Podcast: Introducing starGAZE Participants Pradeep Mahadeshwar, Ian Fallon & Liadán Roche

In this podcast, Film Ireland is delighted to partner with the National Talent Academy for Film & TV and GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival as we’re joined by three participants from their fantastic starGAZE programme. This is a platform for LGBTQIA talent that provides access to Irish and international creatives, full festival access, and mentorship with an established LGBTQIA filmmaker.

In this episode we are joined by Pradeep Mahadeshwar, Ian Fallon & Liadán Roche to talk about their craft and career and their experiences on starGAZE.

Film Ireland Podcast · Introducing starGAZE Participants Liadán Roche, Pradeep Mahadeshwar & Ian Fallon

starGAZE 2025 Applications Are Now Open

GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival has announced the second year of their professional development programme starGAZE, supporting by the National Talent Academies. The initiative which will support six emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers is now open for applications. starGAZE provides a platform for LGBTQIA talent through an internationally recognised film festival by giving participants access to Irish and international creatives, full festival access and a mentorship with an established LGBTQIA filmmaker.

starGAZE 2025 will accept applications from LGBTQIA people of all backgrounds, particularly encouraging applicants from the global majority, trans and non-binary people, people from working-class communities, the Travelling community, people with disabilities and all equity-seeking individuals facing additional challenges within the film industry. starGAZE is supported by the National Talent Academy Film & TV Drama and by the Arts Council of Ireland.

starGAZE’s ambition is to increase the number of Irish LGBTQIA stories on screen and showcase the next generation of Irish queer and trans voices.

Apply by Monday 14 April, 5pm.

Meet The Filmmakers

Liadán Roche

Liadán Roche is a trans writer/director from Cork, Ireland. Her most recent short film, TERRATOMA, which she wrote, directed, edited and composed for had its world premiere at BFI Flare, received an honorable mention at GAZE Film Festival and was nominated for the Iris Prize. It will be screened at TITE, Ireland’s first trans and non-binary film festival, and is part of TITE’s touring programme which has already screened in Tours, France and Chicago, USA.

Liadán is currently in the starGAZE 2024 scheme which helps queer directors break into the film industry and is being mentored by Canadian filmmaker, Louise Weard. Liadán was also accepted into Fishamble’s “Cruising the Boards” queer workshop series where she is developing the play BROODMARE under the tutelage of Irish playwright, Carys Coburn. Liadán has just completed a Masters in Screenwriting at the National Film and Television School in London. She has written two TV pilots and two feature films while on the course (as well as short films, games, theatre and audio drama). Her final year film script was DREAM OF NEW SHAPES, a trans possession body horror and her final year TV pilot was the half hour comedy-drama, SPIT YOU OUT. Her writing mines troubled, misguided characters and bleak worlds for catharsis, hope and humour.

Pradeep Mahadeshwar

Pradeep Mahadeshwar is a Dublin-based visual artist, experimental filmmaker, and LGBTQIA+ activist originally from India. His multidisciplinary practice encompasses storytelling, writing, photography, illustration, and moving image, centring on the intersections of identity, migration, and the lived experiences of Queer People of Colour in Ireland.

As the founder of Queer Asian Pride Ireland and the Queer Spectrum Film Festival—Ireland’s first film festival dedicated to LGBTQIA+ People of Colour—Mahadeshwar has played a pivotal role in creating platforms that both celebrate queer cultural diversity and address the systemic challenges faced by immigrant LGBTQIA+ communities.

His work frequently interrogates themes of displacement, sexual racism, and postcolonial identity through a visual language that is surreal, satirical, and emotionally charged. Mahadeshwar’s films chart alternative emotional terrains, delving into the complexities of gender, sexuality, and cultural assimilation. His artistic inquiry is particularly attuned to the often-unseen emotional and physical worlds of Queer People of Colour: how they access intimacy, navigate desire, and form meaningful connections in unfamiliar cultural contexts.

Rooted in a deep commitment to social justice, Mahadeshwar’s practice explores the impact of migration, racism, and marginalisation on the mental and sexual health of racialised queer communities. Through an evocative fusion of narrative, performance, and visual poetics, he constructs layered, affective works that invite reflection on the intersectionality of race, queerness, and belonging.

Ian Fallon

Ian Fallon is a queer writer-director from Kildare. A graduate of the National Film School at IADT, Ian is interested in telling compelling character-driven stories that entertain, thrill and challenge audiences. His psycho-sexual graduate film ‘AMŒBA’ premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Cork International Film Festival and went on to screen at many more festivals, including DIFF, GAZE & FilmQuest. Most recently, ‘AMŒBA’ received an honourable mention for the LUMI award at the BAFTA qualifying Belfast Film Festival, an award given to films that show innovation and appeal to young audiences. His short documentary ‘POULAPHOUCA’ premiered at the Cork International Film Festival and won Best Irish Documentary at the 2023 Story International Student Documentary Festival. Also in 2023, Ian won the Youth Music Video Competition for his music video for ‘NIGHTMARES’ by Paddy Hanna. In 2024, Ian was selected for the starGAZE talent development programme, receiving a yearlong mentorship from writer-director Stacey Gregg and a bespoke Lab day at the GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival.