Recorded at the 2025 Solan Nua Capital Irish Film Festival, Irish Stew Podcast host Martin Nutty sits down with two trailblazing Irish filmmakers who are pushing boundaries in their respective genres.
Aislinn Clarke discusses her groundbreaking Irish-language horror film "Fréwaka," exploring how her childhood love of horror (she saw "The Exorcist" at seven!) and her father's commitment to preserving the Irish language converged into a unique cinematic vision.
Clarke reveals the gift of discovering the perfect location for the film in Ravensdale Forest in Co Louth, and why horror fans have always embraced foreign language films.
With international distribution through IFC Shudder and more projects in development, Clarke is proving that Irish language cinema can compete on the global stage.
Tanya Doyle takes us behind the scenes of her five-year documentary odyssey "Eat, Sleep, Cheer, and Repeat," which follows Ireland's cheerleading team to the World Championships in Florida. What began as a search for a film about women in sport became an intimate portrait of athleticism, identity, and belonging.
Doyle shares the moment she knew cheerleading was the story — watching a young competitor vomit from sheer physical exertion—and defends the sport against anyone who questions its legitimacy. With 160 hours of footage to wrangle and characters lost to COVID shutdowns, the film became a testament to resilience both on and off screen.
Both filmmakers discuss the challenges of funding independent cinema in Ireland, the intimacy of the editing process, and the importance of creating spaces where diverse stories can flourish.
Whether you're interested in horror, documentary filmmaking, Irish language revival, or women in sport, this episode offers rich insights into the craft and passion of contemporary Irish cinema.
You can listen to Aislinn Clark and Tanya Doyle on the Irish Stew Podcast here:
The 2026 Solas Nua Capital Irish Film Festival runs February 26 through March 1 and Irish Stew will be there as the Podcast in Residence!
For more information, visit IrishStewPodcast.com. You can listen to "The Irish Stew Podcast" wherever you get your podcasts.
Comments