International Co-productions: Case Studies

This session will go behind the scenes of two international coproductions: Bring Them Down (UK/Belgium/Ireland) by writer and director Chris Andrews, and Lomu (UK-New Zealand), a feature documentary currently in production, directed by Gavin Fitzgerald and Vea Mafile’o. An international panel of producers will discuss the creative and financial challenges met by the partners, from the complexities of national and international financing to the division of responsibilities between co-producers, and the challenges of cross-cultural collaborations.

Speakers:

JULIANNE FORDE | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Tailored Films (Ireland)

IVANA MACKINNON | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Wild Swim Films (UK)

RUTH TREACY | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Tailored Films (Ireland)

VICTORIA BARRELL | Producer
LOMU | Sylver Entertainment

EMMA SLADE | Producer
LOMU | Tahi Productions

About the speakers:

JULIANNE FORDE | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Tailored Films (Ireland)
Julianne Forde is an award winning producer and co-founder of Tailored Films, based in Dublin, Ireland. Tailored produces bold feature films and TV drama series, as well as specializing in ambitious international co-productions. Recent releases include 'the Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominated The Apprentice and the BIFA winning Bring Them Down. Julianne has produced six international features and ten TV series, including RTÉ’s Louise Lives Large. Julianne is also a very experienced cinematographer and VFX producer on a number of award-winning films.

IVANA MACKINNON | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Wild Swim Films (UK)
Ivana's new company Wild Swim Films, a collaboration with Emily Leo, was founded in 2019, and has produced four films. Molly Manning Walker's HOW TO HAVE SEX premiered at Cannes 2023, winning the prize of Un Certain Regard and being nominated for four BAFTAs; it was released internationally in late 2023. TUESDAY, a mother-daughter fairytale starring Julia Louis Dreyfus and Arinze Kene, was being released internationally in summer 2024 after a premiere at Telluride 2023. NOCEBO, a contemporary thriller directed by Loracan Finnegan and starring Eva Green, was released in theatres internationally in 2023. BRING THEM DOWN, an Irish revenge thriller starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2024 and was released internationally in 2025. The film won the Best Debut Director prize at the BIFAs as well as Best Film at Fantastic Fest, Best Screenplay at the Rome Film Festival, and the FIPRESCI prize at Mannheim-Heidelberg.  Prior to Wild Swim, Ivana produced Michael Peace’s BEAST, which won the BAFTA for Best Debut Film 2019, was nominated for the BAFTA for Best British Film, and received 11 BIFA nominations. Beast was released internationally in 2018, after premiering at Toronto in the acclaimed Platform strand. In 2013 Ivana Exec Produced WAR BOOK, a Jack Thorne-penned and Tom Harper helmed political thriller starring Sophie Okenedo and Antony Sher, having worked with both writer and director previously on their debut THE SCOUTING BOOK FOR BOYS. Ivana was Head of Creative Affairs for Cloud Eight Pictures and Celador Films from 2002-2012, working across films as diverse as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and THE DESCENT. 

RUTH TREACY | Producer
BRING THEM DOWN | Tailored Films (Ireland)
Ruth Treacy is an award winning producer / director and co-founder of Tailored Films, based in Dublin, Ireland. Tailored produces bold feature films and TV drama series, as well as specialising in ambitious international co-productions. Recent releases include the Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominated "The Apprentice" and the BIFA / Fantastic Fest winning "Bring Them Down". Ruth has produced seven international features and ten TV series, including RTÉ’s Louise Lives Large—its largest youth commission to date—which she also directed a block of. Ruth is a graduate of EAVE, Screen Leaders, a former Producer on the Move and a member of the European Film Academy and the European Producers Club.

VICTORIA BARRELL | Producer
LOMU | Sylver Entertainment
Victoria is Co-Founder & Managing Director of Sylver Entertainment. A Dorset based, award winning production house specialising in premium global theatrical and long form, multi-episodic content. A PGA nominated Producer, she has raised and completed finance on over $8m of production since the company's inception, leveraging established relationships with sales companies, studios and investors. Victoria's films include Amar, Akbar & Tony, Svengali, Bobby Robson: More Than A Manager, The Edge, McEnroe, The Greatest Game and Schmeichel. Sylver's recent production Hill will be released in July '25 and the company is currently in post-production on its UK/NZ co-production, Lomu. Victoria sits across Sylver Entertainment’s entire slate.

EMMA SLADE | Producer
LOMU | Tahi Productions
Emma has line produced and produced multiple projects over the past 20 years, from TV series for Netflix to high profile independent films, specialising in international co-productions and leveraging government funds from New Zealand into projects. Her career began in the UK working for companies such as, Discovery, BBC, Action Time and Wall to Wall. Returning to New Zealand, Emma started a TV company producing projects for local networks before line producing various international independent features; BRIDE FLIGHT (The Netherlands/NZ co-production), SEPARATION CITY (Joel Edgerton), RAGE (premium NZ drama), INTO THE RAINBOW, which was the first Chinese/NZ co-production, starring Willow Shields (Hunger Games), as well as LITTLE SECRET the Brazilian/NZ feature, which was nominated as Brazil’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film 2017. Recently, Emma produced BOOKWORM, which received the Fantastic Festival Audience Award, starring Elijah Wood and Nell Fisher (Stranger Things 5), as well as UPROAR, starring Julian Dennison, Minnie Driver and Rhys Darby, which had its world premiere at TIFF. Other projects include: MISTER ORGAN (Netflix), NUDE TUESDAY (Tribeca Films), THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING, starring Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie, COME TO DADDY a NZ/Irish/Canadian co-production (Amazon). THE CHANGEOVER (Lionsgate UK) starring Timothy Spall, Melanie Lynskey, Nick Galitzine. Emma is a co-founder of SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE, a training & apprenticeship programme for below-the-line crew, with a mission to build well-trained crew to support local and international projects coming into New Zealand. Emma is also a co-founder of SWAG (Screen Women's Action Group), an organisation that is committed to tackling sexual harassment in New Zealand’s screen industry.