a very tailored christmas: 2025 in review
As another year draws to a close, we look back on a busy and memorable 2025 at Tailored Films. From festival nominations to new productions, international market attendance and team milestones, it has been a year full of collaboration, travel, great new partnerships, and stories we feel privileged to help bring to the screen. We’re grateful to all our partners, funders, cast and crew for making it such a rewarding one, and we look forward to what 2026 will bring.
‘The Apprentice’ at the Oscars and Beyond
Our year began on an extraordinary note with two Academy Award nominations for 'The Apprentice' at the 97th Oscars. Producers Ruth Treacy and Julianne Forde attended the ceremony in March, representing Irish film alongside our partners at Scythia Films, Profile Pictures, Film Institute and Gidden Media.
The nominations capped off a very successful awards season for the film, with Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong receiving major recognition; Stan for Best Actor and Strong for Best Supporting Actor. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and their powerful commitment to the film during its festival run. The film was also recognised by the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, IFTAs, the SAG Awards and several international festivals. Finally, ‘The Apprentice’ later took home five Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture.
We remain deeply appreciative of everyone involved and grateful for the continued support the film has received around the world. 'The Apprentice' is now available on demand and streaming in Ireland on AppleTV, Sky Store, and Amazon Prime.
‘Hokum’ enters post-production
This spring, we completed principal photography on 'Hokum', the latest feature from writer-director Damian McCarthy, starring Adam Scott. The film marks the first Irish feature to be shot at West Cork Film Studios, with additional filming taking place in Dublin and Abu Dhabi.
Produced alongside Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, and Derek Dauchy of Image Nation, ‘Hokum’ was developed in collaboration with an extensive group of executive producers. Shot on location in Ireland, the film features a strong Irish cast, including Peter Coonan and David Wilmot, and was funded with the support of Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann.
We are delighted that NEON has come on board to distribute the film internationally, and greatly look forward to sharing further exciting updates over the next few months as new stills and teasers become available. We are equally thrilled to announce that 'Hokum' will be released in cinemas nationwide on May 1st, 2026. In the meantime, you can check out the official teaser for ‘Hokum’ on Neon’s YouTube page here.
‘Der Irland Krimi’ returns
Earlier this year also saw the completion of Series 6 of 'Der Irland Krimi', marking our fourth co-production collaboration on the long-running German crime franchise. Filming took place in Co. Galway with our wonderful returning cast and crew, and we greatly look forward to beginning work on Series 7 in the new year.
‘Bring Them Down’ in cinemas!
Christopher Andrews’ 'Bring Them Down' made its Irish theatrical debut this year, following its premiere at TIFF in 2024 and ensuing festival success, later winning Best Picture at Fantastic Fest and the Douglas Hickox Best Director Award at the BIFAs. Seeing the film’s poster across Dublin buses was a memorable milestone for us, and we’re grateful to everyone who supported the release. The film is now available to stream exclusively on MUBI.
Markets, Festivals & Travel
2025 was one of our busiest years for international market attendance. Our annual trip to Cannes focused on sales meetings, co-production discussions and presenting upcoming projects. It was a productive and energising market, offering the chance to reconnect with many of our long-standing creative peers and network with new partners as our slate advances.
In July, Ruth Treacy spoke on the Producer’s Panel at the industry networking event for the 37th edition of the Galway Film Fleadh. As always, it was a pleasure to spend time with peers, collaborators and emerging filmmakers at the festival. The suite of projects pitched as well as the length and breadth of the Irish short and feature projects presented were a testament to the 'Green Wave' of homegrown storytelling.
Ruth also took part in a development panel at Content London, discussing UK/Irish collaboration and co-production pathways amid the evolving international drama landscape.
Mairtín de Barra represented Tailored at several key markets throughout the year including: Young Horizons (Warsaw), Cinekid (Amsterdam), Series Mania (Lille), and Fastnet (Cork), where he spoke on a panel about regional shooting in Ireland.
Cal, Caitriona and Julianne travelled to Porto, Portugal in July to meet with our co-producers at beActive for the final writer’s room for ‘Yesterday’s Girl’ / ‘Ar Ais Arís’. The series is supported in development by TG4 and Creative Europe, and is supported in production by TG4, Coimisuin na Mean, ICA and NOS.
Digital Projects
Our digital team had a strong and varied year, producing campaigns and branded content for several long-standing partners and a number of new collaborators. Projects this year included work for Bord Gáis Energy, Focus Ireland, the Construction Workers Health Trust, Children’s Health Ireland, Certa, and a special project with Rosie O’Donnell.
We’re grateful to all of these organisations for their continued trust in our team, and we look forward to building these relationships further in 2026.
Team Expansion and Upskilling
This year, we welcomed Jamie Hickey to the Tailored Films team in the role of development assistant.
We were also delighted to see Junior Producer Caitríona McCormack selected for the Screen Ireland Emerge programme.
Tailored Rewind 2025
Here's a quick step back in time to see some highlights of what Tailored got up to this past year:
Looking Ahead
2026 is already shaping up to be an exciting year. Highlights on the horizon include:
'Der Irland Krimi' coming back to shoot in Ireland for series 7 early next year.
'Ar Ais Arís' / 'Yesterday’s Girl': casting is now underway for our upcoming Irish-language youth drama, slated for production in summer 2026. This will be development executive Cal McGhee's writing debut and we are thrilled to support this exciting new chapter in his career.
A new feature film of ours will soon enter pre-production (more to come early next year!)
And finally, in the spirit of the season, Tailored Films will be making a donation to ALONE. We’re pleased to support such an important cause and hope this contribution will make a meaningful difference.
As always, we close out the year with thanks - to our collaborators, funders, partners, audiences, and friends. We wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a bright year ahead.
Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Daoibh!
