“I was born on this planet, why do I pay to exist here?” That’s one question proposed by Hossein in today’s podcast episode. Additionally, we discuss how his political asylum has affected his career as a documentary filmmaker, and dive further into a philosophical discussion, while learning more about his latest award winning film “I Am Gitxsan” which explores a recent high school graduate reconnecting with his Indigenous heritage in Hazelton, British Columbia, Canada.

Visit his production website: www.fazelifilms.com
or for his latest film “I am Gitxsan” on the web: www.iamgitxsan.com

Hossein Martin Fazeli has been an A-List director in North America for many years. He has been producing, directing, and writing fiction and non-fiction television and film for more than two decades and has extensive international experience, having worked on location in a dozen different countries.

His films have been broadcast around the world, including on CBC, BBC, ARTE, and Canal+, winning 45 international awards in the process.

Throughout the years he has collaborated with organizations such as UNDP, European Commission, and Nonviolence International on a wide range of film and television projects, including national and regional campaigns, exploring issues such as human rights, women's rights, and minority rights.

His 2007 production, "The Tale of Two Nazanins", about a teenage girl imprisoned on death row in Iran, was broadcast on major international networks such as the BBC and CNN and is credited with igniting an international campaign that saved her life.

In 2008, Fazeli was chosen by the Sundance Institute to take part in their International Filmmakers Award. He has lectured around the world on the ever changing face of film production and has held workshops with students at various educational institutions such as SFU (Canada), SOAS (UK), Aarhus University (Denmark) and the European Film Academy.
For more info, please visit: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3347515/

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Ep. 13 Hossein Martin Fazel, “I Am Gitxsan”


In this month’s ARINS podcast, host Rory Montgomery chat to Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride about their recent ARINS publication: For and Against a United Ireland. 

The prospect of Irish unification is now stronger than at any point since partition in 1921. Voters on both sides of the Irish border may soon have to confront for themselves what the answer to a referendum question would mean - for themselves, for their neighbours, and for their society.

Journalists Fintan O'Toole and Sam McBride examine the strongest arguments for and against a united Ireland. What do the words 'united Ireland' even mean? Would it be better for Northern Ireland? Would it improve lives in the Republic of Ireland? And could it be brought about without bloodshed?

O’Toole and McBride each argue the case for and against unity, questioning received wisdom and bringing fresh thinking to one of Ireland’s most intractable questions. With cartoons by Fergus Boylan.

The book has been shortlisted for An Post Book Award 2025 - BEST IRISH-PUBLISHED BOOK OF THE YEAR. See shortlist

Book tickets to see the authors debate the strongest arguments for and against a united Ireland in The Lyric Theatre, Belfast and The National Concert Hall, Dublin in November 2025!
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This is episode 47 of a podcast series that provides evidence-based research and analysis on the most significant questions of policy and public debate facing the island of Ireland, north and south.

Host Rory Montgomery, MRIA, talks to authors of articles on topics such as cross border health co-operation; the need to regulate social media in referendums, education, cultural affairs and constitutional questions and the imperative for good data and the need to carry out impartial research.

ARINS: Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South brings together experts to provide evidence-based research and analysis on the most significant questions of policy and public debate facing the island of Ireland, north and south. The project publishes, facilitates and disseminates research on the challenges and opportunities presented to the island in a post-Brexit context, with the intention of contributing to an informed public discourse. More information can be found at www.arinsproject.com

ARINS is a joint project of The Royal Irish Academy, an all-island body, and the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs. 
 



ARINS Podcast 47: For and Against a United Ireland

In this Film Ireland Podcast, we're delighted to partner with the Cork International Film Festival, which runs until the 16th of November. In this very special episode, we highlight some of the standout films in this year’s line-up. 

First, IMRO Award-winning journalist and reviewer Yuliia Riabova speaks with Aurélie Godet, Cork International Film Festival’s Director of Programming, about this year’s themes, approach, and the strong line up Irish and international films on offer.

Then filmmaker and actor Oscar O’Sullivan chats with Brendan Canty about his Irish-language documentary Gealtra.

Finally, festival correspondent Shane McDevitt sits down with director David Kittredge to discuss his film Boorman and the Devil, which documents John Boorman’s experience making The Exorcist II in Ireland. This chat was recorded after the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.

This podcast has been made possible with the support of Coimisiún na Meán.

Check out the full festival line up at corkfilmfest.org.

Presents: Filmmakers Brendan Canty & David Kittredge & CIFF Programming Director

In today’s Film Ireland podcast, we are delighted to partner with two wonderful film festivals. Last month at the Dinard British & Irish Film Festival, we caught up with acclaimed actor Bríd Brennan to talk about her extraordinary career on stage and screen, as well as her powerful performance as Cait in her latest film, Aontas.

We’ll also be reporting live next week from the Foyle Film Festival, running in Derry from the 19th to the 30th of November (where Aontas will also be screening). 

Later in the episode (Timecode: 15:30), we hear from Vicki Rock and Kris Kelly, the husband-and-wife team behind the award-winning boutique creative studio Enter Yes. Their bold coming-of-age short Bulls in Water - directed and written by Kris and produced by Vicki - is about to have its premiere at Foyle.

Presents: Actor Bríd Brennan (Aontas) & Enter Yes Vicki Rock & Kris Kelly

In the latest episode of the State of the Arts Podcast, host filmmaker and writer Des Doyle chats with Steven S. DeKnight, acclaimed screenwriter, director, producer, and creator/showrunner behind some of the most influential genre series of the past two decades.

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.

In this conversation, DeKnight reflects on his journey breaking into the entertainment industry as a writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He discusses his work writing, directing, and producing on iconic series such as Angel, Smallville, and Dollhouse, before creating the hit show Spartacus for Starz and showrunning season one of Marvel’s Daredevil. He also talks about making his feature directorial debut with Pacific Rim: Uprising and his return to the Spartacus universe with the upcoming Spartacus: House of Ashur. 

Chapters:

2:11 – Nerves for “House of Ashur” impending release
09:29 – Inside the Writers’ Room
12:25 – Season Orders & Long-Game Planning
13:32 – How the Strikes Shook Production
15:07 – Showrunner Writing Process Explained
16:46 – Running a Show: LA vs New Zealand
18:58 – Why DeKnight Hasn’t Yet Directed Spartacus
22:35 – 22-Episode TV vs Today’s 10-Episode Sweet Spot
25:19 – Sticking With “House of Ashur” + Other Projects
28:37 – DeKnight’s Comic Book Worlds
36:03 – Working With Comic Artists
37:08 – AI in Entertainment: Hot Takes & Concerns
40:30 – Showrunning in 2025: Budgets & Tech Shift
45:07 – Are Spec Scripts Still Worth It?
48:01 – Top Writing Advice: Passion, Persistence, Failure
51:33 – What Failure Really Looks Like in Hollywood
01:00:52 – Rapid-Fire Favourites: TV, Music & More

Follow the journey of State of the Arts here: https://www.instagram.com/sotapod/

Read more about this episode here: www.filmireland.net/state-of-the-arts-podcast-showrunner-steven-s-deknight-spartacus-house-of-ashur-with-host-des-doyle

State of the Arts: Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight (Spartacus: House of Ashur) with host Des Doyle

In this Film Ireland Podcast, we’re shining a spotlight on the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival (DICFF), which returns for its sixth edition from 27th - 30th November, to Tailors’ Hall, The Liberties.

First up, festival director Mo O’Connell talks through this year’s jam-packed programme.

Then we have a live recording from the first heat of the DICFF stand-up competition, held earlier this year in collaboration with Culture 8 and the Dublin Liberties Distillery. (Starting at 16.57)

Finally, Film Ireland contributor Rachel Melita is in conversation with actor, writer, and filmmaker Laoisa Sexton. Laoisa’s short I Can't Go On screens as part of Shorts Block F on Friday, 29th November. (Starting at 19.37)

As Mo mentions in the podcast, here is the GoFundMe link to support Haneen Koraz, as she empowers the children of Gaza through art. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-haneen-koraz-empower-voices-through-art

And here's a link to support Aisling & her three boys, Ted, Sonny & Max. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-aisling-and-her-three-boys-ted-sonny-and-max

This episode has been made possible with the support of Coimisiún na Meán and the Screen Ireland Stakeholder’s Scheme.

Read more about this podcast here www.filmireland.net/podcast-festival-director-mo-oconnell-filmmaker-laoisa-sexton-at-dicff

Presents: DICFF Festival Director Mo O'Connell & Filmmaker Laoisa Sexton

In this episode of ‘My Identity’ Professor Colin Graham (Maynooth) is in conversation with Jess Majekodunmi. 

Jess Majekodunmi is Managing Director of the Human Sciences Studio at Accenture, a Member of the Board of Directors at the Irish Museum of Modern Art and a champion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

The My Identity series is hosted by Professor Colin Graham, Maynooth. In this series, Colin is in conversation with a range of people whose ideas, work and life experiences shed light on the topic of identity on the Island of Ireland. My Identity is part of the ARINS project.

Colin Graham is Professor English and formerly Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Maynooth University. His books include Northern Ireland: Thirty Years of Photography, Deconstructing Ireland and Ideologies of Epic. He was editor of The Irish Review from 2004 to 2020. During the Brexit negotiations he created the Twitter account @borderirish and wrote the book I am the Border, so I am, published by HarperCollins. 

ARINS: Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South brings together experts to provide evidence-based research and analysis on the most significant questions of policy and public debate facing the island of Ireland, north and south. The project publishes, facilitates and disseminates research on the challenges and opportunities presented to the island in a post-Brexit context, with the intention of contributing to an informed public discourse. More information can be found at www.arinsproject.com 

ARINS is a joint project of The Royal Irish Academy, an all-island body, and the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs. 

My Identity is hosted by Professor Colin Graham. 

Podcast management and production by Dr Susie Deedigan (University of Notre Dame).


ARINS My Identity: Episode 7 with Jess Majekodunmi

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, supported by Coimisiún na Meán, we shine a light on two powerful new documentaries.

First, we catch up with director Daire Collins to discuss Beo Faoin Bhfód (Buried Alive), the story of two Irish daredevils who vied for the world record for the longest time spent buried alive, which recently aired on TG4 and is now available to stream on the TG4 Player.

Beo Faoin Bhfód (Buried Alive) was supported by Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound & Vision Scheme, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Then, actor and musician Olivia Phoenix sits down with award-winning photographer and filmmaker Ian Thuillier to talk about his moving Oscar-qualifying documentary Conflicted, in which two mothers - one Israeli, one Palestinian - confront the unimaginable loss of their children. Through grief they find the courage to meet, forgive, and work together for peace. Starting at timestamp 30:20. 

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Presents: Daire Collins and Ian Thuillier Talking Documentary

In this episode of the Film Ireland Podcast, we celebrate two great new Irish films.

First, Mo O’Connell chats with actor Carolyn Bracken about their feature Horseshoe, which is released in cinemas on 5th December. Mo, an accomplished actor herself, and a producer on the award-winning family dramedy, chats with about their Carolyn about their exciting new indie film.

Then, contributor Hayley Jorja sits down with IFTA-nominated filmmaker Nathan Fagan to discuss his short animated documentary Inside, The Valley Sings, which has qualified for the 98th Academy Awards® and won Best Animated Short Film at the Dublin International Film Festival. The film follows three prisoners trapped in prolonged solitary confinement, who seek comfort and escape in the boundless landscapes of their imaginations. (Starting at 19:38)

Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, and Amazon, or subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts.

Horseshoe is in cinemas 5th December 2025.

Ep. 13 Hossein Martin Fazel, “I Am Gitxsan”

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