International co-productions and collaborations between the Irish and New Zealand AV industries have
taken a significant step forward following the Wellington-Galway Indigenous Animation Exchange 2025.
The Exchange, spearheaded by the Galway and Wellington UNESCO Cities of Film ran from March to
May, and in its first year has opened doors between Irish speaking and Te Reo Māori animators and key
film industry stakeholders here and in New Zealand, laying serious groundwork for growth opportunities
for the Irish audiovisual industry; new avenues through which it can extend its international reach; and
means to further increase the Irish language’s presence on screen outside of Ireland.
Supported by Ardán, WRAP, TG4, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Galway City Council, and Galway County
Council in Ireland and Screen Wellington, Māoriland, and the New Zealand Film Commission in New
Zealand, the Cities of Film Exchange is part of a wider development to empower indigenous language
communities as they tell their own stories on screen and to provide support for those stories to reach the
widest possible audience.
Growth of indigenous language production
The Indigenous Animation Exchange is focussed on talent development with its first recipients being
Gaelgeoir Siobhán Ní Thuarisg, from Co. Galway, and Te Reo Māori speaker Seth Parata Stewart, from
New Zealand’s North Island.
In March, Siobhán, an animator at Telegael, was in Wellington and Ōtaki to provide support to M.A.T.C.H.
(Māoriland Tech Creative Hub) participants, to attend the Wellington Animation Festival and Māoriland
Festival, and to speak with students at Massey University and YooBee College.
In May, Seth, from Ōtaki in Māoriland – the New Zealand equivalent of a Gaeltacht – was in Ireland
attending Telegael (Connemara), Studio Meala (Roscommon), and Little Moon Animation (Dublin) to
shadow and observe Irish language content creation in a professional setting.
Funding schemes supporting indigenous language film production are on the rise, and streaming
services now carry larger numbers of non-English language programming. Ireland has not been unaffected by this industrial shift, as witnessed by the success of CRÁ, Kneecap, and the Oscar-
nominated An Cailín Ciúin. The Exchange now positions animation as a medium, making its own linguistic leap forward, with Irish and Te Reo Māori in the vanguard.
Tanya Black, manager of Screen Wellington and Wellington City of Film, is thrilled to see a programme
prioritising indigenous storytellers and their language.
“The Exchange is an important conversation starter between language communities and between the AV
industry in different nations,” she said. “The impact of Siobhán and Seth’s experience is playing a real
part in helping elevate Irish and Te Reo Māori original content internationally, while also creating a
foundation for others to build upon.”
Co-production as key to sustainability
The Exchange’s benefits were not just individual or linguistic, but will be felt across the wider Irish film,
TV, and animation industry, as it involved meetings and visits from leading figures in the New Zealand AV
industry.
During the Exchange, Libby Hakaraia and Maddy de Young (Māoriland), Tanya Black (Wellington City of
Film/Screen Wellington), Chris Payne (New Zealand Film Commission), and Bevin Linkhorn (New
Zealand Film Commission), met with Irish screen industry stakeholders at Animation Ireland, TG4,
Screen Ireland, and Screen Producers Ireland, as well as other local producers. The meetings involved discussions on collaboration opportunities, co-production possibilities, co-funding potential, and
challenges when it comes to creative IP and AI.
“Ireland and New Zealand share a rich storytelling tradition and common creative values,” said Chris
Payne, Head of Co-Production and Incentives at the New Zealand Film Commission. “Both our cultures
treasure the spoken and written word, passed down through generations and champion authenticity and
community. Our co-production treaty has been in place for nearly 20 years, and a key part of this
longevity are the deep relationships NZFC has developed with Screen Ireland and the Irish industry,
borne out by co-produced feature films such as Come to Daddy and Evil Dead Rise, and TV series, The
Gone, now in its second season. The recent Cities of Film Animation Exchange and the resulting visits to
TG4 in Connemara allow NZFC to build on this strategic connection between our island nations.”
Ireland and New Zealand – a new partnership
For smaller nations like Ireland and New Zealand, international co-productions are essential in allowing
access to diverse markets; wider funding streams; shared resources of location, expertise, and financing;
and facilitating cultural reciprocation. The Exchange has now emerged as another vital force in the Irish
AV industry’s drive to find new markets and collaborations.
During Siobhán’s residency in New Zealand in March, Ardán CEO, Alan Duggan, was also in the country,
showcasing Ireland to industry professionals at the Wellington Animation and Māoriland film festivals. He
was also on a panel with the New Zealand Film Commission, discussing co-productions with Ireland, and
Alan and Siobhán visited local NZ studios.
The resulting meetings with agencies and producers revealed significant interest in collaboration with
Ireland and Gaeilgeorí in talent development and production, and across areas of mutual interest.
Collaboration – next steps
Through its management of the Galway UNESCO City of Film designation; WRAP; and the chairing of
the Western AV Forum industry collective, Ardán is in a strong position to assist development of cultural
collaborations and coproductions between Ireland and New Zealand.
“The bonds forged have already been exemplary in showcasing the creative potential between the
Western Region in Ireland and our New Zealand partners,” said WRAP Executive Gar O’Brien-Collins.
“We are excited to lay the groundwork for an ambitious co-production partnership that celebrates and
elevates our indigenous languages and shared cultures on screen.”
That process has already begun. Last week, New Zealand Film Commissioners were given tours by the
Ardán and WRAP team of Galway locations as sites for possible co-productions, while the New Zealand
Embassy and Screen Wellington hosted a showcase with Irish and New Zealand producers in Dublin to
celebrate this bilateral collaboration.
The success of the exchange continues to be spotlighted in France this June at the Annecy Animation
Film Festival and then in Paris on the Showcase Stage at the UNESCO Creative Cities AGM.
“International collaboration and connection in the screen sector are more important than ever,” said
Ardán CEO and Galway City of Film Director Alan Duggan. “Safeguarding and support for independent
film and audiovisual creation is vital to prevent it from being overwhelmed by AI and global monopolies,
so indigenous culture and creativity can flourish, and democratic access to diverse stories for the screen
can continue.”
