Film Ireland Podcast

In the latest episode of the State of the Arts podcast (@sotapod), filmmaker and writer Des Doyle sits down with acclaimed television writer, producer, and co-creator of The Big Bang Theory, Bill Prady, for a detailed chat about his new show Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, getting a second shot at a pilot, and a shared passion for comic artwork.
Produced in partnership with Film Ireland and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme, the State of the Arts series explores the creative processes, industry challenges, and new opportunities that both Irish and international creatives face in today’s ever-evolving artistic landscapes.
During this conversation, Bill reflects on leaving his day job as a computer programmer, fondly recalls his work with Muppets creator Jim Henson and shares skills he developed along the way – ultimately leading to the co-creation of The Big Bang Theory.

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.
https://www.filmireland.net/state-of-the-arts-the-art-of-the-tv-spin-off-with-bill-prady-the-big-bang-theory-stuart-fails-to-save-the-universe
Bill Prady
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Prady began his work in entertainment in 1983 at Jim Henson Productions (then Henson Associates, Inc.). This followed a brief career as a computer programmer and partner in a software company.
Working with Jim Henson, Prady wrote a wide variety of projects, the last being The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, a posthumous tribute to the late puppeteer, for which he received one of his five Emmy nominations. Following his work with Henson, Prady wrote for a number of television comedy and drama series. His first produced episode of series television was an episode of Married... with Children in 1991; his first staff writing job was on the HBO series Dream On in 1995.
In 1997, he joined the writing staff of Dharma & Greg, rising to executive producer and taking over as "showrunner" in 2001. In 2007, Prady co-created the hit CBS series The Big Bang Theory with television veteran Chuck Lorre. He served as an executive producer of that series until its finale in May 2019. He is now co-creator and executive producer of The Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, currently streaming on HBO Max. In addition to his Emmy nominations, Prady has received two Writers' Guild awards, a CableACE Award, and eleven People's Choice Awards for his work as both a writer and producer. He has also been nominated for two additional Writers' Guild awards and five Golden Globe Awards. For his work with NASA (a storyline on Big Bang promoting space exploration), Prady was awarded the Agency's Exceptional Public Achievement Medal, NASA's third-highest civilian honor. He is a graduate of the Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and attended Wayne State University in Detroit. In the spring of 2022, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Wayne State.
Des Doyle
Des is a D.I.T. graduate who spent 15 years working in the Camera Department before moving into directing. He is the writer/director of the critically acclaimed feature documentary Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show, featuring JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost, Fringe), Robert & Michelle King (The Good Wife), Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) and Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory) amongst others. He has created a number of courses in conjunction with Screen Ireland over the last few years, which provide breakdowns of all the major US and international streaming networks and what their evolving programming needs may be. He also initiated the Pitching Programme for TV Drama and Comedy with Screen Ireland, giving a selected group of writers the opportunity to pitch directly to some of the major Irish production companies and created the LA Writers Room Placements scheme, which allowed Irish writers to travel to LA and spend time in US writers’ rooms.
Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In partnership with RENDR Festival and supported by the National Talent Academy for VFX, we are delighted to present this very special speaker series.
Recorded live at RENDR 2026 in Banana Block, Belfast, we spoke with actor, producer and co-founder of practical effects company Pro Machina, Camille Balsamo-Gillis.
In this conversation, Camille chats about growing up on sets as the daughter of Oscar-nominated creature effects artist Alec Gillis, creating films for themselves at Pro Machina, working as a multi-hyphenate filmmaker, and continuing the family legacy of practical filmmaking through her work on blockbuster productions including Alien: Romulus and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.
https://www.filmireland.net/camille-balsamo-gillis-actor-producer-co-founder-of-pro-machina-practical-effects-company

This series of talks was recorded in The Spinners Mill Studio, a podcast and DJ studio based in Banana Block offering tailored solutions for DJ sessions, small-scale events and podcasting from concept to final distribution. Follow them on Insta / Facebook / TikTok
Camille Balsamo-Gillis
As the eldest daughter of Oscar nominated creature effects artist Alec Gillis, it was inevitable Camille Balsamo-Gillis would follow in her father's footsteps with a career in practical effects. As co-founder of practical fx production company Pro Machina, her team builds and shoots miniatures for blockbuster films like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Alien: Romulus, but she hasn't stopped there: Pro Machina's mission is to create unique films that celebrate practical effects as a powerful filmmaking tool. To date, she has produced two features under the banner, with two more in development this year.
RENDR Festival
This is a unique event celebrating creative craft and artistry in a fully immersive two-day festival exploring the space between Creativity and Technology. Ignite your imagination with inspiring speakers from the worlds of Film, Gaming, Animation, Immersive, and more! Learn from the best, with 30+ creatives from the likes of Netflix, Pixar, Walt Disney Studios, and Epic Games among others.
Witness creative uses of new technology, explore the gallery of digital art, chow down at the food village or play in the arcade. You will be transported to the future, and provide you with unforgettable and inspirational nights. Like nothing you have experienced before, our unique combination is guaranteed to provide two nights you can’t miss. Come for the talks, stay for the experience!
National Talent Academy for Visual Effects
As the newest of the Academies, the National Talent Academy for VFX provides support and opportunities for anyone interested in a career in VFX. Launched in 2024, the National Talent Academy for VFX is an initiative of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, managed by Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet. Their mission is to transform aspiring VFX artists into industry-ready professionals while providing ongoing upskilling opportunities for current talent.
Through comprehensive courses and programmess, we introduce participants to best practices both locally and globally, creating clear pathways and solidifying Ireland’s reputation as a premier destination for VFX. The National Talent Academy for VFX is dedicated to attracting individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, fostering greater awareness of VFX as a viable and exciting career choice. Learn more about the work they do here.
Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In partnership with RENDR Festival and supported by the National Talent Academy for VFX, we are delighted to present this very special speaker series.
Recorded live at RENDR 2026 in Banana Block, Belfast, we spoke with Belfast-born stand up, director, animator, and Associate Creative Director at BUCK, Jennifer Zheng.
Her BAFTA-nominated short film Tough – exploring the complexities of her and her mother’s cultural identities – has screened at over 80 international festivals, including Sundance and SXSW, and received 17 awards. Alongside her directorial work, Zheng has collaborated with global clients such as Netflix, Google DeepMind, Headspace, and The White Stripes.
Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.
https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-director-designer-animator-jennifer-zheng
This series of talks was recorded in The Spinners Mill Studio, a podcast and DJ studio based in Banana Block offering tailored solutions for DJ sessions, small-scale events and podcasting from concept to final distribution. Follow them on Insta / Facebook / TikTok
Jennifer Zheng
Jen learned to draw the normal way: by drawing the same boiled egg for a month because her dad told her 'Da Vinci started that way' – he didn’t*. After eggs, she drew exclusively Hollywood A-lister headshots with the grid method: Her Angelina Jolie was spectacular. Now Jen has found a career where drawing the same thing over and over isn’t considered crazy: animation.
She grew up Chinese in the rolling concrete flats of Belfast, Northern Ireland where it was so white she would sometimes forget that she was Asian ... so the other girls at school would complain that their fake tan kept rubbing off, and she’d say back 'I dunno what’s wrong with you girls, because mine never comes off.' The prejudices she experienced growing up taught her the importance of empathy, which is a theme that permeates her work.
Her short film Tough on her and her mother’s conflicting cultural identities was nominated for a BAFTA, won 17 awards, and screened at over 80 international film festivals including Sundance and SXSW. She is currently Associate Creative Director at BUCK and has worked with clients like The White Stripes, Netflix, Headspace & Google Deepmind. Notably, she’s led the design of genitals & illustrations for OMGYes, co-wrote & creative directed a short for GitHub starring Phil Wang, and recently directed the animated portion of David Wilson’s music video for Mabel ‘Look At My Body pt.II’ – a psychedelic feminist retelling of the original sin.
On the side, she is an award-winning stand-up comedian, Playgrounds In Motion London host, erotica zine publisher, and t-shirt tiedyer.
*Da Vinci never repeatedly drew eggs, this seems to be a China-specific conspiracy.
Website / Instagram
RENDR Festival
This is a unique event celebrating creative craft and artistry in a fully immersive two-day festival exploring the space between Creativity and Technology. Ignite your imagination with inspiring speakers from the worlds of Film, Gaming, Animation, Immersive, and more! Learn from the best, with 30+ creatives from the likes of Netflix, Pixar, Walt Disney Studios, and Epic Games among others.
Witness creative uses of new technology, explore the gallery of digital art, chow down at the food village or play in the arcade. You will be transported to the future, and provide you with unforgettable and inspirational nights.
National Talent Academy for Visual Effects
As the newest of the Academies, the National Talent Academy for VFX provides support and opportunities for anyone interested in a career in VFX. Launched in 2024, the National Talent Academy for VFX is an initiative of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, managed by Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet. Their mission is to transform aspiring VFX artists into industry-ready professionals while providing ongoing upskilling opportunities for current talent.

Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Film Ireland podcast, recorded live on location in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Irish Film Festival, Gemma Creagh chats with actor Eleanor O'Brien about her role as the lead in Irish language feature Báite. Winner of Best Irish Language Feature Film at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh and nominated in four categories at the 2026 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards.
In this conversation, Eleanor discusses her experience of bringing Peggy Casey to life, reflects on planning her next steps following the film’s success, and reveals the types of roles that excite her.
Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts or watch the original recording here.
https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-actor-eleanor-obrien-baite-lynley

Eleanor O'Brien
Eleanor O'Brien is a theatre and film actress from Limerick, who trained at Bow Street Academy in Dublin. She was nominated for the Bingham Ray New Talent Award at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh for her performance in Báite, which won Best Irish Language Feature Film. Her screen credits include the lead role of Emily Blast in RTÉ's Blasts from the Past, The Last Right alongside Colm Meaney, Michiel Huisman and Brian Cox, and the BBC One drama Lynley, directed by Ed Bazalgette.

Báite
Winner of Best Irish Language Feature Film at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh and nominated in four categories at the 2026 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards, Báite arrives in cinemas nationwide on 6th March 2026 to coincide with Seachtain na Gaeilge (1–17 March). Directed by Ruán Magan (The Hunger, Our Blue World – A Water Odyssey), the film is a haunting Irish-language mystery set in rural Ireland in September 1975.
When a body is discovered in the receding waters of a lake, the find sends shockwaves through a small community. For 23-year-old Peggy Casey, who runs the local pub, the revelation threatens to upend not just her life, but an entire town built on secrets long submerged.

About Capital Irish Film Festival
Solas Nua’s annual Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington, D.C., presents one of the largest programmes of Irish cinema in North America, showcasing the latest Irish dramatic and documentary features, shorts, art films and animation releases by Irish and Ireland-based filmmakers. The 20th edition of the four-day festival takes place 26 February – 1 March 2026 in partnership with the prestigious American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre & Cultural Center.
The festival provides a US platform that amplifies the work of independent filmmakers working in Ireland and beyond, and celebrates the strength of Ireland’s contemporary cinematic culture. The programme highlights the country’s rich cultural heritage while fostering an inclusive and diverse community of Irish filmmakers. Capital Irish Film Festival champions emerging voices on Irish screens, showcases the exceptional talent and craft within Irish filmmaking, and reflects the robust and vibrant screen industry that has grown in Ireland in recent years.
The festival also presents the annual Norman Houston Short Film Award, dedicated to the memory of Norman Houston, the former Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau (NIB) in the United States. The award honours the best new short film created by a filmmaker based in or from Northern Ireland, made within the previous two years. The 2026 Norman Houston Short Film Award goes to writer-director Oliver McGoldrick for his film Three Keenings.
Read more on SolasNua.org, follow Capital Irish Film Festival on FilmFreeway here.
Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Film Ireland podcast, we are delighted to welcome producer Jack Tarling of Shudder Films.
In this discussion, Jack talks about his career producing acclaimed independent cinema, from God's Own Country and Kneecap to his latest feature, Learning to Breathe Underwater, which recently had its world premiere at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won the audience award at this year's Galway Film Fleadh.
Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts and/or watch the original recording here. https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-producer-jack-tarling-kneecap-learning-to-breathe-underwater

The World Premiere of Learning to Breathe Underwater took place at the 60th Karlovy Vary Film Festival and the film screened again on 10th July at the Galway Film Fleadh, winning the festival's audience award.
Starring Rory Kinnear, Maria Bakalova and Ezra Carlisle, Learning to Breathe Underwater follows eight-year-old Leo, who lives with his dad and a giant shark, which crashed through the roof of their home. Yes, you read that correctly. The shark is Leo’s best friend, to whom he can confide all his secrets. He can’t really talk to his dad; he must be missing mum, who’s been gone five years now. Then Anya the au pair bursts into their lives, and their world suddenly changes. It’s more cheerful and Leo discovers that the metal shark doesn’t have to be his only friend.
The film is directed by Rebekah Fortune from a script by Richard Barbin. The project is produced by Jack Tarling of the UK’s Shudder Films and Patrick O’Neill of Ireland’s Wildcard, co-produced by KeyFilm in the Netherlands, One Wave Films in Wales and made in association with Eiru Films in the west of Ireland.
Learning to Breathe Under Water was filmed in Galway last year and is proudly supported by Screen Ireland, BFI Global Screen Fund, Ffilm Cymru, WRAP Fund, Netherlands Film Fund, Finite Films, Bankside Films and Three Point Capital. Bankside Films handle international sales.

Jack Tarling
Jack has produced five feature films and many short films through his company Shudder Films. Kneecap, featuring rap trio Kneecap alongside Michael Fassbender, premiered at Sundance 2024 and sold to Sony Pictures Classics. It was shortlisted for two Academy Awards, nominated for six BAFTAs (winning Best Debut), and won seven British Independent Film Awards.
God's Own Country, which won prizes in 2017 at Sundance, Berlin, Edinburgh, Galway and many other festivals, won four BIFAs, including Best Film, received a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film, and was the highest-grossing UK debut of the year. Await Further Instructions was a Critics' Pick in The New York Times and sold to Netflix.
Currently in post-production for 2026 releases, Jack has produced:
Learning to Breathe Under Water, directed by Rebekah Fortune and starring Ezra Carlisle, Rory Kinnear and Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova, is financed by Screen Ireland, UK Global Screen Fund, Ffilm Cymru and the Netherlands Film Fund, and sold by Bankside.
Daughter of Eden, written and directed by Fateme Ahmadi, starring Yasmin Al-Khudhairi, Hiam Abbas, Amir El Masry and Lindsay Duncan, is financed by BFI, BBC Film, Screen Ireland and Civic Studios.
Jack has also line produced several other feature films for the BFI, BBC Films and others, including two which premiered at Venice, and he previously worked in development at Ridley Scott's production company, Scott Free. In 2019/2020, he worked to produce an unannounced US-set interactive feature film for Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Jack has produced short-form content for Disney/Hulu, executive produced a slate of ten short films for Northern Film + Media, and produced the short film Assessment, which was shortlisted for a BAFTA in 2010.
Over the years, the podcast has featured acclaimed guests such as Phyllida Lloyd, Lenny Abrahamson, M. Night Shyamalan, John Boorman, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Aisha Tyler, Colm Meaney, Paul Reiser, Niamh Algar, David Freyne, Ciarán Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, John Crowley, Niamh Algar, Gene Stupnitsky, and Terence Davies, alongside many of the most influential voices working in film and television today.

So make sure to subscribe and listen back!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.