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2026 JUDGES
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International Short Film Award Judges
Joke Silva, MFR, is an actor and a powerhouse in Nigeria’s entertainment industry, with a career spanning over four decades across theatre, film, television, and radio. Trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and holding an English degree from the University of Lagos, she has starred in numerous award-winning films, collaborating with top directors like Lola Fani-Kayode,Amaka Igwe,Kunle Afolayan, Izu Ojukwu, Bunmi Oyinsan,Niyi Akinmolayan Ifeoma Fafunwa,Bolanle Austen-Peters to name a few.
A five-time Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) winner ,Silverbird Man of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award and TAFTA recepient, Silva co-founded the Lufodo Group with her husband, Olu Jacobs, encompassing production, arts education, and management of Glover Memorial Hall.
Beyond artistic and cultural expression Silva is a strong advocate for social justice, women’s empowerment, and human rights. She is the president and founder of the Forum for Women in Film and TV (FWIFT) and serves as the Board Chairman of the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA). She is also the Vice Chairman of AART of Life Foundation and a Board Member of the Savannah Centre for Democracy, Diplomacy, and Development. Her current project Mothers of Chibok where she serves as Executive Producer and Kachi Benson as director, underscores her dedication to both the arts and social change solidifying her legacy as a true icon of the Nigerian entertainment Industry.
Claire Dunlop is Head of Theatrical Sales & Acquisitions at leading Irish distribution company Eclipse Pictures. With a background in the arts, she joined Eclipse in 2008 and has since overseen the release of more than 250 Irish and international films.
Passionate about connecting audiences with compelling stories, Claire specialises in crafting bespoke campaigns and innovative release strategies. Working closely with colleague Siobhán Farrell, the duo combine extensive industry experience, strong market knowledge and creative flair to deliver impactful releases.
Eclipse Pictures is particularly committed to championing films that address social issues, celebrate cultural expression, and highlight creative freedom harnessing the power of cinema to educate and inspire. The company is also a proud supporter of women in film, advocating for gender equity and amplifying female voices across the industry.
Eclipse Pictures also runs Eclipse Insights, an initiative funded by Screen Ireland which brings a curated suite of short films and film to secondary schools students nationwide.
Some upcoming titles this year (2026) include Damien McCarthy’s Hokum, starring Adam Scott, Peter Coonan and David Wilmot. Tuner, directed by Daniel Roher, starring Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu and Chasing Millions directed by Stephen Burke starring Christopher Eccleston and Madeleine Madden.
Recent successes include the multi-Oscar-winning Conclave (2025), Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs (2025) and Ruán Magan’s award-winning Irish language feature Báite (2026).
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Short Documentary Film Award Judges
Aoife Kelleher is a filmmaker, writer and lecturer from Dublin. Her debut film, One Million Dubliners, about Glasnevin Cemetery, screened internationally and received numerous awards, including Best Irish Feature Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh and Best Irish Film of 2014 in The Irish Times.
She has worked in current affairs for RTÉ and TV3 and made documentaries on a range of issues, from the Irish prison service to the country’s response to the AIDS epidemic. Her critically acclaimed RTÉ documentary series, Growing Up Gay, was described as “superbly made” (The Irish Times) and "groundbreaking" (Irish Independent).
Her radio documentary for the RTÉ Doc On One, The Case of Majella Moynihan, about a member of the Irish police force who was pressurised to give up her son for adoption, won Best Documentary at the IMRO Radio Awards, a Gold Medal at the New York Festivals Radio Awards and Special Commendation at the Prix Europa. She later wrote Majella's memoir, A Guarded Life, which was published by Hachette and nominated for an Irish Book Award.
Her feature documentary Mrs. Robinson, about former Irish President and current Chair of The Elders, Mary Robinson, was nominated for the George Morrison Feature Documentary award at the 2025 Irish Film & Television Awards. Her most recent film, Testimony, about the Justice For Magdalenes campaign, premiered at the 2025 Dublin International Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Human Rights Film. It was recently nominated for an Ivor Novello Award.
Aoife lectures in Film & Broadcasting and Journalism in the School of Media at Technological University Dublin.
Maurice Sweeney is an award-winning Irish documentary filmmaker and director, known for his cinematic ambition, narrative intelligence, and emotional depth. Widely regarded as a leading creative voice in documentary and drama-documentary, his work sets high standards for storytelling in factual film.
He has written and directed major productions for broadcasters including RTÉ, BBC, HISTORY US, ARTE, ZDF, and Channel 5. His acclaimed works include Cromwell in Ireland, Saving the Titanic, Flann O’Brien: The Lives of Brian, W.B. Yeats: No Country for Old Men, The Forgotten Irish, and the feature documentary I, Dolours, later acquired by Netflix.
Sweeney is known for pushing the boundaries of the drama-documentary form, blending rigorous historical research with bold cinematic techniques. He recently wrote and directed the stage musical The Dubliners Encore and has also directed television dramas such as Penance and Blood.
A five-time Irish Film & Television Award (IFTA) winner, he has served on the boards of the Irish Film Board and the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland. His upcoming projects include the RTÉ series Swindlers, a documentary marking the centenary of the 1926 Census, and the feature documentary BAD.
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National Student Short Award Judges
Grace Odumosu is an Irish/Nigerian solo parent, actor, drama therapist, and producer, born and raised in Dublin. Grace holds a BA in acting from the Dublin Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree in Drama Therapy from NUI Maynooth. In 2023 Grace Odumosu was chosen to be one of the participants on the Advance Producers Diploma course in TU Dublin. Her first short premiered at Galway in 2024. In 2025 she produced THE KNIFE for Virgin Media and focus short MINDING. Currently she is producing a Ceim Eile for TG4. Being a person of color in this industry hasn't been easy. ‘To me it is the place to tell the stories of the many worlds that coexist alongside each other.’
Katie McNeice is a multi-award winning and IFTA Nominated Writer Director who crafts thoughtful identity cinema with a particular focus on sexuality and gender. She is a 2023 Screen International Rising Star represented by Lisa Richards Creatives, London.
McNeice has received almost 100 awards to date. This includes a Zebbie win for Best Short Script for rural intersex drama LAMBING starring Pat Shortt (Garage) which also won Best International Short Film at the 2023 San Diego International Film Festival. Other accolades include her an IFTA Nomination for Best Screenplay for WHO WE LOVE, an LGBTQ feature which was released in Irish cinemas in 2023 and internationally on VOD in January 2025.
She is currently in post-production on Irish language short FOCAIL BAILE CROÍ, funded by Screen Kerry and Comórtas Fisín and her Focus Short THE QUIET OCEAN written by Barry Smyth and Produced by Fiona Kinsella of Tile Media.
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Best Irish Short Award Judges
Rebecca O’Flanagan is an award-winning producer and co-director of independent production company Treasure Entertainment.
Rebecca produced Conor McPherson’s The Eclipse (2009), which won an IFTA award for Best Film. Rebecca produced John Butler's trilogy of films, The Stag (2013), Handsome Devil (2016), and Papi Chulo (2018). She also produced Paddy Breathnach’s Viva (2015), which was shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Oscar. Rebecca produced John Carney’s feature film Flora and Son (2023), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released worldwide on AppleTV+. Rebecca’s latest project is John Carney’s Power Ballad (2026), which stars Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas.
Rebecca’s television credits include The Running Mate, which won the IFTA for Best Drama Serial. She produced Your Bad Self, a six-part TV sketch show for RTÉ and winner of the IFTA for Best Entertainment Programme. In 2018, she co-created and produced Finding Joy with writer and star Amy Huberman. Rebecca also produced three seasons of the IFTA award-winning family thriller Smother. Most recently, John Butler’s series These Sacred Vows for Banijay Rights and RTÉ.
Paul C. Ryan is the Film Commissioner and Regional Film Manager at Film in Limerick, the film office for the Mid-West of Ireland, covering Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary. The region, home to Ireland’s largest film studios, Troy Studios, is one of the fastest-growing film hubs in Europe, with a rapidly expanding diverse crew base and a reputation for being a film-friendly location.
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Best Short Screenplay Award Judges
Sheena Lambert is a screenwriter, playwright and novelist from Dublin, Ireland.
Her first feature film, Báite was nominated for four IFTAs and was released in cinemas in March, 2026.
Amongst other optioned TV and film projects, Sheena’s feature romcom Who Do You Think You Are? is in pre-production with Grand Pictures (Ireland) and Myriad Pictures (USA).
Her novels include The Lake which was published by HarperCollins in 2015.
Sheena’s play Cosima, based on her feature screenplay of the same name, won the 2025 Writers’ Guild of Ireland Award for best theatre script.
Sheena is represented by Julian Friedmann of Blake Friedmann Literary Agency in London.
Peter McKenna is a leading Irish writer and producer, best known for creating and Showrunning the critically acclaimed crime drama Kin (RTÉ/BBC/AMC) , which has won eleven Irish Film and Television Awards. Kin won the Best Television Drama and Best Script Awards in 2024.
Peter also created and produced the hugely successful dramas Hidden Assets (RTÉ/Acorn) and Red Rock (BBC/Amazon).
From 2015 to 2018, Red Rock won Best Television Drama Series/Soap three times, with Peter earning an additional nomination in 2015 for Best Writer - Soap or Comedy. Peter was also nominated for Best Script for Television for The Clinic in 2009.
He is currently writing and executive producing Bad War (Severn Screen/BBC) which will be directed by Welsh director Gareth Evans.
Peter was most recently the lead writer and executive producer of Gangs of London Series 3 (Sky/AMC).
Further television credits include episodes of Around The World In 80 Days (BBC), The Last Kingdom (BBC/Netflix), The Gloaming (Stan/Starz), The Living & The Dead (BBC) and The Musketeers (BBC).
In 2018, Peter's genre-breaking episode of Eastenders, incorporating the testimonies of family members of knife crime victims, was awarded a BAFTA.
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