JIM SHERIDAN:

Jim Sheridan is one of Ireland’s most influential filmmakers, known for his emotionally powerful storytelling and his commitment to portraying marginalized voices with depth and humanity. Born in Dublin in 1949, Sheridan studied at University College Dublin before moving to New York, where he immersed himself in theatre. He co-founded Dublin’s Project Theatre and later served as Director of the Irish Arts Center in New York; two roles that deeply shaped his sensitivity to character, dialogue, and social issues.

Sheridan's transition from theatre to cinema brought these same qualities to the screen. He made a powerful debut with My Left Foot (1989), the true story of Christy Brown, an Irish artist with cerebral palsy. The film earned two Academy Awards; for Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, and established Sheridan’s international reputation. His partnership with Day-Lewis continued in a series of acclaimed films.

His second feature, The Field (1990), explored land, memory, and masculine pride in rural Ireland, while In the Name of the Father (1993) tackled justice and political repression in the story of the Guildford Four. The latter earned seven Academy Award nominations and confirmed Sheridan’s ability to turn real-life injustice into powerful, human-centred cinema.

With The Boxer (1997), Sheridan continued his exploration of endurance and reconciliation within Northern Ireland’s Troubles. He later brought a personal touch to In America (2002), a semi-autobiographical story of an immigrant family’s struggle and hope in New York. These works consistently blended the political and the intimate, with a strong moral compass and a resistance to sentimentality.

In 2005, Sheridan shifted genres with Get Rich or Die Tryin’, applying his instinct for emotional truth to an urban American narrative. Whether portraying the struggles of an artist, a prisoner, or an immigrant, his films speak to universal human experiences of survival, identity and connection.

In recent years, Sheridan has worked across both fiction and documentary formats, directing The Secret Scripture (2016) and the true-crime docuseries Murder at the Cottage (2021), revisiting Ireland’s cultural and legal landscapes through new lenses.

Across decades and genres, Sheridan’s work stands as a reflection of his belief in the power of storytelling to illuminate truth and inspire empathy. He continues to capture both the Irish soul and the wider human struggle with firm integrity and cinematic artistry.

FIRST AND LATEST: A CONVERSATION WITH JIM SHERIDAN:

Jim Sheridan, the celebrated Irish filmmaker, will be joining us this year in conversation with Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah on the 6^th of July at 8 PM at the Royal Film Commission to reflect on the arc of his cinematic journey: from his groundbreaking debut My Left Foot to his latest works. This conversation invites audiences to learn about the evolution of Sheridan’s storytelling over time, shaped by personal memory, national identity with emotional authenticity.

Through this exchange between two acclaimed filmmakers, we’ll meet Sheridan’s unique narrative voice, forged in the space between realism and poetry. His work, often centred on working-class resilience, immigration and family shows raw, compassionate portraits of the human condition.

As they revisit pivotal moments in Sheridan’s filmography, we’ll hear about the ideas and experiences that influenced his craft and how his perspective continues to evolve in the face of new global realities.

We invite you to join us for this special conversation, an opportunity to connect with the creative mind behind some of the most authentic stories in contemporary cinema.