Presents: starGAZE Participants Venus Patel, Jack Warren & Stephen T. Lally

·53 min·5 clips

Venus Patel created a street preacher character to reclaim power from daily hate and harassment.

This episode features a roundtable interview with three emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers participating in the Stargaze mentorship program, a partnership between GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival and the National Talent Academy for Film and TV Drama. Hosted by Film Ireland, the conversation explores each participant's background, creative process, and current projects. Venus Patel, originally from Los Angeles and now based in Ireland, discusses her multidisciplinary practice combining film, visual arts, and theatre, often using fantastical elements to address dark topics like hate crimes and queer POC suppression. Jack Warren, a genre filmmaker from the US, explains how his shorts like 'Paper Girl' translate feelings into horror and fantasy imagery, emphasizing communal aspects of queer and genre fandom. Stephen T. Lally, a Dublin-based writer-director, details his maximalist, campy projects such as 'Empress Coldstream,' which blends 90s nostalgia with queer romance, and his drive to create Irish-voiced fantasy. The discussion delves into themes like the role of fantasy as a Trojan horse for deeper meaning, the lack of representation in media growing up, and the influence of mentors. Participants cite inspirations ranging from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Twilight' to contemporary trans filmmakers like Vera Drew and Louise Ward. They reflect on their Stargaze experiences, highlighting workshops, festival exposure, and one-on-one mentorship that boosted confidence and encouraged bolder storytelling. The episode concludes with updates on their upcoming projects, including Venus's sci-fi fairy tale musical 'Roxy.io,' Jack's vampire feature script, and Stephen's celestial bureaucrat short film.

As heard by us

Stargaze participants discuss queer filmmaking, mentorship and the practical work of making films in Ireland.

Film Ireland's conversation with Stargaze participants Stephen T. Lally, Jack Warren and Venus Patel frames mentorship as a practical route into creative work, following the year-long programme as professional development for emerging LGBTQIA filmmakers and creatives.

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Why you'd press play

You get a queer romcom sparked by a fandom shrine, with the tiny-budget reality of making it close behind.

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