Jayne Foley and Lemonade Win at 2026 Global Production Awards presented by Screen International
Posted: 21st May 2026
The fourth Global Production Awards (GPAs) were held on Monday, 18th May 2026 during the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The awards presented by Screen International celebrate outstanding and sustainable work from the world of film and TV production, locations and studios around the globe.
Jayne Foley, founder and artistic director of Fresh Film, an organisation dedicated to supporting and promoting young filmmakers in Ireland won the Impact Leadership Award.
To emerge victorious, an individual working in the film industry had to have made a positive impact on the world of film and TV production, championing areas such as diversity and sustainability and initiatives that have benefitted the industry and improved how it works. Judges agreed that Foley represented sustained generational impact on Ireland’s screen industry. Judges were impressed by her 30-year commitment to creating an ecosystem for youth filmmaking and filmmakers that has become both nationally and internationally recognised. Thousands of participants have engaged with Fresh Film, gaining opportunities to make projects that have been exhibited and broadcast. The young filmmaker of the year programme is a key example, providing national screening opportunities in cinemas and broadcast exposure on RTÉ.
Foley exemplifies leadership through institution-building — creating a lasting infrastructure that will continue to impact the industry beyond any individual’s tenure.
- Impact Leadership Award Judges
Irish feature film Lemonade, produced by Underground Films, in co-production with Rocliffe and directed by Kim Bartley also picked up the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.
To win this category, a production had to demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility for its crew and on set. The winning entry was asked to show how diversity played a key part in the production’s thinking and planning, including recruitment of diverse crew and any other initiatives to encourage greater diversity and inclusion in the production process. Judges looked for fact-based submissions that provided information about cast and crew composition and other information that was relevant.
Diversity on the project extended beyond structured placements into casting, recruitment and daily working culture. The judges pointed to the production prioritising authentic representation by engaging cast and contributors from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds, including mixed heritage performers, individuals with experience of homelessness, members of Traveller and single-parent communities, and those with lived experience of substance use and recovery.
Diversity at its best. And the job experiences and employment provided as well as mentorship are the greatest assets.
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award Judges
Additionally, Film in Limerick was also shortlisted in the Economic and Social Impact Award for its Screenability initiative, a programme which actively supports adults with complex learning needs, to access and build careers in the film and television industries.