Interviews Archives - Film In Dublin

Features,Interviews

Direct Line with Maureen O’Connell

In Direct Line, Film In Dublin cuts to the chase, asking 20 questions of Ireland’s directors to get a brief look into their outlooks, influences and inspirations.

An award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer, Maureen O’Connell is a recognisable name to anyone with an eye on the Irish film scene. Her short films, wide ranging comedies like Meitherhood or the 1916-themed Proclaim! are regular selections for any solid Irish festival programme. More recently, the director’s comedy feature Spa Weekend has been a hit at festivals home and abroad, screening in British and Irish festivals and last year winning the ‘She Is On Fire’ Award at the Female Filmmakers Festival in Berlin.

Keeping that fire lit, Maureen O’Connell is now organising the first Dublin International Comedy Film Festival. Taking place online from December 3rd and 4th, the festival promises to offer some much-needed winter levity with a selection of short and feature films.

November 10, 2020
2020, Comedy, Direct Line, Directors, Dublin International Comedy Film Festival, Interviews, Maureen O'Connell, November, Short Film, Spa Weekend

Features,Interviews

Movie Memories: Aoife Martin on Casablanca, representation and the power of film

Writer and trans rights activist Aoife Martin is an ardent film fan. She has written about trans representation on screen for CinÉireann magazine, recorded guest spots on the 250 Podcast and now will serve on the Jury for the 2020 edition of the GAZE LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Alongside writer Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, performance artist Stephen Quinn and director Katie McNeice will be going through the selection of films on show during the festival, beginning today and running through to the 4th October, to select the GAZE Film Awards; picking out the Spirit of GAZE Award, Best International and Irish Shorts and Best Documentary to celebrate the best and brightest of Irish and international LGBTQ+ stories at GAZE 2020.

Ahead of the film festival, Film In Dublin spoke to Aoife about her Movie Memories, early favourites, the importance of telling trans stories on screen and the power of cinema to bring us closer together.

September 30, 2020
2020, Aoife Martin, GAZE, Interviews, LGBTQ

Features,Interviews

Direct Line with Shaun O’Connor

In Direct Line, Film In Dublin cuts to the chase, asking 20 questions of Ireland’s directors to get a brief look into their outlooks, influences and inspirations.

Director Shaun O’ Connor’s work has screened all over the world and won awards at various festivals, from DC to Dublin and Cork, where Shaun himself is based. He’s directed for television, on stage and for several advertising campaigns, but has received particular notice for his short films. His latest, A White Horse, has been a smash success on the Irish festival circuit over the last year, as an official selection at the Galway Film Fleadh, the Belfast Film Festival, the Cork and Waterford Film Festivals and VMDIFF 2020. Having won at the Oscar-qualifying Foyle Film Festival, A White Horse will be on the longlist for the Academy Awards in 2021.

April 9, 2020
2020, A White Horse, Direct Line, director, Interviews, Irish directors, Shaun O’Connor, Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival

Features,Interviews

Writer and director Sarah Ingersoll is Somebody going Somewhere

Screenwriter and director Sarah Ingersoll has got a fair bit of miles in while learning her craft. A graduate of The Glasgow School of Art, Sarah’s has a background in visual art and photography which informs her writing and filmmaking. After directing her first student film in 2016 through the Galway Film Centre, Sarah went on to study screenwriting at The New School in New York. In 2017 her feature script The Keeper was selected as a finalist for Best Inception and Best Overall Script at the Oaxaca Film Festival. Sarah’s short screenplay The Bridge was chosen for the 2018 GFC/RTE Short Film Commission and under the direction of Mark Smyth, the short premiered earlier this month at Galway Film Fleadh. The film tells the story of Cormac who after the sudden death of his parents must choose between returning to his home village in the west of Ireland to care for his estranged younger brother, and a bright future in Canada. She is a recipient of the New Writing Development Loan 2018 from Screen Ireland. Also in July, the iffy Short Film Festival screened Somebody, Somewhere, Who Looks After Critters, Sarah’s debut documentary short which focuses on the life of Alex Scade runs a one man animal sanctuary from his self-built cabin on the edge of the Beara peninsula in the southwest of Ireland. Film In Dublin spoke with Sarah to talk screenwriting, directing and the Jurassic Park vibes of emus. Read more…

July 30, 2019
2019, Directed by women, directing, Documentary, Galway Film Fleadh, Iffy Short Film Festival, Interviews, Mark Smyth, Sarah Ingersoll, Screenwriting, Short Film, The Bridge

Features,Interviews

Musical magic: Talking movie music with pianist Máire Carroll

On Saturday 29th June, pianist Máire Carroll will be bringing her piano along to the Light House Cinema for a one night only musical event, “Reimagining the Movies“. An extensive performer worldwide and a winner of numerous awards including the 2018 RDS Collins Memorial Prize, 2015 Tilestyle Artist Bursary and the 2012 RDS Music Bursary, Carroll will be performing some of her iconic film scores by some of cinema’s most loved composers alongside a number of guests, along with the premiere of her latest composition specially composed for the evening.

Ahead of her performance on Saturday, Film In Dublin spoke with the musician about the power of music on screen, her work and influences and more.

June 25, 2019
2019, Ennio Morricone, Film scores, Interviews, June, Light House Cinema, Máire Carroll, Michael Giacchino, Music, Philip Glass, Smithfield, What's On

Features,Interviews

Direct Line with Brian O’Brien

In Direct Line, Film In Dublin cuts to the chase, asking 20 questions of Ireland’s directors to get a brief look into their outlooks, influences and inspirations.

Hazardous Materials is a short film that looks at anxiety completely visually, without spoken dialogue, in an effort to convey something of the main character’s perspective on the world. Nora has trouble talking to anyone, and is scraping by day to day avoiding contact with people, while Rachel, a well meaning co-worker, wants to bring her out of her shell. When Rachel invites Nora to a house party – how will Nora react? The short has had considerable success at screenings so far, including a UK Premiere for World Mental Health Day and showings at 5 festivals/competitions to date.

Galway-based director Brian O’Brien has directed a number of shorts, but Hazardous Materials marks an impressive step forward for the developing director. Film In Dublin spoke to Brian for the direct line on his work.

January 21, 2019
2018, 2019, Animation, Brian O'Brien, Cartoon Saloon, Direct Line, filmmaking, Hazardous Materials, Interviews, Irish director, Irish Film, Louise Bagnall, music video, Shane Carruth, Short Film

Features,Interviews

Direct Line with Garret Walsh

In Direct Line, Film In Dublin cuts to the chase, asking 20 questions of Ireland’s directors to get a brief look into their outlooks, influences and inspirations.

Short film The Observer Effect is a dark thriller with vivid imagery, telling the story of a man and a woman with a mysterious connection whose paths, when crossed, are destined to lead to a violent end. An impressive debut from director Garret Walsh, with an immersive feeling of dread and remarkable production design, the short has had considerable success on the film festival circuit, showing at the likes of the Richard Harris International Film Festival, the Silk Road Film Festival and more, picking up award nominations and wins along the way.

December 3, 2018
2018, Direct Line, Film Festivals, Garret Walsh, Horror, Interviews, Irish director, Short Film, The Observer Effect

Features,Interviews

Director Kate Dolan looks back at 2018 and forward to future filmmaking

Kate Dolan is one of the fastest rising directors working in Ireland at the moment. The last year in particular has seen Kate’s 2017 horror short Catcalls feature at numerous festivals both at Ireland and abroad, including Women in Horror Month, Fantasia, GAZE, Frightfest and more. Kate has also contributed to the rising profile of Irish bands like Bitch Falcon and Pillow Queens through her music video, and is one of the filmmakers chosen by Screen Ireland to take part in their inaugural POV scheme, supporting the development and production of low-budget live action feature films from female Writers and Directors. Kate took a break from writing to talk with Film In Dublin, looking back at the last year and her work, and looking ahead at what’s to come.

November 30, 2018
Alice Lowe, Bitch Falcon, Catcalls, Directed by women, Fastnet Films, GAZE, Horror, Interviews, Irish director, Kate Dolan, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+ Films, Music, Music Videos, Pillow Queens, POV, Screen Ireland, Silent Caller, WIHM, Women in Horror Month

Features,Interviews

Movie Memories: Darren Mooney on Nolan, Negativity and knowing movies are bad when you’re 8

Blogger, podcaster, author, Darren Mooney is one of the hardest working names in the Irish critical community. A long-time writer on award-winning the m0vie blog, his one-stop shop for all things pop culture, Darren also contributes regularly to the Irish film monthly magazine CinÉireann and curates both the Scannain podcast and The 250, where he and Andrew Quinn look at IMDB’s list of the top 250 films of all time. (Full Disclosure: This writer has appeared on both podcasts.) Darren has recently published his latest book, Christopher Nolan – A Critical Study of the Films, a history covers Nolan’s complete filmography, tracing his career from film student to indie darling to Oscar-nominated auteur. Film In Dublin caught up with Darren to talk about his movie memories, influences as a writer, and experiences in the toxic waters of online backlashes.

October 17, 2018
2018, Batman, Batman Begins, Books, Christopher Nolan, Darren Mooney, Directors, IMAX, Insomnia, Interviews, Joel Schumacher, Memento, Movie Memories, Podcasts, Red Letter Media, Roger Ebert, Scannain, The 250, the m0vie blog, The Prestige

Features,Interviews

Talking For Molly with stars Kieran O’Reilly, Maura Foley and editor Dave Thorpe

Next week, Irish indie film For Molly comes to select screens across the country, including in Movies@Swords, Movies@Dundrum and Omniplex Rathmines in Dublin. Directed by Cathal Kenna (Coming Home), For Molly tells the story of a young Irish couple ‘Evan and Laura’, engaged to be married and preparing for the arrival of their first child ‘Molly’ when a shock cancer diagnosis arrives out of the blue to Evan. Uncertain about the future Evan starts recording a series of home movie messages for Molly in an attempt to offer some helpful fatherly advice and a document of who he is for Molly when she is older. The home movie recordings unintentionally end up capturing the emotional rollercoaster Evan and Laura go through as they come to terms with their predicament and events build towards a climax.

The writer of For Molly as well as the film’s lead Evan, Kieran O’Reilly arrived onto the acting scene in 2013 with a critically acclaimed performance in Ireland’s television crime drama, Love/Hate (2010). He was nominated for the ‘Discovery Award’ at the Dublin International Film Festival 2016 and is also known for Vikings (2013) and is the singer/songwriter of the Irish alternative band, Hail The Ghost. Playing Evan’s partner Laura, Maura Foley is known for her work on P.S. I Love You (2007), Truth (2013), Love/Hate (2013), Cardboard Gangsters (2016), Storage (2016) and Acceptable Risk (2017). She currently voices the lead character in award winning children’s animation show Brain Freeze for the BBC. In addition to editing, Dave Thorpe has credits as a director and writer across numerous Irish productions.

We recently chatted with Kieran, Maura and Dave about For Molly, taking on new creative roles, and a possible alternative title for their film.

September 24, 2018
2018, Cathal Kenna, Dave Thorpe, directing, Editing, For Molly, Interviews, Irish Film, Kieran O'Reilly, Maura Foley, Movies@Dundrum, Movies@Swords, Omniplex, Omniplex Rathmines, Screenwriting

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