Women in Irish CinemaIdentity and Autonomy on the Contemporary Screen

Discusses representations of women in fiction film that depicts contemporary Ireland, in the first book-length study on the topic

• Provides a vast amount of historical and sociopolitical context and argues that this is crucial to an understanding of women in contemporary Irish cinema
• Argues that themes of identity and autonomy are key to reading these representations and, in turn, more broadly, contemporary Ireland
• Focuses on a number of case studies that have not been discussed in great scholarly detail, and films that have not been discussed together, in the context of female representation
• Argues that the most powerful feminist interventions have come from films with female directors and/or writers and considers the current landscape and deficit within Irish film funding
• Links primary case studies to broader global discussions and trends within cinema, screen media, and society

Women in Irish Cinema: Identity and Autonomy on the Contemporary Screen is the first book-length study focused specifically on cinematic representations of women in contemporary Ireland.

This work centres on representations of women in Irish cinema since the beginning of the twenty-first century, from 2000 to 2025, amid vast sociopolitical change and the momentousness of the national milestones, drawbacks, and crises that have ensued: boom-and-bust socioeconomic contexts; major constitutional referenda involving sexuality and reproductive rights; a national process of confronting historical, gendered abuses; the post-Troubles era in Northern Ireland; long-overdue policy changes regarding diversity within the screen industries; an epidemic of gender-based violence; and ongoing state failings in relation to the fundamental human necessity of “home”.

Through a feminist lens, this book highlights a diversity of female representations within cinematic responses to these changes. It critically engages with troubling or regressive depictions of women, honours the work of a selection of women in Irish film, and celebrates moments that can be interpreted as feminist and progressive in the contexts of ongoing systemic problems and gender disparities, in cinema and in society.