Paddy Breathnach
Director
Agent
Associate Agent
Biography
Paddy Breathnach started his directing career making natural history documentaries. His first feature, AILSA, won the Award for Best First / Second Film at the San Sebastian Film Festival. His second feature I WENT DOWN (BBC Films) starring Brendan Gleeson, won the New Directors prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival 1997. I WENT DOWN screened at Sundance in 1998 and won the Best Director award at both Thessaloniki and Bogota Film Festivals. He produced SOUTHPAW, a feature documentary that was selected for Sundance in 1999 and got a US and UK theatrical release.
Breathnach went on to direct BLOW DRY, MAN ABOUT DOG, SHROOMS and RED MIST. In 2012 he completed the documentary AN OICHE A GINEADH M’ATHAIR. In 2016 his Spanish language film VIVA was short listed for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His latest film, ROSIE, premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the UK in March 2019.
He’s a board member of The Screen Director’s Guild of Ireland.
Credits
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
THE DRY SERIES 3 2026 |
Element | |
|
THE DRY SERIES 2 2026 |
Element |
Film
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
ROSIE 2019 |
Element Pictures/IFB |
Written by Roddy Doyle. Rosie had its World Premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival |
|
VIVA 2015 |
Treasure Entertainment |
Written by Mark O’Halloran, VIVA Premiered at Telluride Film Festival 2015 and screened at the Busan Film Festival 2015 as part of EFP’s Opening Doors section. VIVA also exhibited in the Official Selection of the 2016 Palm Springs Film Festival and in the Closing Gala of the Dublin International Film Festival. The film won the Dublin Film Critics Circle Award for Best Irish Film |
|
FREAKDOG 2008 |
Generator Entertainment |
Written by Spence Wright. Winner Best Horror Queens Film Festival |
|
SHROOMS 2007 |
Capitol Films and Ingenious Film Partners |
Written by Pearse Elliott. Nominated Best Film and Best Director IFTA Awards |
|
MAN ABOUT DOG 2004 |
Irish Film Board and Potboiler Productions |
Written by Pearse Elliott. Nomnated for 10 IFTA Awards including Best Director |
|
BLOW DRY 2001 |
Intermedia Films and Mirage Enterprises |
Written by Simon Beaufoy. With Alan Rickman, Josh Hartnett and Bill Nighy |
|
I WENT DOWN 1997 |
BBC |
Written by Conor McPherson. Winner AIFF Special Award San Antonio American Independent Film Festival. Winner Best New Director San Sebastián International Film Festival. With David Wilmot and Brendan Gleeson |
|
Ailsa 1994 |
Temple Films |
Written by Joe O’Connor. Winner Best New Director San Sebastián International Film Festival. Nominated Bronze Horse Stockholm Film Festival. With Brendan Coyle |
Television
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
BODKIN 2024 |
Netflix |
Directed the final episode of 7-parter series created by Jez Scharf |
|
THE DRY SERIES 1 2022 |
Element |
Created by Nancy Harris, and starring Roisin Gallagher and Ciarán Hinds |
|
VIKINGS (Season 6) 2020 |
World 2000 / Take 5 Productions |
Episodes 16 & 17 |
Documentaries
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
The Night My Father was Conceived 2012 |
Tocht films |
