Desmond Eastwood

Actor

It’s fair to say Normal People alumni are doing pretty well these days - and 2024 is set to be the year Desmond Eastwood gets his big shot. After playing Niall in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel, Eastwood appeared opposite Aidan Gillen in Barber, and featured in the Pierce Brosnan vehicle The Last Rifleman.

This year, he appears in thriller In The Land Of Saints And Sinners with Liam Neeson, Kerry Condon, Ciaran Hinds and Colm Meaney, and he’ll finish shooting the Finnish island saga Stormskerry Maja. Next year, meanwhile, sees the release of Old Guy, an action comedy about hitmen starring Christopher Waltz and Lucy Liu.

Aislinn Clarke

Director

Northern Irish academic, writer and director Aislinn Clarke began her career in theatre before moving to the big screen. In 2018, Clarke directed the horror The Devil’s Doorway, which was set in 1960, and told the story of two priests sent by the Vatican to investigate a seemingly miraculous event in an Irish home for ‘fallen women’, only to uncover something much darker.

Clarke also wrote the screenplay for Damian McCann’s atmospheric 2021 island thriller Doineann, but this year she’s taking on an even bigger challenge with Fréwaka, the story of a trainee palliative care nurse Shoo (Clare Monnelly), who is sent to a remote village to look after an agoraphobic woman (Bríd Ní Neachtain). However, Shoo’s past trauma continues rearing its ugly head, keeping her disconnected from her present.

Told in Irish and English, Fréwaka - the title originates from the Irish word fréamhacha, meaning roots - blends atmospheric settings, Irish folklore and psychological horror.

Aislinn Clarke.

Megan McDonnell

Actor

Another Normal People alum, Megan McDonnell made her name in the Sally Rooney adaptation playing Elaine, the girlfriend of Connell’s flatmate. Having trained at Trinity College’s Lir Academy, McDonnell’s first love has always been the stage. While shooting Normal People, she was also rehearsing for a Belfast production of The Playboy Of The Western World, showing an unstoppable work ethic that has served her well,

As well as appearing in The Young Offenders and Victorian mystery series Miss Scarlet And The Duke, McDonnell has kept up a busy theatre schedule, appearing in The Snail House, Tarry Flynn and Philadelphia Here I Come! This year, she’ll appear on the big screen alongside Saltburn star Rosamund Pike and The Americans’ Matthew Rhys in thriller Hallow Road. McDonnell plays the daughter of Pike and Rhys, who rings her parents telling them she’s caused a terrible accident.

Megan McDonnell.

Tara O’Callaghan

Director

Hailing from Phibsborough, director Tara O’Callaghan always loved cinema, winning a screenwriting competition in secondary school, and taking a filmmaking course that intensified her passion for storytelling. O’Callaghan collaborates with Motherland, a creative production company known for its unconventional, dynamic and evocative work.

During lockdown, O’Callaghan was intrigued by the amount of women who turned towards online sex work, and began researching and conducting interviews. She met Sinead O’Connell, a woman trying to balance the responsibilities of single motherhood with the pressure of making a living in the online sex industry. O’Connell became the subject for O’Callaghan’s film Call Me Mommy, which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Young Director Awards.

This year, O’Callaghan is expanding upon Call Me Mommy to explore the issues facing sex workers, while working on some exciting commercial projects.

Tara O'Callaghan

Faoileann  Cunningham

Actor

Cork native Faoileann Cunningham studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London before touring with the musical version of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s charming 2001 romantic comedy Amelie. Cunningham then had to learn how to perform onscreen for fanatical audiences, when she landed the role of Ryl in 2022 fantasy prequel miniseries The Witcher: Blood Origin.

The same year, Cunningham also appeared in The Northman, the epic Viking quest directed by Robert Eggers. This year, though, is set to be huge for Cunningham. As we eagerly await the release of Dune: Part 2 in March, avid Frank Herbert fans will also be tuning into Dune: Prophecy, the upcoming prequel series that takes place approximately 10,000 years before the events of the movie.

It focuses on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, an exclusive sisterhood and political force of women with superhuman abilities. Cunningam plays Sister Jen, with the cast also including Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Mark Strong and Ciaran Hinds’ daughter Aoife Hinds.

Faoileann Cunningham

Laura McGann

Director

In 2023, director Laura McGann left us all breathless with her stunning and tense documentary The Deepest Breath. It profiled Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini on her quest to break a world record, with the help of Irish freediving record holder Stephen Keenan, who tragically died in 2017 while trying to rescue Zecchini.

The documentary was compelling, tense and often terrifying, highlighting the danger of the sport, as well as the determination of the athletes and the tender relationship between Zecchini and Keenan. The documentary benefitted from McGann’s talent as a cinematographer, as she previously worked on films like What Doesn’t Kill Me and Repeal documentary The 8th. After the universal acclaim for The Deepest Breath, McGann’s next project will be keenly anticipated.

Laura McGann.

Alison Oliver

Actor

Lir graduate Alison Oliver landed one of the most coveted roles of 2022, as lead character Frances in the T adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends. Late last year, Oliver made her film debut in Emerald Fennell’s twisty, sexy, sinfully fun Saltburn, alongside Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi.

Saltburn has become the internet’s most frantically discussed (and memed) film of 2023, with Oliver’s performance as the spoiled-but-vulnerable Venetia a highlight. This year, she will appear in The Order, an American crime thriller starring Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult.

Sinead O’Shea

Director

Award-winning filmmaker and writer Sinead O’Shea was named one of the top European female filmmakers to watch by the European Film Promotion Network in 2018, after her first feature documentary A Mother Brings Her Son To Be Shot. The documentary told the story of the O’Donnell family in Derry, whose eldest son Philly received a punishment shooting from a paramilitary group in order to avoid a worse fate.

In 2023, O’Shea’s feature documentary Pray For Our Sinners saw her return to her hometown of Navan, where she spoke to the people who stood up to church abuse in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Through first hand testimonies, the film reveals the plight of unmarried mothers, the horrors of mother and baby homes, and the prevalence of violence against children in Catholic schools.

The powerful film became the most-attended documentary in Irish cinemas in 2023, and this year sees the director developing her next documentary about an iconic Irish novelist.

Director Sinead O'Shea

Tom Moran

Writer & Actor

In 2022, Tom Moran’s solo show, Tom Moran Is A Big Fat Filthy Disgusting Liar, premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival, where it won the Best New Writing Award. But don’t worry if you missed it, because Moran’s funny, emotional and authentically raw show is due to return to the Irish stage in 2024. The play has also been optioned by Deadpan Pictures, where Tom is currently developing it for TV. If you can’t wait until then, he recently starred in The Christmas Break, a romantic comedy released over Christmas.

X-Pollinator

Agency promoting diversity in filmmaking

Launched four years ago, X-Pollinator is a cross-disciplinary, professional development and networking initiative for female, trans and non-binary talent. It has run many supportive initiatives and built a strong network, helping to bring many participants’ work to the screen.

Last year, X-Pollinator was nominated for the Diversity & Inclusion Initiative Award at the Big Screen Awards 2023, and 2024 is set to be their biggest year yet, as they bring a new generation of talent into their network. X-Pollinator 2024 will take place from February 23-25, and aims to bring together nearly 150 emerging and established participants from various disciplines of film, theatre, performance, literature, comedy and visual art.

The event will consist of a curated programme of talks, masterclasses, panel discussions, break-out sessions and keynote speeches. It will also provide facilitated networking opportunities to make connections between participants and build the creative teams of the future.