project in which Claire gets to sink her teeth into the complexity and comedy of female relationships.

Since 2016, Claire has brought a multifaceted skill set to her projects, working as a TV editor and serving as director of a production company. Her dedication to her craft earned her membership in BAFTA Connect in 2023. Since 2024, she has also been a lecturer at London South Bank University, teaching filmmaking to BA students.

Claire is represented by Hugo Young at Independent Talent Limited.

Ruth Coady

GAZE Pictures, an independent production house, was founded in 2020 by accomplished Film and TV producer Ruth Coady and is now part of the Anton Film and TV Studio. Specialising in bold scripted stories for the international market, GAZE leverages Ruth’s 20 years of experience in independent production, key industry relationships and strong creative and commercial acuity, to produce innovative ideas for an everchanging industry. Throughout her distinguished career, Ruth has developed and produced successful productions and co-productions in Ireland, the UK, Australia, Canada , the US and throughout Europe. Ruth was as an Executive Producer on both MY FATHER’S DRAGON produced by Cartoon Saloon, starring Judy Greer, Whoopi Goldberg and Studio Canal’s LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER, starring Shalene Woodley and Felicity Jones, directed by Augustine Frizzelle. Ruth EP’d the TV series DARKLANDS for Virgin Media UK & Ireland with Fremantle and co produced MY SALINGER YEAR starring Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley directed by Oscar nominated Director Philippe Falardeau which opened the 2020 Berlin Film Festival. In 2022 , GAZE in association with Peer Pressure and co produced by Mermade, produced SISTERS an original TV series for AMC, RTÉ, CRAVE and Fremantle with Ruth as EP and directed by DECLAN LOWNEY (TED LASSO). Other projects Ruth has developed and produced include MARY SHELLEY starring Elle Fanning, directed by Haifaa Al Mansour, THE DELINQUENT SEASON starring Cillian Murphy, Andrew Scott and Eva Birthistle, written and directed by Mark O Rowe. She co-produced THE SIEGE OF JADOTVILLE for Netflix starring Jamie Dornan and Mark Strong.

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