Alan Gilsenan

A writer struggles with her daughter's decision to drop out of college and live on the streets.

In this bi-lingual “documentary musical” from acclaimed director Alan Gilsenan, the poet Paul Muldoon explores life and language in a series of musical collaborations with a stellar array of artists including Paul Simon, Liam Neeson, PJ Harvey, Bono, Ruth Negga, Paul Brady, Run DMC and Iarla O’Lionáird.

Irish-made road-movie set in the African Sahara.

A landmark documentary which tells the epic story of the remarkable pioneering individuals whose vision, passion, successes, and failures helped forge Ireland's unique aviation landscape. This is a dynamic and visceral tale of daring and derring-do, of highs and lows, a powerful international story that also reflects the Irish Republic's evolving relationship with the wider world.

When Brazil won the war against Paraguay in 1870, they spared the life, but not the reputation of the woman they claimed was the chief villain in the bloodshed. Irish-born Eliza Lynch, lifetime partner of dictator Francisco Solano López, was painted by Brazil as a puppet master, thief and whore, and in 1991 included alongside Lucretia Borgia and Catherine the Great in a book entitled The World’s Wickedest Women. In Paraguay, the country where she lived as a beloved uncrowned queen, she is a national heroine. Fascinated by the contradiction, Irish academics Michael Lillis and Ronan Fanning embarked on 18 years of research to write a biography which forms the basis of Alan Gilsenan’s unique and compassionate documentary. Blending interviews with re-enactments of Eliza’s life – wonderfully performed by actress Maria Doyle – Gilsenan thoughtfully breathes humanity into a portrait of a much maligned woman.

Irish emigrants in London and New York are contrasted with life in Ireland where unemployment and deprivation are said to be endemic. The experience, effects and meaning of emigration in 1980s Irish is examined using a combination of interviews with emigrants, commentators and politicians. The film also features inserts of a stand-up comic performing in various locations, adding a surreal element to the programme.

Roger Casement was an Irish born diplomat who worked for the British government. He was knighted by the crown for his services but was convicted for his role in the Easter Uprising during World War I. When his "black diaries" were made public revealing his homosexuality all public support faded and he was executed and soon written out of Irish History.

The date was November 2nd, All Soul's Day, when Nicole's naked body was found on the beach. Seven years on, Nicole's mother Madie, obsessed with finding out what really happened on that fateful day, visits her daughter's boyfriend Jim in prison. As memories unfold and secrets are unveiled in the search for truth and redemption, Madie and Jim stumble upon something more sinister. Shot in different formats, in colour and black and white, fragments of a tragic story emerge from this rich, visual film.

Based upon a real-life meeting between a young sexual assault victim and her offender after his release from prison.

Gilsenan’s latest work is a non-narrative film, inspired by a new translation of the seminal Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō by the Irish translator, poet and scholar Andrew Fitzsimons. It is – in equal parts – a journey through contemporary Japan, a cinematic act of psycho-geography, a meditation on the devastating impact of climate change and a profound reflection on the meaning of ‘home’ in today’s uneasy global world.

With the likelihood of a border poll becoming an increasing possibility, do we really understand what that could mean for all those living on the island of Ireland? Or are we stumbling into some possible future as Britain once sleep-walked into Brexit? With unique contributions from the likes of Leo Varadker, Bill Clinton, Mary-Lou McDonald, Mike Nesbitt, Monica McWilliams, John Major, Susan McKay, Bertie Ahern, Fintan O’Toole, Gerry Adams, Linda Ervine and Peter Mandelson amongst many others, The Irish Question takes a fresh and sometimes surprising look at the dark trauma of the past and the unique possibilities of the future.

The raucous life of Liam Clancy, the last surviving member of iconic Irish band The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, who at their height, were out-selling the Beatles, and playing for JFK and the Ed Sullivan Show. The band changed the face of Irish popular music and influenced artists as disparate as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and The Pogues. But for all their fame, their story remains largely untold. This darkly revealing portrait goes behind the mask of the performer and delves deep into the psyche of Liam Clancy. Also looking into his troubled personal life, where the excesses of rock-and-roll found their way in to the world of folk. Featuring unseen archive, audio recordings, and guest appearances.

Ivor Browne has been a central figure in Irish mental health for many decades. Some people wish he wasn’t. Yet many people owe their lives to him. Browne somehow managed to be part of the establishment while still being one of its greatest critics. His pioneering and often controversial lifelong work on behalf of the many who cannot speak for themselves is notable. Alan Gilsenan’s new film captures the essence of this extraordinary human being. In a quirky and challenging cinematic portrait we meet a man, now in his late-eighties, who is still full of energy, good humour and compassion, and who remains a deeply-informed, startlingly innovative thinker. His unique attributes continue to find vital expression and offer real hope in an increasingly bewildering world. With contributions from Tommy Tiernan, Tom Murphy, Mary Coughlan, Sebastian Barry, Nell McCafferty and others.

An intimate beautifully wrought and deftly handled meditation on trauma, offering hope and insight, The Days of Trees, dare we say, surpasses all those with its skillful storytelling, formal elegance, and canid and charismatic subject, Tomás Hardiman.

An iconic presence in the landscape of Irish socialism and republicanism, the name of James Connolly looms large in the trade union movement, and wherever radical left-wing politics are espoused. This film tries to bring Connolly’s many achievements in the field of workers’ and women’s rights into the fore, alongside his role in the 1916 Easter uprising.

A trilingual feature documentary - An Buachaill Geal Gáireach/ The Laughing Boy is the remarkable and untold story of a song.

An Irish truck driver becomes concerned when he hears noises coming from the cargo container that he's hauling. He notifies the police via radio and as they rush to investigate, the situation quickly escalates in a growing cycle of terror.

Directed by acclaimed Irish filmmaker, Alan Gilsenan, The Seven Ages of Noël Browne is a new documentary that draws on previously unseen and newly discovered footage from four interviews recorded in 1997

The story of a vellum manuscript featuring the works of many great Irish artists across an array of disciplines.

An evocative film-poem exploring the literary and other ghosts of the bohemian quarter bordering Dublin’s Baggot Street during the mid-20th century where there was a radical flourishing of artistic and intellectual activity.