New Directors

A brand new documentary series where up and coming talented directors showcase their skills.

Episodes

Programme 1

Patrick Butler's "Inside the Dead Zoo" goes behind-the-scenes of Dublin's Natural History Museum following its temporary closure in 2007. Filmed over the course of one year, the programme brings viewers into the museum's rarely seen archive, as well as following the restoration of some of its oldest exhibits in a taxidermy studio in Holland.

Programme 2

A 'behind the scenes' documentary about the staging of the opera 'The Magic Flute'. The production team filmed the primary characters involved in the opera production on a frequent basis in the run up to the opening night. The film charts the trials, tribulations and hopes of the cast and crew as they work to stage this lavish opera.

Programme 3

A personal journey that finds director Pete Higgins exploring the much-publicised UFO activity in Boyle, Co. Roscommon, the town where he grew up. The documentary is an open-minded glimpse into the notion of belief and scepticism in a small community.

Programme 4

In August 1937 the French writer and renowned surrealist Antonin Artaud came to the Aran Islands with a very special purpose. He sought to tap into the last vestiges of pagan primal forces and thereby revitalise European theatre. This is the story of Artaud's misadventure in Ireland that fateful summer.

Programme 5

This documentary looks at the nature of aid in the developing world through the eyes of a troupe of clowns. It follows three clowns as they travel across the H.I.V. ravaged mountainous kingdom of Lesotho in March 2007. Returning to his 'no-budget' roots, director Mike Casey gives us an intimate, informal portrait of a beautiful, beguiling country and a people who, despite all their problems, love to smile.