CIFF continues to develop its focus on high-quality Irish and international documentary cinema with Doc Day, connecting emerging and established non-fiction filmmakers with industry professionals and the wider documentary sector.
Doc Day 2025 will pull focus on Irish feature documentary A Quiet Love, a ground-breaking non-fiction film that captures the remarkable love stories of three Deaf couples through Irish Sign Language. The film will have its Irish premiere at the Festival at 17:00 on Saturday, 15th November at the Triskel.
The event will also delve into the work of filmmaker Dennis Harvey and his new feature Celtic Utopia (Irish premiere at 17:00 on Saturday, 8th November at The Everyman), and examine director Andy Mundy-Castle’s Shoot the People (20:00, Friday 14th November at the Triskel), a film about photojournalist Misan Harriman.
The event will conclude with a keynote career conversation with documentarian Sinead O’Shea, director of Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story, which won both the Best Irish Feature and Audience Awards at Cork International Film Festival in 2024.
FRI 14 NOV | TRISKEL | 11:00 – 17:00 | TICKETS €20 | INCLUDES LIGHT LUNCH
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SCHEDULE
10:30 – Door opens / registration
11:00 – Intro
11:10 – Session 1 – Inclusion Case Study | A Quiet Love
12:05 – Session 2 – Indigenous Doc-Making | Answering the Call
13:00 – Lunch
14:00 – Session 3 – An Irish Filmmaker Abroad | Dennis Harvey
14:50 – Session 4 – The Power of Protest | Shoot the People
15:50 – Break
16:00 – Career Interview | Sinead O’Shea
17:00 – Drinks Reception
18:00 – END
11:10 Inclusion Case Study | A Quiet Love
A Quiet Love captures the remarkable love stories of three Deaf couples through Irish Sign Language. The film is groundbreaking for its work both in front of and behind the camera. Here we assemble the filmmaking team to examine their efforts to implement inclusion practices for the film, particularly for the Deaf crew members employed on the documentary.
Speakers:
Anne Heffernan – Producer, A Quiet Love
Seán Herlihy – Producer, A Quiet Love
Garry Keane – Director, A Quiet Love
Host – Eibh Collins – Programme Director, National Talent Academies
12:05 Indigenous Doc-Making | Answering the Call
Set against the rugged beauty of Ireland’s west coast, Answering the Call follows the struggle to save the elusive corncrake – an expedition spanning from windswept Atlantic islands to the heart of the Congo.
Alumni of the IGNITE-Docs Talent Development Programme, the makers of the film will delve into their production process, including creative intention, funding process, shoot and cinematography, and the various learnings along the way.
Speakers:
Martin Danneels – Director, Answering the Call
Laura Cranley – Producer, Answering the Call
Geoff Power – Writer, Answering the Call
Host: Kathriona Devereux – Broadcaster
13:00 Lunch
14:00 An Irish Filmmaker Abroad | Dennis Harvey
Focusing on non-fiction cinema about migration, identity and bureaucracy, the films of Swedish-based Irish documentarian Dennis Harvey have been widely acclaimed, and travelled extensively to international festivals including IDFA, Locarno and CPH:DOX. To coincide with the screening of his new film Celtic Utopia at CIFF 2025, this session will discuss Dennis’ career so far, how he finances and produces his films, and how he has leveraged film festivals as a valuable platform for his work.
Speaker: Dennis Harvey – Director, Celtic Utopia
14:50 The Power of Protest | Shoot the People
Shoot the People follows Oscar®-nominated British-Nigerian photographer and activist Misan Harriman as he documents contemporary protest movements around the world. This session will analyse the journey of the film with Misan and director Andy Mundy-Castle, probing their collaborative relationship and the central themes of the work; examining the intersectional movements for equality, the power of collective action, and the importance of maintaining conviction and composure in a fraught political landscape.
Speakers:
Andy Mundy-Castle – Director, Shoot the People
Misan Harriman – Subject, Shoot the People
Host – Aoife Barry – Freelance Writer, Broadcaster and Arts Journalist
15:50 Break
16:00 Career Interview | Sinéad O’Shea
Sinéad O’Shea’s third feature documentary, Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story, hosted its Irish premiere at CIFF 2024, winning the Best Irish Feature and Audience Awards at the festival. It has since gone on to receive both critical acclaim and commercial box office success.
O’Shea works across thematic, tonal and stylistic lines in the documentary she makes, whether it be her extraordinary observational eye in her debut film A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot, her astute ability in weaving the personal with social and historical contexts in Pray For Our Sinners, or her evocative and affecting take on the biographical film in Blue Road. As our 2025 Doc Day keynote event, we celebrate her body of non-fiction work so far, and her ability to create authentic, discerning and accessible film.
Speaker: Sinéad O’Shea – Director, Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story
Host – Cara Holmes, Filmmaker/Editor
