Storyhouse, now in its second year, is an annual festival which champions, cultivates and celebrates the art of storytelling for the screen to be held in Dublin’s Light House Cinema on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th April 2025.
Speakers announced today for the second annual STORYHOUSE include Academy Award and BAFTA winner Peter Straughan (Conclave, Wolf Hall), Academy Award© winner Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester By The Sea, You Can Count On Me), Laurie Nunn (Sex Education) and Nia Da Costa (Candyman, The Marvels).
Storyhouse will announce more speakers along with a full programme in the coming weeks and tickets will be on sale on Friday 7th March at 11am.
Storyhouse is a not-for-profit initiative spearheaded by Academy Award nominated producer and co-CEO of Element Pictures, Ed Guiney. It is a unique opportunity for new and established writers and industry professionals to benefit from in-depth interviews, panels and case studies from some of the very best international creators of stories for the screen. STORYHOUSE is supported by Screen Ireland, Fremantle and Element Pictures and is produced in association with the Light House Cinema.
In parallel with the main event Storyhouse has expanded on Storyhouse Lab, a unique interactive programme which will now take place over five days, including the two-day festival. The LAB will provide a small cohort of emerging writers with complimentary access to all Storyhouse events as well as additional focussed sessions with guests under the mentorship of BAFTA and IFTA winning TV and film screenwriter Malcolm Campbell (What Richard Did, Bad Sisters). The participants in this group will be carefully selected to promote new, diverse, inclusive and gender balanced voices.
Ed Guiney commented: “Building upon the success of Storyhouse inaugural year, once again, we are thrilled to be bringing some of the best writers and screen storytellers in the world to Ireland. Storyhouse is committed to establishing Ireland as a hub for exceptional screenwriting talent, as well as remaining focused on curating a festival that inspires the next wave of diverse Irish writers to create, develop, and produce stories for generations to come.”
Speaking about the launch, Screen Ireland’s Head of Skills and Professional Development, Colman Farrell commented: “Screen Ireland is delighted to support this year’s edition of Storyhouse through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme. This exciting skills-led initiative will offer the Irish screenwriting community a unique opportunity to learn from some of the most acclaimed screenwriting talent currently working in film and television. The immersive script development LAB running concurrently will aim to empower a new diverse cohort of emerging screenwriters to explore their creative voices and hone their storytelling craft for the screen. We look forward to seeing their progress and wish them all the best.”
Speaking about the launch, Fremantle’s Christian Vesper commented: “The inaugural Storyhouse Festival was an incredible celebration of the art of screenwriting, and we are excited to see it go from strength to strength in its second year. The festival is a unique opportunity to showcase a wonderful array of screenwriting talent and highlights the importance of fostering and encouraging new talent. Storytelling is the lifeblood of our industry, and we are delighted to continue our support this year.”
