About Us

Welcome to the world of Irish cinema. Operating since 1987, Film Ireland is an independent outlet dedicated to celebrating Irish film and is your go-to destination for all things related to the world of cinema and film on the island of Ireland. Over the years, Film Ireland has not only provided comprehensive coverage of film news, festivals, reviews; covering everything from huge international blockbusters to micro-budget indigenous film, but has also played a significant role in supporting and promoting the industry. 

Film academics Roddy Flynn and Pat Brereton described Film Ireland as “a full-fledged debating space devoted to the politics of film support and film culture in Ireland.”

The magazine has been helmed by top industry names, which include the likes of Johnny Gogan, Hugh Linehan, Ted Sheehy and Ross Whitaker and featured contributions from Martina Niland, Lenny Abrahamson, Donald Clarke, Dr. Ruth Barton and Hollywood Foreign Press Association member Kimberly Reyes, amongst many others. 

Contributors

Niall McKay is an Emmy award-winning writer and director and Podcaster, and former Executive Director Irish Screen America. Niall wrote and directed, The Ferry, a film starring Aoife Duffin, which was featured on RTÉ’s ShortScreen. He produced a historical documentary about the Filipino Farmworkers for PBS called Delano Manongs with partner Marissa Aroy (nominated for a 2011 California Emmy). A former columnist for the Irish Times and staff writer for Wired, Niall broke the story about the NSA spying on Europe in the New York Times and was also a regular contributor to The Economist, The Financial Times, the New Scientist. Niall’s personal documentary The Bass Player was nominated for a 2010 Irish Film and Television Award and won a in 2008 won a California Emmy for Sikh’s in America.  He’s been on the juries of the Cork Film Festival and the Galway Film Festival and the student Academy Awards and worked as a shorts programmer for the Tribeca Film Festival.

Ruth Walsh is an Irish journalism graduate, public relations consultant, and a digital content creator based in Amsterdam. As a passionate feminist, Ruth celebrates strong female energy and embraces bold, robust topics. She shares her journey and insights on her Substack newsletter, Woman Versus Machine, where she explores life, style, and the unique challenges of navigating the modern world. Follow Ruth on Instagram or Substack.

Lisa Dempsey has recently graduated from University College Dublin with a BA in Film Studies and Spanish. She has worked with film festivals in Ireland and abroad, most recently working with SXSW for their 2024 Narrative Shorts Programme. She is passionate about championing new and interesting voices, focusing her studies and writing on representation in film and media. 

Pius Ojo is a musician/writer director and actor. His latest short film Omozé has recently screened at the 35th Galway film fleadh and will screen next on the 21st of October at Fuse, hosted by GORM and the GALPAL Collective. The song in Omozé touches on Pius’s African roots and has recently been released on all streaming platforms, Pius takes inspiration from Hans Zimmer for this track. Pius can also be seen acting in the latest Frank Berry film, Aisha. Instagram @iuseyes or @pius____

Jack Murphy: A Louth-based writer, Jack is presently studying Film at University of Galway. Jack is a fan and a critic who loves talking and writing about all things film. Follow his writing now on Substack.

Adelaide Thermes Kane is a writer, critic and co-creator of anfa collective. With a degree in English, media and cultural studies from IADT, Adelaide has worked with multiple film festivals across Ireland, including the Galway Film Fleadh and Dublin International Film Festival. Follow the anfa instagram account here.

Pia Roycroft is a UCC student in their final year of their BA in Film & Screen Media International and Art History. Their roles as a film critic and screener for festivals like Dublin International Film Festival and the Galway Film Fleadh is sentiment to their passion for reviewing (and of course, watching) many different films. As a disability advocate themself, Pia is very passionate about improving the world we live in and emphasizing the importance of accessibility and equality, especially in the film and screen media industry. Connect with Pia here. 

Sarah Cullen is a research assistant from Dublin. Along with writing for Film Ireland she is also a film editor for Headstuff. She has written on film and literature in several academic collections and journals including the Irish Gothic Journal and the Irish Journal of American Studies.  

Khushi Jain holds an M.Phil in Classics from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in Reception from University College London. She writes about film, here, there and everywhere. 

Anna Maria O’Flanagan is a freelance writer and holds a MA in Creative Writing from The University of Limerick along with a MA in Film and Television Studies from Dublin City University. A former Film and Television Editor, she has over 20 years experience of working in Post Production in Dublin, London & Rome. She was the editor of Frankie which won the Prix UIP award at the Berlin film festival & the European Academy Award for best short film as well Two Hearts, which also won the Prix UIP award and was nominated for a European Academy Award. Her feature film debut was the A Dark Song, (Critics Pick in New York Times). 

June Butler is an artist, writer, and avid moviegoer. She lists Lars von Trier, Gaspar Noé, and Wong Kar-Wai among her favourite directors. June has held several solo exhibitions of her paintings both here in Dublin and Tokyo, Japan. June’s paintings have been sold to the late Charles Haughey, the late Sir Anthony J. F. O’Reilly, and Sir Michael Smurfit, among others. In 2002, June embarked on a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, graduating in 2007. June started a second Bachelor of Arts degree (Film Studies), in September 2010, graduating in 2014. Commencing September 2014, June began a MA in Art in the Contemporary World at the National College of Artand Design and graduated in 2017. At present, June writes articles and reviews for Film Ireland, interviewing several documentary directors including Johnny Gogan (Witness to the Future, 2015), Gerry Gregg (Condemned to Remember, 2017), Seamus Murphy (A Dog Called Money, 2019) and Sinead O Shea (A Mother Brings Her Son to be Shot, 2017). June has spoken to the artist and filmmaker Andrea Mastrovito about his animated, re-interpreted version of Night of the Living Dead (1968), as I Am NOT Legend (2020), and has talked with director Eoin Macken about his coming- of-age drama, Here Are the Young Men released in 2020.

Adam Matthews is a writer at heart who wants to share his love of the peculiar and strange with others. Having completed an MFA in Creative Writing from the American College Dublin and an M.Phil in Screenwriting from Trinity College Dublin, he hopes to carve a path to making storytelling his career. If he were to be reincarnated, he would want to be a 1940s LA private investigator.

 Max Driver is a young actor and writer who lives in Kilkenny with his family and two miniature poodles. He has been in the arts since a very young age, previously a vocalist, performing in the Kings Theatre and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City, and is currently studying acting at the Lir Academy in Dublin. A keen cinephile, Max runs a monthly movie review newsletter for friends and family, and is otherwise obsessing over his top four on Letterboxd.

William Reynolds (he/ they) is a queer Irish-Vietnamese film writer and curator. They enjoy cinema that explores and dissects societal standards. They primarily write about underrepresented minority groups in cinema and the intersection of different identities. You can see some of their writing in Movie Marker, Gay Star News and Beneficial Shock Magazine. Follow them on Letterboxd here.

Will Penn grew up in Luxembourg. Since moving to Dublin in 2018, his poems and essays have been featured in the Summer Hill Magazine, and the Gorko Gazette. Check out his Instagram page here, and follow him on Substack here. 

Smrithika Majukar: Smithy is an emerging Indian-Dutch writer and filmmaker. She graduated with a First Class Distinction from Trinity College Dublin’s MPhil programme in Screenwriting. She is passionate about telling stories from a postcolonial, feminist, and migrant perspective as they translate into the 21st century. She is presently developing a sitcom and a feature-length screenplay with the aforementioned themes on deck. With an undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Amsterdam, she has experience in social media and event management, as well as film production in multiple student-led societies and films. Her work as a Director of Photography on films screened at the Dublin Universities Film Festival led to her team winning the Audience Choice Award. She serves as the Administrator for WFT Ireland. Find Smithy on Instagram / LinkedIn.

Conor Bryce is a designer, author and amateur filmmaker with a lifelong love of cinema. Born in County Down and a Limerick blow-in for nigh-on fifteen years, when he’s not running after his daughter he’s running along the Shannon with a movie podcast in his ears. He’ll happily talk your ear off about why a Krull remake would rock or how the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack changed his life, but you’ll have to catch him first.

Dora Matijević, originally from Croatia, moved to Dublin in 2017, where she kickstarted her
writing career by interviewing musicians for the Musical Youth Foundation and
crafting articles about the culinary scene, drawing on her nine years of
experience as a chef. After graduating from Pulse College, she wrote, directed,
and edited her debut short film, Show Me the Stars. She is currently refining her
scriptwriting in a writers’ group and exploring her acting skills.  Website / LinkedIn

Mutale Kampuni Mutale is a film reviewer and advocate who began writing for Film Ireland through  the Silver Critics programme at the Dublin International Film Festival. She works as a Convener and Mentor for Insaka Ireland (African Youth and Cultural Movement), a Family Support Advisor specialising in community services and has served on the boards of the Dublin City Community Co-op and Diaspora Women’s Initiative. Mutale holds a Postgraduate degree in Development Studies and certifications in Alternative Dispute Resolution, alongside her expertise in Entrepreneurship Development and enjoys exploring film and storytelling through her writing.  

Sarah Shojaei is a freelance writer with a BA in Film Studies and English Literature from the University of Southampton. If you’re ever looking for her, you will find her sitting at her desk desperately trying to get that word count down or in a bakery yapping about Paul Thomas Anderson, Twin Peaks and Paul Schrader’s FB posts (in no particular order). Or, if you’re lucky, at the movies. She will not be talking your ear off there as long as the lights are off. 

Mick Jordan is a writer and filmmaker.  His latest film Letter To My 16 Year Old Self is presently screening at festivals around the country. He has a BA in Film and has written for TV and radio.  He co-hosts the film review podcast Spoilerama.  

Matthew Briody is a freelance writer with a keen interest in writing and directing. Matthew studied journalism and then went to IADT where he got a degree in English, Media and Cultural Studies. When he’s not writing, Matthew can be found doing extra work on sets, where he pretends to rub shoulders with the stars. You can read more of his reviews on his Letterboxd page and follow him on Instagram.

Dale Kearney is the Film Editor for Post-Burnout, and is a passionate film enthusiast, boasting multiple years studying and working within film. He attended Dublin Business School, graduating with a BA Hons in film, and also attended Trinity College Dublin, graduating with a master’s in Screenwriting.  His intrigue in film shows no end as he covers everything from horrors to comedies to musicals.  Follow Dale on Instagram or add him on LinkedIn. 

Naemi Victoria is a writer and visual artist. She loves art, cinema, and a good laugh. Having completed an undergraduate degree in English and American Studies at the University of Hamburg, she moved to Dublin for a master’s degree in Film Theory at Trinity College. Her research interests are working-class cinema, gender representation, and the study of neoliberalism in popular media. Naemi is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Konstanz. Her research project will investigate the impact of neoliberal ideology on the representation of working-class identity in popular cinema from the late 1990s to the present day.

Assistant Editor

Deabhan Murray is filmmaker with a passion for new wave and experimental film. Recently graduated from UCD with a bachelor’s in both French and film studies, Deabhan has created and worked on a number of projects in the last two years ranging from visual installations, to short films. Her work has featured in the Doolin Arts Festival, and also been screened with Fanvid Dublin, a collective of young artists that she is well affiliated with. She has previously assisted live events with Women in Film and Television Ireland.

Associate Editor

In 2014 Gemma graduated with a First from NUIG’s Writing MA. Gemma’s plays have been staged and supported by AboutFACE, Axis Theatre, Barnstorm Theatre, the Jerome Hynes One Act Series and the Arts Council. She has two feature films in development, one that she’s co-writing with creator Mo O’Connell that was developed under Screen Ireland’s Spotlight Scheme. She wrote and co-produced five-part comedy Rental Boys for RTÉ’s Storyland; she has gone on to write, direct and produce shorts screened at festivals around the world. She’s just finishing her first funded short as director, Conveyance, supported by DLR’s First Frames scheme. Gemma has penned articles for magazines, websites and newspapers; she’s the Associate Editor of Film Ireland and is a regular contributor on RTE Radio One’s Arena. Connect with Gemma on X / LinkedIn / Insta

Editor

Steven Galvin: Steven is an editor, musician and visual artist. He received a first in MA in Film and Television Studies from DCU. Steven was the Assistant Editor of Film Ireland magazine in its printed incarnation and went on to become Editor in 2013, where he managed the transition from print to digital. As an audio / visual artist, Steven has performed at various venues, including The Button Factory, The Tivoli Theatre, Odessa Club, & The Sugar Club. He has also provided sound mixing and musical composition for short film, and theatrical promos, and has an extensive history of editing both audio and video. Steven delivers regular freelance services across the film industry, including for the Writers Guild of Ireland, Screen Directors Guild of Ireland and Women in Film and TV Ireland. He has also devised and delivered Video Editing classes in FCPX and Premiere Pro and has lectured for the National Film School in IADT.

Contributors

• Adam Matthews
• Ailbhe O’Reilly
• Alan Shalvey
• Alisande Healy Orme
• Andrew Carroll
• Anne Marie Conlon
• Annie Curran
• Anthony Assad
• Anthony Kirby
• Aoife Fealy
• Aoife O’Ceallachain
• Aoife O’Neil
• Benjamin Henry DeVries
• Brian Ó Tiomáin
• Brian Quinn
• Caleb Cotter
• Cathy Butler
• Charline Fernandez
• Chris Lavery
• Christopher Banahan
• Cian Geoghegan
• Cian Griffin
• Ciara Creedon
• Colm Quinn
• Conn Holohan
• Conor Dowling
• Cormac O’Meara
• Dakota Heveron
• Daniel Kiniry
• Daniel Lynch
• Darragh McCabe
• Darren Beattie
• David Deignan
• David Prendeville
• David Turpin
• Dee O’Donoghue
• Deirdre de Grae
• Deirdre Molumby
• Derek McDonnell
• Donnchadh Tiernan
• Eamonn Gray
• Eleanor McSherry
• Ellen Murray
• Emma Donnelly
• Emma Hynes
• Emma Keyes
• Eoin O’Callaghan
• Fionn Warren
• Gareth Thornton
• Gordon Brennan
• Grace Corry
• Hannah Lemass
• Hugh Whelan
• Hugh Whelan
• Irene Falvey
• Jack O’Dwyer
• James Bartlett
• James Phelan
• Jemma Strain
• John Finbarr McGarr
• Jonathan Victory
• Julie Crowley
• Katie Kelly
• Kenny Hanlon
• Kimberly Reyes
• Larissa Brigatti
• Laura Cannon
• Liam De Brùn
• Liam Hanlon
• Loretta Goff
• Maria Flood
• Marija Laugalyte
• Martin Keaveney
• Michael Lee
• Michael O’Sullivan
• Michael Rice
• Naemi Dehde
• Niall McArdle
• Niamh Creely
• Orla Monaghan
• Patrick Townsend
• Paul Farren
• Phoebe Moore
• Rebecca Graham
• Richard Drumm
• Robert J.E. Simpson
• Ronan Daly
• Rory Cashin
• Ruairí Moore
• Ruth McNally
• Sadhbh Ní Bhroin

Background

Film Ireland began publication in 1987 under the title Filmbase News. The magazine was initially a photocopied newsletter distributed to members of the organisation. The first issue contained news about current short and feature film productions, information on funding schemes, and film festival reports. According to the magazine’s first editor, Johnny Gogan (who shared the credit “compiled by” with Mike Collins and John Gormley in early issues): “The 1987 Film Base AGM had called for a better distribution of information to the growing membership. Ireland was a word-of-mouth culture where information was guarded and opinions often verbalised on bar-stools but less often committed to print. The film scene was no exception. Vinny McCabe and Mike Collins had taken up the cause of a newsletter after the AGM and I was dragged in to assist their information sub-committee, joined by John Gormley (now TD)”.

In 1992, after thirty issues, Filmbase News changed its name to Film Ireland. Editor Patrick Barrett explained that the change of name was intended to reflect the magazine’s widening audience, but former editor Johnny Gogan later stated that “the name change [was] presented as a fait accompli to the board and the organisation”. Gogan opposed the move to make the publication into a national magazine “out of a belief in the parochial which has endured”, while later editor Hugh Linehan considered it “a progressive and ambitious move, but one which threw up its own challenges”.

Other editors of the magazine included Paul Power, who maintained the magazine’s status as a journal of record by keeping “local writers, directors, and producers in the frame of almost every story”; Hugh Linehan, who went on to edit The Ticket, the weekly entertainment supplement of The Irish Times Ted Sheehy, Ireland correspondent of Screen International, “who was often critical of the lack of a professional film grammar within much Irish film production”; and Tony Keily, who believed that film criticism and publication “should be radicated in a common film culture. And the job of a publication like Film Ireland is to provide a small space for that culture to grow. A pluralist space that doesn’t obviously belong to anybody”. The Film Ireland website, FilmIreland.net, was established in 2002.

In early 2013, after over 25 years in publication, Filmbase decided to cease publication of the print magazine. Reductions in funding to Filmbase made the continued publication of the magazine unsustainable and, despite the commitment and dedication of staff, contributors and the Irish filmmaking community, the cost of print publication was deemed unfeasible. The decision was made to make Film Ireland an online-only resource and is currently under the editorship of Steven Galvin.