Producing Change Panel

Thanks to Women in Film and Television Ireland for their kind support of this Panel!

Panellists will share their unique experiences and insights on driving positive change within the industry, touching on the challenges they've faced and the successes they've celebrated. FREE but Booking Essential as capacity is limited! 

Claire Mooney
Co-Founder | Creative Producer Pure Divilment Pictures
Claire Mooney is an Irish creative producer. She is the co-founder and leads the business end of Pure Divilment Pictures. She has experience across a wide variety of mediums from feature films to television content to animation and VFX.Claire graduated from DCU in Digital Communication and Multimedia, before achieving a first-class Masters in Creative Production and Screen Finance from the National Film School IADT.Claire worked as Senior Production Coordinator for Nora Twomey's acclaimed film, My Father's Dragon, at the Academy Award-nominated production company Cartoon Saloon. She has also worked as a Development Production Supervisor for several film and television projects at DNEG, one of the world’s leading animation and VFX studios.Under Screen Ireland’s Frameworks scheme, Claire produced the acclaimed animated short film PORK. She also produced the anthology film Baths, directed by Nell Hensey and supported by the Arts Council of Ireland. Most recently, Claire produced the live-action television film Falling For The Life Of Alex Whelan for RTÉ and Screen Ireland.Claire is committed to bringing fresh and exciting perspectives to the international landscape of television and film. With a track record of successful projects and a passion for championing new voices, Claire has emerged as a producer to watch.

Nell Hensey
Co-Founder | Creative Director Pure Divilment Pictures
Nell Hensey is an Irish-Filipino director and screenwriter from the west of Ireland. She is particularly interested in female-centric narratives, coming-of-age themes, and stories that explore outsider identities.After studying English Literature and Film Studies in UCD, Nell went on to complete a Masters in Creative Production and Screen Finance at the National Film School IADT. Nell has worked as a writers room assistant, showrunners assistant and writer on television shows for Netflix and Sky.As a director, Nell’s work has been supported by Screen Ireland, RTÉ, Virgin Media Television, The Arts Council of Ireland, and more. Her latest short film, Good Chips, premiered at the 2023 Dublin International Film Festival. In 2023, Nell was one of ten international directors selected for the Toronto International Film Festival's prestigious Filmmaker Lab. It is through this programme that she is developing her highly anticipated debut feature film, Displacement.Website: https://puredivilmentpictures.com/

Jennifer Davidson
An experienced screenwriter based in the West of Ireland, Jennifer has a strong background in documentary production and development. She’s been a core member of the writing team on RTE’s Fair City since 2011, having written almost 100 episodes to date. In her own writing she’s drawn to relationship dramas and rom coms. Represented by Christina Pickworth at Imagine Talent, she is currently developing an original rom com series with Wildfire Films, and has a number of other original series and feature films in development. Jennifer has been Chair of the Writers Guild of Ireland since 2020, and more recently was also elected Chair of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds. A fierce advocate for Irish writers, through her work with the Writers' Guild, she has originated and run a wide number of training and development initiatives for new writers. She regularly delivers guest lectures to many of Ireland’s third level institutes. Her development credits includes work for Scratch Films, O’Sullivan Productions, Independent Pictures, Animo, Adare, Shinawil, Coco and Kite. In 2022, she set up her own production company, HeartFelt Drama and completed a Postgraduate qualification in Creative Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development through CREW Digital/ATU Galway. She is currently studying for a Higher Diploma in Advanced Producing with TU Dublin to strengthen her skillset as a showrunner.

Paul C. Ryan is the Regional Film Manager / Film Commissioner at Film in Limerick, promoting the Mid-West region (Limerick, Clare & Tipperary) as well as the wider Munster Region as a premier film location and supporting the local independent film community. His background is in talent development and creative business development working in the UK, Denmark and Ireland.

Maríssa Aroy is an Emmy award winning filmmaker of the documentary “Sikhs in America.” and the documentary ‘The Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the United Farm Workers.” A Fulbright scholar, she was also the recipient of the first ever Haste Yamasaki Award for Visionary Leadership from the College of William and Mary and was awarded the Asian Centenniel Filmmaker-in-Residence at the same university. She has taught film classes at Berkeley City College, Trinity College Dublin and The New School in New York. Her latest projects include a commission from the Smithsonian American History Museum and producing an independent feature film here in Ireland with Spectra Entertainment. She lives in Wicklow Town.