Guth Gafa & Story Matters Announce Projects Selected for Inaugural Impact Distribution Lab for Irish Documentaries
Posted: 28th April 2026
Guth Gafa and Story Matters with the support of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland's Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme and in partnership with Docs Ireland are pleased to announce the projects selected for the first Documentary Impact Lab for Irish Filmmakers. It officially started Wednesday, 22nd April with a line-up of seven feature documentaries including a mix of experienced, award-winning filmmakers and emerging artists.
We are so delighted to have this opportunity to share what we've learned from our experience of running a social impact campaign for the film Young Plato, which is now in its third year.
- David Rane Co-Founder and Director of Guth Gafa, a long-running international film festival, which is now working in fi lm impact and delivering professional programmes designed to enrich the Irish filmmaking community.
I attended Guth Gafa Festival more than a decade ago and am excited to bring this learning opportunity along with a fabulous group of expert presenters to support these projects. Work on the impact campaign for Young Plato showed me the tremendous potential for Irish fi lms to reach and engage broader audiences and increase the impact of their stories.
- Patricia Finneran, founder of Story Matters
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to support the Impact Distribution Lab through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme. This new skills-led programme will support Irish documentary filmmakers in developing innovative strategies to maximise reach and engagement with their projects. We look forward to seeing these impact campaigns connecting audiences with new Irish screen stories.
- Colman Farrell, Head of Skills and Professional Development at Screen Ireland
Guth Gafa and Story Matters Impact Lab for Irish documentary filmmakers guide filmmakers in creating impact distribution plans for their film to ensure their work reaches the widest possible audience.
The programme is led by David Rane and Patricia Finneran. Expert Presenters include: Ana Castañosa, FIFDH Impact Days; Kristin Feeley, Sundance Documentary; Stefania Gualberti, Thinking Changes; Eliza Licht, Red Owl Partners; Ben Kempas Film Campaign; Odera Onyore Nyambok II, DocA – Documentary Africa and Neasa Ní Chianáin, Soilsiu Films.
The selected filmmaking teams will take part in a three-month hybrid programme focusing on innovative approaches to maximise distribution and create an actionable social impact strategy. The lab features an in-person residency workshop in Donegal, five online sessions, and culminates in a final workshop and project presentations at Docs Ireland, Belfast.
The selected films for this inaugural lab are:
- A Healing Thread (Director Jessica Marcy and Producer Grace Odumosu)
- As This Leaves Me Here (Director Kathy Raftery and Producer Laura Cranley)
- Family in my Head (Director Leo Regan and Producer Isabel Freer)
- How to Stop a War (Director Frankie Fenton and Producer Kathryn Kennedy)
- The Last Balkan Cowboy (Director Dragana Jurišić and Producers Anna Rodgers and Zlata Filipović)
- Try! (Director Oisín Misteil and Producer Claire McCabe)
- Whiddy (Director Adrian McCarthy and Producer Maria Horgan)