NTA Film & TV Drama and Ardán, in collaboration with Screen Talent Europe, are thrilled to announce the selection of Irish filmmaker Kate Haley as a participant in the 2025 Directors Village residency program.
The Directors Village is a prestigious five-day on-site European residency training program designed for directors-writers. Limited to eight participants, the program focuses on enhancing and developing the skills of emerging filmmakers, preparing them for their upcoming short film projects. The residency offers intensive workshops on script development, directorial vision, and actor direction, facilitated by experienced coaches. Participants will engage in group sessions, networking events, and collaborative activities to advance their projects. All workshops will be conducted in English.
This year's Directors Village will take place from March 5th to 10th, 2025, during the Euregion Film Forum in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Eight filmmakers from various countries have been selected to participate in this immersive training program.
Kate Haley, hailing from County Donegal, Ireland, was chosen by a selection committee comprising Screen Talent Europe panelists for her short film project, "OYSTER." An award-winning filmmaker, Haley holds an Honours Degree in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin and an M.Phil in Screenwriting. As a Fulbright Scholar, she earned her MFA in Film & TV at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), specializing in directing. During her time in the USA, she worked in development at 507 Collective.
Her notable works include "A Death in the Family" (2020), which won Best Irish Short at the Disappear Here Film Festival and Best Cinematography at the WFT Short Film Showcase, and was featured at the CIACLA Irish Short Reels Series in Los Angeles. The film is currently being distributed by Omeleto. "Splash!" (2023) received a Red Dot Award for Sound Design and nominations for Best Narrative Short and Best Writer at the NATAS Southeast Student Emmys. Her thesis film, "A Fairytale Romance" (2024), produced with the Executive Producers of Netflix’s "MerPeople," won Best Student Short at the Kerry International Film Festival.
Haley has been recognized with the Northern Exposure Award, a Donegal County Council Artist’s Bursary, and selection for the 2025 CineSud Directors Village. Her films artfully blend fantasy, memory, and reality, challenging societal norms and offering bold, thought-provoking narratives.
Participation in the Directors Village is limited to eight talents from Screen Talent Europe partners, including Ardán/NTA Film & TV Drama, CineSud, FilmCloud, Film Stockholm, GMAC, Mediefabrikken, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, New Noardic Wave, and Odense Film Workshop.
The National Talent Academy for Film and TV Drama is an initiative of Screen Ireland managed by Ardán.