With a solid track record in genre storytelling and a deep passion for nurturing unique voices, Deirdre Levins, Ireland’s participant in EFP’s Producers on the Move, has established herself as one of the Emerald Isle’s most prominent emerging producers. Cineuropa sat down with Levins to discuss her professional journey with Fantastic Films, the risks she embraces and her upcoming slate of bold, genre-driven films.

Cineuropa: When did you enter this business? And how did you land your producing job?
Deirdre Levins: I started working in the film industry in 2010. As is the case for many producers, it started with shorts. The first film that I produced was a brilliantly funny horror-comedy short about a guy who falls in love with a banshee, called Strangers in the Night, written by Gavin Keane and directed by Conor McMahon, and funded by FilmOffaly in Ireland.

How has your experience as a producer shaped the way you watch films? Do you find it hard to switch off the professional part of your brain?
I have to say I often forget I’m a producer when watching films and just get lost in the excitement of it all. Hence, when sitting in a grade or sound mix, I need to pinch myself to be more alert, as I just want to grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy!

What are some of the creative risks you've taken that paid off – and some that didn’t?
I think any film you develop as a producer is a creative risk. We all invest in the vision, ambition and potential of a film. The ultimate goal is to find your audience and make an impact. This often starts with an A-list festival – for example, the first feature I produced, You Are Not My Mother, written and directed by the wonderfully talented Kate Dolan, premiered in Midnight Madness at Toronto in 2021. We are developing an exciting slate of distinctive genre films at the moment, so hopefully, they will follow suit. It’s hard when the movie you’ve been working on for many years struggles to find its home, but experience thus far tells me it all works out. The eternal optimist in me says that you’ve learnt something, you’ve made new connections, you’ve survived – now let’s get going on the next project!

Is there a specific region or country you'd like to co-produce with in the future, and why?
As a producer of mainly horror stories, we often find ourselves filming in the depths of winter, with night shoots in rainy Ireland. I would love to co-produce somewhere sunny! Joking aside, we love co-producing with Europe. We haven’t co-produced with Canada or Asia before, so that might be nice.

How do you foster trust and long-term relationships with directors and writers?
I think it starts from day one, when you first meet, have chats over coffee and discover an affinity for a certain type of story. Building those relationships starts with a joint interest in the broader themes and ideas we want to discuss, whilst also emphasising that the focus should be on the audience. Development can take time, so it’s about understanding that it’s tough to get a film made and it’s an incredible achievement when it's completed. Remain calm, focus on the goal, and never sweat the small stuff.

What projects are you currently working on?
We have a super-exciting slate at the moment, which we’ve been fortunate enough to develop with the support of Creative Europe and Screen Ireland slate funding. We are currently in post-production on a fantastic severed-hand movie, penned and directed by Glenn McQuaid, and starring Chris Colfer and Alice Krige, which we shot in the midlands of Ireland last year. We are in Cannes financing our next suite of films, which include a distinct and high-octane vampire flick called Stephanie, with writer-director Fergal Costello. We have an ultra-marathon horror movie called Race X, written by Jason Barry and Glen Barry, with Lynne Davison directing. We also recently participated in the Rotterdam-Berlinale Express, where we presented an incredible and auteur-driven cannibal folk-horror called Meat, or Feoil in Irish, with emerging Irish writer-director Rioghnach Ní Ghrioghair.

Could you share a piece of advice with those who might want to embark on this career?
Working in film is a collaborative experience. It’s all about networking, building connections and partnerships. Attend events, talk to people – the industry changes all the time, so you need to keep abreast of new technologies and opportunities. Be ambitious and enjoy the journey. There are lots of ups and downs, so celebrate the good days!