Moderators

First Cut! 2023’s panel discussion and Q&A moderators.

Tadhg Crowley

Senior Curator – Education + Community at the Glucksman in UCC. He has recently curated projects with communities of interest and communities of place including - Making Waves (2017); Future Forms (2019); and Tales of a City (2020). Tadhg has coordinated the Glucksman’s Creative Agency programme with young asylum seekers since 2015. He has curated exhibitions at the museum and designed the University’s first Visual Arts Module for third level students with intellectual disabilities.

Mieke Vanmechelen

A Belgian born film artist and farmer based in Kerry. She works at the intersection of experimental moving-image media and documentary. Her work has been screened in Ireland and internationally. A recurring theme is the interdependence of humans, animals and their environment. She recently directed a feature documentary about endangered farming practices with Michael Holly. She is heavily involved in education and works as a children and youth facilitator, mentor and consultant. She is currently Kerry County Council Filmmaker in Residence.

Don O’Mahony

Senior Programmer with Cork International Film Festival, Don O’Mahony became involved with the festival when he became part of the selection committee in 1999. He has been in charge of the festival’s experimental programme, Free Radicals since 2004, which has since broadened into the Parallax section. And he has been in charge of the festival’s short film programming since 2016.

Maeve McGrath

Director of Programming at the Galway Film Fleadh, she has previously worked as Artistic Director of Kerry International Film Festival, producer at Carlow Arts Festival and joint short film programmer at Dublin International Film Festival. Maeve is embedded in community arts practise with The GAFF in Limerick where she recently curated a community audio/visual project, Tiny Little Histories and she produced TravFest, a Traveller Wellness Festival as part of Guth na Mincéirí.

Ellie O’Byrne

A freelance journalist and features writer. As well as covering a variety of social, environmental and topical issues, she frequently writes for the Arts pages of the Irish Examiner, where she covers visual arts, music, film, comedy and dance. She is also a media lecturer in Griffith College Cork on their BA in Journalism.

Jessica Bonenfant

The Artistic Director of Greywood Arts in East Cork, a welcoming place for artists and the community to come together to explore the creative process. Her background is in choreography and improvisation, including dance for camera. Jessica has worked with First Cut! as the YMVC Coordinator for the past five years.

Saturday 11th, 7.15pm – The Regal Cinema