Lasair - Irish Short Documentary Development Programme
Posted: 5th March 2026
An initiative of Docs Ireland, in association with Cork International Film Festival
Supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Shared Island Fund, TG4, BBC Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund, and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.
Lasair is a cross-border, project-led development incubator for high-quality short documentary films in the Irish language.
Since its inception in 2019, Docs Ireland has supported documentary filmmakers across the north and south of Ireland in both the development and exhibition of their work. Docs Ireland has become a fundamental part of the island’s non-fiction ecosystem, supporting the sustainable growth of the industry through the Festival’s Marketplace, IGNITE-Docs Talent Development Programme, the Northern Ireland Screen Pitch and other initiatives.
Our newest initiative is Lasair - a programme for the development of high quality, story-driven short documentaries in the Irish language. The scheme is open to filmmakers at all career stages, from emerging to established talent, who will be supported through a curated training and development programme, and given an opportunity to pitch for production funding for their film.
We firmly believe in the importance of short films as a powerful storytelling medium, and this scheme will give island of Ireland documentary talent the opportunity to showcase their creativity in short form.
We are looking for:
captivating and absorbing proposals, with a strong and clear cinematic approach and international appeal; proposals with a sense of urgency in our current time, unique perspectives, singular voices, and concepts that will grip and challenge us.
Up to ten projects in total will be selected. The aim of Lasair is to develop these non-fiction ideas into strong, detailed and developed projects, ready for production.
During this comprehensive training initiative, participants will:
- gain a grounding in creatively developing their short documentary project
- be included in workshops, masterclasses, case studies
- be given opportunities for in person mentoring conversations with established / award winning documentary makers
All training will take place in an intimate environment, allowing for a hands-on approach, facilitating maximum learning potential, and creating opportunities to network and foster new working relationships in the sector.
At the end of the training period, teams will pitch their projects for the opportunity to receive production funding. Docs Ireland will provide in-kind and distribution support for the final films.
Applications are open to filmmakers based on the island of Ireland, who can work in Irish.
Applications are encouraged from director/producer, director/writer, co-director and solo director teams.
Each team member must have at least one credit in their proposed role (short form, mid or feature length). At least one key team member must have strong proficiency in the Irish language. Documentary shorts of all genres, thematic content and subject matters will be considered, with priority given to proposals with a clear cinematic approach, and an international appeal. For the purposes of the scheme, we are considering projects of 40 minutes duration or less.
The programme will provide a long-term engagement, comprising:
- Multiple online training sessions from May to November 2026.
- In-person workshops, masterclasses and events at Docs Ireland in June 2026.
- Events and final pitch at Cork International Film Festival in November 2026.
- The opportunity to attend a leading, relevant film festival.
An online information session on the scheme will take place on Monday March 23rd at 12pm. You can register for the session here.
Application Process
To apply for the Lasair Programme, please complete the application form below, including full details of the project, and the director and producer attached:
When submitting your application, you must complete the Lasair Diversity Form for both members of your creative team. It is completely anonymous, and is required for the purpose of the diversity monitoring of the festival. The form is available below:
The deadline for applications is Sunday 19th April at midnight. Successful projects will be announced in late May.
Full Lasair guidelines are available to view here.
If you have any questions or queries, please contact roisin@docsireland.ie
The Lasair Short Documentary Development programme is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Shared Island Fund, TG4, BBC Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund, and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.