WFT is delighted to share that member Sharon Lawless has been selected as one of eight female producers to take part in the Series Accelerator programme run by The European Women’s Audiovisual Network (EWA).
The initiative, supported by Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity, aims “to bring together emerging or mid-career European women film producers who want to deepen their understanding of the series production landscape”.
The programme will consist of three industry-led workshops offering participants practical insight and upskilling tailored to the European series production landscape. The producers are also set to receive a €5,000 grant to further develop their work.
Anamaria Antoci, executive director of EWA, shares: “After a decade-long commitment to empowering women in film, this is our first programme focusing on the European series production landscape. We received applications from 27 European countries and could see the breadth of compelling narratives that women across the region can offer. Through bespoke courses and industry-led mentorship, supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, this is a first step in a collaborative effort, and we’re excited about what our group of producers will create as we embark on this transformative journey.”
About SHARON LAWLESS
Sharon is a producer, director and writer based in Dublin. She
has worked in media for over 25 years, starting as an assistant and reader in a feature film production company, then founding an advertising agency to create campaigns and commercials.
In 2009 she started Flawless Films to return to broadcast production with ‘Adoption Stories’ for Virgin Media TV, which ran for 6 series until 2017. It revealed the legal and social barriers faced by the adoption community, and exposed the horror of mother and baby homes, illegal adoptions, difficult reunions, and how people were treated as second-class citizens. No other series on the subject had been made at the time, and it was the first in the world to use DNA testing to find blood relatives of adopted people, with a 100% success rate. Sharon published a book on the subject in 2016, and this is the inspiration for a TV drama series in early development.
‘The Killing of Fr. Niall Molloy’ is one of Ireland’s most complex and controversial cold cases from 1985. When the 52-year-old priest was found dead in the bedroom of his friends, a married couple, it sparked rumours of an affair, and a cover-up involving the Church and State. Researching the case over a number of years resulted in Sharon making a 2-part documentary for RTÉ which won the Royal Television Society Best Factual series in 2022. It’s in early development as a TV drama series, based on the best-selling book written by Sharon and journalist Maresa Fagan.
In 2023, she produced and directed the series ‘Inside the Hospice’ for Virgin Media TV and supported by Coimisiún na Meán, which turned into a 3-night event. Terminally-ill patients spoke about their lives and impending death, their families shared how grief was devastating them, and the staff showed how palliative care is all about making life worth living, regardless of how short it may be.
A feature documentary about illegal adoption ‘The Baby Snatchers,’ which was developed with support from Screen Ireland, is packaged for co-production funding.
The feature documentary ‘The Fast and the Fabulous’, about the motorsport legend Rosemary Smith, is ready to go into production. A feature film based on her autobiography ‘Driven’ is in early development.
