CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER

Marlena Murphy - brings to the team over 20 years of experience in international media and events. Marlena has worked in broadcasting in Ireland, Canada and Poland and organised international events over the past 2 decades.

A driven social entrepreneur, Marlena Murphy, felt that the thriving town of Greystones was the perfect home for a short story film festival. She decided to utilise her experience in media, event management, research, budgeting, corporate sponsorship/grant funding knowledge and people skills to bring it all together.

With a degree in media and a Masters degree from UCD's School of Social Policy and Social Justice, Marlena works with Greystones Town Team facilitating events, encouraging a holistic town and engaging with all of the community through various community lead projects. The film festival was Marlena's brainchild and she was the driving force behind the first year of the festival alongside an award-winning screenwriter Ronika Merl.

We are delighted to announce the partnership between the Wicklow Stories Film Festival and Ardmore Studios - Ireland's oldest and most iconic film studio. 

Ardmore Studios has been the base for many successful Irish and international productions and we are proud to be working with this local, Bray based institution with such rich heritage and strong ties with local people.

“Ardmore Studios has been a ‘resident’ of Wicklow since 1958.  We have a proud history of being part of the community since the gates opened and have seen generations of local families crew Film and TV productions over the years, and to this day. Ardmore was very pleased to be invited to partner with the Wicklow Film Festival and together we will recognise and showcase the depth of local talent and creativity that we have on our doorstep. We hope that we will see some, or all, of these talented filmmakers bring their work to Ardmore in the future", reflects Managing Director of Ardmore Studios Elaine Geraghty.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER

Ronika is an award-winning screenwriter. She also directs, and runs the Wicklow Stories Film Festival.

Having placed highly in both the Academy Nicholl Fellowship as well as the Austin Film Festival in 2019, she has since expanded her slate to contain more than 22 feature-length scripts. She has lectured at Griffith College and has given multiple workshops in Ireland and the UK.

In addition to this, she is the artistic director of the Wicklow Stories Film Festival, which was launched in 2022 and has since expanded into a staple in the cultural calender of Wicklow county.

Her textbook for Irish Screenwriters "The Hustle" is now available on Amazon or can be purchased directly from her, as well as a further expansion "Navigating Hollywood" which can be obtained exclusively through the New York Script Awards.

Her collections of poetry can be purchased on Amazon or directly from her.

She has consulted on projects in the US, UK, South Africa and Australia.

Her latest project is an adaptation of the novel series "Earthsong" by Mary Mackey, which is in the early stages of preproduction with Chainsaw Europe.