Deadline Debuts 'Local to Global' Series in Dublin with Leading Irish Screenwriters

Deadline has formally launched its 'Local to Global' series with an inaugural panel discussion held in Dublin, bringing together six established Irish screenwriters and directors for a conversation about their creative processes and the trajectory of Irish storytelling. The event, produced in association with Screen Ireland, was filmed on the evening before the opening of the third annual Storyhouse screenwriting festival, which took place April 16–17 at Dublin's Light House Cinema.

The Details

The panel brought together six Irish film and television creatives: Kate Dolan, writer-director of 'You Are Not My Mother'; Thomas Martin, screenwriter of 'The Surfer'; Nancy Harris, screenwriter and playwright and creator of 'The Dry'; Peter McKenna, screenwriter and showrunner and creator of 'Kin'; Cara Loftus, screenwriter of 'Spilt Milk'; and Colm Bairéad, writer-director of 'The Quiet Girl' (An Cailín Ciúin). Each has contributed to a recent Irish-produced project that has reached domestic or international audiences. Storyhouse, the not-for-profit screenwriting festival that provided the backdrop for the gathering, is operated by production company Element Pictures with backing from Screen Ireland and Fremantle, and is spearheaded by producer and Element Pictures Co-CEO Ed Guiney. Alongside its main programming, the festival includes Storyhouse Lab, a companion initiative designed to support and develop emerging screenwriters. Bairéad, whose film earned an Academy Award nomination and remains the highest-grossing Irish-language film of all time, discussed the visual foundations of his writing practice. He explained that imagery and camera perspective form the foundation of how he develops scenes before dialogue takes shape. 'When I'm at the genesis stage of an idea, it's sort of visual thing... for me, the whole process of writing is moving the camera around and seeing into the face of the character and into the eyes of the character,' he said. Harris, who began her professional writing career in London before returning to Ireland to create 'The Dry,' spoke about the creative freedom she found in writing about Dublin after working abroad. 'Because a lot of my start was in London, it was interesting to me how coming back and setting something in Dublin was so freeing because it was second nature,' she said. Dolan addressed the relationship between an artist's personal identity and the stories they write. 'As an artist when you're making, creating and writing, you can't really escape your own identity,' she said.

Context

The gathering represents the first formal installment in Deadline's 'Local to Global' series. Recorded in partnership with Screen Ireland and timed to coincide with one of Ireland's dedicated screenwriting events, the session adds to the ongoing calendar of industry programming focused on Irish film and television talent. The combination of established creators and a festival setting provided a structured forum for examining how Irish screenwriting has developed across recent projects in both film and television.

What's Next

The Dublin event marks the debut of Deadline's 'Local to Global' series. The session was produced in partnership with Screen Ireland and filmed on the eve of the third Storyhouse festival at the Light House Cinema.