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Greater Later: Building Sustainable Careers
Join WFT Ireland on May 29th, 2025, for Greater Later: Building Sustainable Careers—a special event celebrating and supporting screen industry professionals aged 40 and over across the screen industries.
With generous support from Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, this inspiring afternoon will showcase dynamic speakers and insightful industry panels. Highlights include a conversation with renowned Irish actresses, a cutting-edge VFX, Post & VP panel sponsored by the National Talent Academy for VFX, and a panel discussion featuring a celebrated editor, a legendary costume designer, and a renowned production designer.
We are especially honoured to welcome acclaimed director Aisling Walsh, known for her masterful work on Maudie and the BBC series Miss Austen, who will join us to reflect on her remarkable career in film and television.
The day will conclude with an evening networking reception, offering a valuable opportunity to connect and celebrate sustainable, long-term careers in the screen industries.
Event Details:
Date: May 29th, 2025
Location: Rose Room, The Clarence Hotel
6–8 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin D02 HT44
Special Guest: Acclaimed Director, Aisling Walsh
Schedule:
13:00 – 13:10 Event Start & Introduction
Introduction by Dr. Susan Liddy – President of Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) and Chair of WFT Ireland
Dr Susan Liddy is an academic and researcher, and is the Director of Catalyst International Film Festival in Limerick. She recently launched the Women in Film and Television International Summit 2026 in the Irish Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival. The summit will be held in Adare, County Limerick, at the Woodlands House Hotel from February 4-7, 2026. For more information and to register your interest, check out our website here.
13:10 – 14:10 Women Leading Post, VFX and VP – Insights on a Constantly Changing Landscape (Supported by National Talent Academies)
Time: 1 Hour
Format: Panel Discussion + Audience Q&A
Moderator:
Deborah Doherty – WFT Ireland Board Member and Joint Managing Director & Executive Producer, Elephant Goldfish
Expert in VFX & Post-production with high-profile credits including Steve, Soulmate, The Tourist, Bodkin, and Doctor Who.
Panellists:
- Christina Nowak – Founder New Chapter Production Ltd & Virtual Production Innovator
Pioneering media-tech strategist driving cutting-edge virtual production adoption and industry-wide inclusion.
- Jeanette Manifold – Head of Studio, Crafty Apes (Australia)
35+ years of leadership in animation & VFX, shaping blockbuster films like Top Gun: Maverick, Mad Max Furiosa, Dune 2 and many more.
- Dee Collier – Post-Production Specialist
20+ years delivering acclaimed TV & film projects such as Peaky Blinders, Bad Sisters, A Thousand Blows and the upcoming feature from Cillian Murphy’s Big Things Films.
Full biographies of all Moderators and Panelists are below.
Audience Q&A
14:10 – 14:20 Break
14:20 – 15:20 Women Behind the Scenes
Time: 1 Hour
Format: Panel Discussion + Audience Q&A
Moderator:
Hannah Quinn – WFT Ireland Board Member and Director
IFTA Drama Director Award winner for Vikings: Valhalla, recently directed AMC’s fantasy drama Sanctuary – A Witch’s Tale (Season 2) and The Boy that Never Was. Previous work includes Fate The Winx Saga, Harlan Coben’s – The Stranger and Blood.
Speakers:
- Úna Ní Dhonghaíle ACE – Multiple award winning Editor
Recent BFE Outstanding Contribution To Film Award, BAFTA-winning editor of Three Girls, Oscar-nominated Belfast, and acclaimed series The Crown. Recent work includes Young Woman And The Sea and Paddington in Peru.
- Anna Rackard – Production Designer
30+ years shaping iconic visuals in film & TV, including Ondine and Stella Days (both IFTA-winning). Member of AMPAS and BAFTA Children’s Craft Award winner for The Velveteen Rabbit.
- Joan Bergin – Costume Designer
Primetime Emmy-winning designer known for The Tudors, My Left Foot, and Vikings. Multiple IFTA and Emmy awards for groundbreaking costume work.
Full biographies of all Moderators and Panelists are below.
Audience Q&A
15:20 – 15:30 Break
15:30 – 16:30 The Actors Lens
Moderator:
Jade Jordan – WFT Ireland Board Member, Actor, Writer & Producer
Known for White Mars and The Reluctant Royal, Jade’s award-winning work spans BBC, RTÉ, Hallmark and feature films. Writer of bestselling memoir Nanny, Ma & Me and creator of acclaimed short film The Colour Between.
Speakers:
- Marion O’Dwyer – With extensive theatre credits including Abbey and Gate Theatres, Marion’s screen work ranges from Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard to Amazon’s Young Sherlock. Seasoned radio performer with BBC Radio 4 and Newstalk.
- Hilda Fay – Recognized for Oscar-nominated Prosperity and Fair City, with multiple IFTA nominations. Star of Druid Theatre’s O’Casey Trilogy, and upcoming projects include Netflix’s The House of Guinness and Channel 4’s Trespasser.
- To Be Announced Soon
Full biographies of all Moderators and Panelists are below.
Audience Q&A
16:30 – 17:30 Interview with Aisling Walsh, Director (Song for A Raggy Boy, Maudie, Miss Austen)
Acclaimed Director, Aisling Walsh, will discuss her illustrious career
Hosted by Aoife Barry – Freelance arts journalist and broadcaster
17:30 – 17:40 The Routledge Handbook of Motherhood on Screen Book Launch
Co-edited by Dr Susan Liddy and Dr Deirdre Flynn
Hosted by Aoife Barry – Freelance arts journalist and broadcaster
17:40 – 19:00 Networking Reception
Full biographies of all Moderators and Panelists can be found below.
Moderator and Speaker Biographies:
Dr Susan Liddy – President of Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) and Chair of WFT Ireland
Dr Susan Liddy is an academic and researcher, and is the Director of Catalyst International Film Festival in Limerick. She recently launched the Women in Film and Television International Summit 2026 in the Irish Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival. The summit will be held in Adare, County Limerick, at the Woodlands House Hotel from February 4-7, 2026. For more information and to register your interest, check out our website here.
Aisling Walsh – Director (Song for A Raggy Boy, Maudie, Miss Austen)
Aisling Walsh is a multi award winning director and writer. She is a graduate of both The National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, England and The Dun Laoghaire School of Art in Dublin. She wrote and directed her first film at the age of 16. She wrote and directed her first feature film Joyriders in 1988 and followed this with a number of highly acclaimed television films. Her 2003 film Song for A Raggy Boy won over 30 international awards. She has won both BAFTA, Royal Television Society Awards and an Emmy for her television films Room at the Top, A Poet in New York, Wallander and Elizabeth is Missing. In 2019 she directed the legendary 84-year-old Glenda Jackson on her return to film after a 27 year absence in Elizabeth is Missing for BBC. Glenda won both a best actress Emmy and a best actress BAFTA award.
Her film Maudie starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke became the largest grossing English language Canadian film ever on its release in 2018 and went on to have a hugely successful release in both the US and across Europe. It won 7 Canadian Screen Awards including Best Director and also won Aisling her first ever Best Director IFTA award.
She has worked with actors such as Ethan Hawke, Kenneth Branagh, Aidan Quinn, Iain Glen, Sally Hawkins, Glenda Jackson, Elaine Cassidy, Maxine Peake to name a few.
Her latest work Miss Austen, an adaptation of the novel and a limited series for BBC/Masterpiece is streaming both in the US and the UK to 5 star reviews. It stars Keeley Hawes, Rose Leslie and Patsy Ferran.
Her next film Lucia, about the life of Lucia Joyce, was announced last weekend at the Cannes Film Festival. It will go into production in late 2025/early 2026 with Maya Hawke and Rhys lfans starring.
Aisling is a member of both BAFTA and the American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Aoife Barry – Arts Journalist and Broadcaster
Aoife Barry is a Dublin-based freelance arts journalist and broadcaster. She is the author of the bestselling non-fiction book Social Capital (HarperCollins Ireland). She has interviewed filmmakers and actors including Fiona Shaw, Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal and Neil Jordan, and other high-profile people including Roddy Doyle, former President Mary McAleese, and Anne Enright. Her bylines include the Sunday Times (where she is a weekly arts columnist), the Irish Times, the Irish Independent, The Journal and the Examiner. She features regularly on RTÉ and Today FM. Her essays and fiction have been published by ROPES journal and Banshee, and broadcast on Sunday Miscellany.
Panel: Women Leading Post, VFX and VP – Insights on a Constantly Changing Landscape
Sponsored by National Talent Academy for VFX
Deborah Doherty (Moderator)
Deborah Doherty is the joint Managing Director and Executive Producer of Elephant Goldfish, Dublin’s newest soon to launch VFX and Post Production studio offering creative-first solutions across the Film, TV, Animation and Gaming sectors. She began her career in audio production in London in the 2000s and joined Windmill Lane in 2005, where she oversaw significant growth in the audio division before expanding her management role. As a leader and executive producer, Deborah excels in building strong client relationships and is passionate about nurturing new talent. Recent credits span high-profile projects including Steve (Netflix/Big Things), Soulmate (Blumhouse), The Tourist (BBC), Bodkin (Netflix/Higher Ground), Doctor Who (BBC/Disney), and acclaimed dramas like Black Shore, Smother, and Kin. She has been involved in numerous award-winning advertising campaigns and in the animation sector she has overseen post on standout titles like Grimsberg, Kizazi Moto and My Little Pony: A New Generation
Jeanette Manifold
Jeannette Manifold is a seasoned entertainment industry executive with over 35 years of experience across animation, visual effects, and film production. Currently serving as Head of Studio for the global VFX Company Crafty Apes in Australia, she has also held SVP and EVP roles in Production & Creative Operations at prominent companies such as DNEG, Method Studios, George Miller’s DrD Studios, Fox Animation, Sega, and Disney Toon Studios Australia. Credits include Top Gun: Maverick, Thor: Love and Thunder, Happy Feet 1 & 2, Mad Max Furiosa and Dune 2.
Jeannette Manifold’s IMDb Profile
Christina Nowak
Christina Nowak is a dynamic force in the world of media and technology, with over a decade of international experience driving innovation across film, television, and virtual production. As the Founder and former Managing Director of New Chapter Production Ltd, Christina has led pioneering work at the intersection of storytelling and cutting-edge technology, delivering global market entry strategies and spearheading the adoption of virtual production techniques across the screen industries.
Now operating as an independent consultant and non-executive director, Christina advises clients across media, technology, and creative sectors on strategic growth, production innovation, and commercial partnerships. Her work continues to shape the future of screen content, drawing on deep industry insight, a global professional network, and a track record of industry-shaping delivery.
She serves on the UK board of SMPTE, is co-founder of Women in Virtual Production, and sits on the advisory board of Reframe: Virtual Production, a cross-sector initiative co-producing inclusive futures for the screen industries. Christina also holds the title of Honorary International Ambassador for the Manaki Brothers International Film Festival and a BAFTA Connect member, with a strong commitment to driving positive change across the creative industries.
Christina Nowak’s IMDb Profile
Dee Collier
Dee Collier is a leading post-production expert with over 20 years of experience delivering high-calibre scripted television and feature films. She has played a pivotal role in shaping some of the most acclaimed Irish, British, and international productions, consistently ensuring that creative ambition is matched by technical excellence.
Her credits span award-winning series and high-profile projects including Bad Sisters (Apple TV+), A Thousand Blows (Disney+), Peaky Blinders (BBC), The Gallows Pole (A24/BBC), and Steve (Netflix), the upcoming feature from Cillian Murphy’s Big Things Films.
Dee is highly regarded for her ability to build award-winning post-production teams, drawing on an extensive network of editors, VFX supervisors, sound designers, and finishing artists to match the perfect talent to each project. Her deep understanding of post workflows—from editorial through to delivery—combined with a calm, collaborative approach, makes her an invaluable partner on productions of every scale.
Her work spans major platforms including Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, AMC, ITV, RTÉ, BBC, and Disney+.
We would like to thank the National Talent Academy VFX for their sponsorship of this panel.
Panel: Women Behind the Scenes
Hannah Quinn (Moderator)
Hannah Quinn won the IFTA drama director award for her episodes of Vikings:Valhalla season 1 in 2022 and was also IFTA nominated for The Gone (RTÉ) in 2023 and Blood (VMTV) 2019. Hannah is currently directing the 2nd series of a 6 part fantasy drama Sanctuary – A Witch’s Tale for AMC, and recently directed The Boy That Never Was, a four part series set in Morocco and Ireland for RTÉ.
Previous work includes North Sea Connection (RTÉ), Disenchanted-2nd Unit (Disney), Fate – The Winx Saga (Netflix), Harlan Coben’s – The Stranger (Netflix), Eastenders (BBC1), Blood (VMTV) Red Rock (VMTV) and award winning short films, Smithy & Dickie and My Bonnie.
Before directing, Hannah worked as an Assistant Director for 20 years and in 2016 she got her private pilot’s licence.
Anna Rackard
Anna is a Dublin based production designer with over 30 years of experience working in film and television drama. Having studied both architecture and graphic design, she began her film career designing music videos and short films while still in college. Before becoming a production designer she worked in the art department on films such as Braveheart, The Butcher Boy and King Arthur. As a production designer Anna has worked with many directors including Neil Jordan, Nicholas Roeg, Lenny Abrahamson, Whit Stillman and Aisling Walsh. She won an Irish Film and Television Award in both 2010 and 2012 for her design work on Ondine and Stella Days respectively. In 2020 she was invited to become a member of AMPAS, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. She recently won a BAFTA Children’s Craft Team Award for The Velveteen Rabbit. Anna also dabbles in photography, her photographs have been shown in galleries at home and abroad including IMMA, The RHA and most recently in The Brooklyn Museum in New York in 2024.
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle ACE ACE
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle ACE ACE, BFE is a multi-award winning film editor, best known for her work on the Oscar winning film Belfast, Stan and Ollie, Rosie, Misbehaviour as well as her work in TV, in what some are calling “The Golden Age of Television”: The Crown series 1 & 2, Three Girls, Wallander, The Missing etc. Having earned the highest honours degree in Film and Media Studies in her native Dublin, Úna specialised in film editing at the National Film and Television School (NFTS).
She has since gone from strength to strength, receiving five BAFTA nominations since 2009. In
2018, Úna was awarded the BAFTA in Editing for her exceptional work on the highly acclaimed BBC drama Three Girls, for which she also won the Technicolor Craft Award from Women in Film UK, the IFTA for Best Editing, the RTS Award for Best Editing of Fiction, the RTS West of England Award for Editing and the Televisual British Bulldog Award for Editing. Úna has co-directed and edited a documentary Invisible Man, for which she won the 2016 IFTA.
Most recently, Úna has edited the much anticipated film Young Woman And The Sea (Director
Joachim Ronning, Producer Jerry Bruckheimer) and Paddington In Peru (Director Douglas Wilson).
Úna is currently editing a new film due for theatrical release next year.
Úna Ní Dhonghaíle ACEACE’s IMDb Profile
Joan Bergin
Joan Bergin is an award-winning Costume Designer, best known for her acclaimed work on The Tudors, My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father and Dancing at Lughnasa.
She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy award in 2001 for her contributions on the US adaptation of the Charles Dickens tale David Copperfield (which was shot in Dublin)and was nominated for an IFTA award in 2003 for Veronica Guerin. She was nominated for two more IFTA’s in 2004 and 2007 for Laws of Attractions and The Prestige respectively before winning in 2008 and 2009 for the acclaimed television series The Tudors. For her work on 33 episodes of The Tudors from 2007- 2010, Joan won three Primetime Emmy awards in 2007, 2008 and 2010 as well as picking up another IFTA award in 2011.
She has also garnered IFTA nominations for working on the History Channel’s television series Vikings (in 2014) and for Camelot (in 2012). In 2014, she designed the costumes for the UK drama A Little Chaos, directed by Alan Rickman and starring Kate Winslet.
In 2022, Bergin worked on Disenchanted, the sequel to Enchanted starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden.
Panel: The Actors Lens
Jade Jordan (Moderator)
Jade recently wrapped on the Sci-Fi feature film White Mars, playing opposite Lucy Hale and Luke Newton, and Hallmark’s The Reluctant Royal. Her screen credits include Video Nasty (BBC/Virgin Media), Blackshore (BBC/RTÉ), Louise Lives Large (RTÉ), Harry Wild (Acorn/RTÉ), Kin (RTÉ/BBC), The Catch (Channel 5 & Paramount+), Northern Lights (TG4/Lionsgate), Redemption (ITV), and No Return (ITV). Feature films include How To Tell A Secret (Dirs. Anna Rogers & Shaun Dunne), You Are Not My Mother (Dir. Kate Dolan), Twig (Dir. Marian Quinn), and Amongst the Wolves (Dir. Mark O’Connor). Upcoming: lead role in Crazy Love (Dir. Jason Byrne). Jade won the Súil Eile Award at the 2021 Irish Film Festival for her outstanding contribution to Irish film. She wrote, produced, and starred in The Colour Between, nominated for Best Short Film at the 2022 Irish Film and Television Awards and for a Dublin International Film Festival Discovery Award. As a published author, her autobiographical book, Nanny, Ma & Me, a bestseller, was also nominated for an An Post Award 2022.
Marion O’Dwyer
Marion O’Dwyer’s recent work includes The Gap Year for the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, Werner Herzog’s film Bucking Fastard and Der Irland-Krimi for German television.
Various Theatre work in Ireland with the Abbey and Gate Theatres, with Druid Theatre and Decadent and Fishamble Theatre Companies; performing in classic and new plays. Has also played in theatres across the UK, Australia and America.
Marion was a member of the RTE Radio Players for four years and has recorded radio drama for BBC Radio 4. She recently played in Third Time Lucky for Newstalk radio.
Other television and film work include The Dry by Nancy Harris (Element), God’s Creatures (A24/BBC Film, Nine Daughters),Young Sherlock (Amazon MGM Studios), Obituary (APC Studios), Miss Scarlet and the Duke (Element 8/Shinawil), Agnes Browne (October Films), Rebel Heart, Doctors and Ballykissangel (BBC).
Hilda Fay
Hilda Fay is one of Ireland’s most accomplished stage and screen actors.
Her screen work includes Oscar-nominated Prosperity (Element Pictures), Proof (RTE), Whistleblower, Though The Sky Falls, Saltwater, and Northern Lights. She earned IFTA nominations for Whistleblower and The Woman in the Wall (BBC/Showtime), a TV Now nomination for her beloved role in Fair City, and won Best Actress at the Dublin Fringe for Little Gem.
On stage, she recently led two iconic roles in Druid’s 2023 O’Casey Trilogy, directed by Gary Hynes, touring Ireland and the US. In 2016, her performance in The Plough and the Stars (dir. Olivier-winner Sean Holmes) was named among Boston’s most outstanding.
Fay has a long-standing relationship with the Irish national theatre, appearing in Walls and Windows, Joyce’s Women, Oedipus, Tina’s Idea of Fun (written for her) and Stacey Gregg’s PERVE and has worked extensively with RTÉ’s Radio Drama.
Upcoming: The House of Guinness (Netflix), Trespasser (Channel 4), IFTA nominated Split Milk (Screen Ireland).
Olwen Fouéré
Olwen Fouéré was born on the west coast of Ireland of Breton parents on March 2nd,1954. Fluent in English and in French, her work as a creative artist, actor, writer and director includes film, the visual arts, music and over four decades of theatre. Notable film roles include “The Survivalist” by Stephen Fingleton, “Mandy” by Panos Cosmatos, “Beast” by Michael Pearce, “This Must be the Place” by Paolo Sorrentino. Recent titles include “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” directed by David Blue Garcia, “The Northman” by Robert Eggers and “Violet Gibson, the woman who shot Mussolini” directed by Barrie Dowdall, In 2020, she was listed at number 22 on The Irish Times list of Ireland’s greatest film actors of all time.
