QUEERING THE ISLAND
LGBTQ+ FILM FESTIVALS IN IRELAND
Saturday 30.08 at 14:00
St. Peters - Free
LGBTQ+ film festivals have become essential in providing a dedicated space for queer representation on screen and in the film industry and creating a safe space for exchange within the film community. Hosted by PRISMA founder Benjamin Rupprecht, we will talk to representatives from GAZE – Int. LGBTQIA -, TITE (Trans Image / Trans Experience) - and Queer Spectrum (Queer People of Colour) - Film Festivals about their experience and mission.
Featuring: Sam Ahern, James Hudson, Pradeep Mahadeshwar
Hosted by Benjamin Rupprecht
Sam Ahern (they/them)
Sam Ahern is a writer, director, and film festival organiser. In 2025, they received funding through Screen Ireland’s Perspectives scheme for their queer feature horror project Let Them In. Their latest short film, Night Glances, premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2024 a queer coming-of-age follow-up to their short film Late Bloomers (2023). Sam wrote the short film Safe as Houses (2022), which screened at over 50 festivals and received development funding from Screen Ireland to become a TV series exploring a Dublin community’s experience of the housing crisis.
Sam is currently the Festival Manager of GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival, a member of the shorts screening team at Tribeca Film Festival, and was recently Assistant Producer on the screenwriting festival Storyhouse and the feature documentary Lesbian Lines. They are a member of the Writers’ Guild of Ireland and the Trans Film Gang.
James Hudson (he/him)
James Hudson is a writer, editor and programmer from Dublin. His writing is published with Southword Editions, The Stinging Fly, The Liminal Review, Channel, Neon Hemlock, and others. He is the director of the Trans Image/Trans Experience Film Festival and Assistant Programmer at the GAZE LGBTQIA International Film Festival. Across both literature and film, his focus is on queer art, horror, fantasy, sexuality, transgression, and whatever gets you going.
Pradeep Mahadeshwar (he/they)
Pradeep Mahadeshwar is a visual artist and LGBTQIA+ activist from India now based in Dublin. With a background in storytelling, writing, photography, illustrations, and filmmaking, Pradeep’s work delves deeply into the complexities of identity, migration, and the lived experiences of Queer People of Colour in Ireland and beyond. As the founder of Queer Asian Pride Ireland and the Queer Spectrum Film Festival, Pradeep has created platforms that celebrate diversity while addressing the unique challenges faced by the immigrant LGBTQIA+ community in Ireland. Through their surreal and satirical films, Pradeep critiques sexual racism. He explores alternative emotional landscapes, offering profound insights into self-exploration, sexuality, and gender identity within new cultural contexts.
Pradeep’s artistic practice is rooted in a commitment to social justice, with a particular focus on the impact of migration, displacement, and racism on the mental and sexual health of Queer People of Colour. By weaving together stories, photography, illustrations, and moving images, Pradeep crafts narratives that challenge societal norms and invite audiences to reflect on the intersectionality of race, sexuality, and identity.