Zoë Gibney Announced as the Stowe Story Labs/Galway Film Fleadh Fellow to the 2026 Galway Film Marketplace
We are proud to announce that Dublin-based screenwriter Zoë Gibney has been awarded the Stowe Story Labs/Galway Film Fleadh Fellowship to attend the July 2026 Marketplace at the Galway Film Fair. The fellowship was awarded following her participation in the Stowe Story Labs/Connemara Writers’ Retreat in October 2025.
Gibney will be presenting her unusual love story feature DON’S LIFE GOES ON. Logline: Don’s safe, predictable, lonely life is turned upside down when a young mother and her child arrive uninvited at his rural farmhouse. Is this the shake up Don's island life needs?
This fellowship is a collaboration betweenStowe Story Labs, The Galway Film Fleadh and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. Ciara Appelbe (O’Sullivan Productions) is attached to produce the film. Zoë and Ciara will present the project at the market. Stowe Story Labs team members will work with them to prepare for and present the project at the Marketplace.
The Marketplace at the Galway Film Fair, the industry arm of the Galway Film Fleadh, mirrors the festival’s uniquely intimate, informal and accessible atmosphere to act as a key industry networking event on the international film calendar and a launchpad for projects at various stages of development through its vibrant marketplace. The Marketplace is known as an important international co-production hub.
We are excited to help Zoë and Ciara bring DON’S LIFE GOES ON to life.
ABOUT O’SULLIVAN PRODUCTIONS
O’Sullivan Productions is dedicated to developing talent, producing and providing production service for high end TV and Film for an international audience. O’Sullivan Productions has the ability to attract international film and TV productions to Ireland, decades of Irish filmmakers have developed their skills to world-class levels and proven themselves to audiences in America and beyond. At the heart of all our work in development is story: finding, developing and launching writers.
The Galway Film Fleadh is a week-long international film festival taking place every July in Galway, Ireland. It is a platform for the boldest new films from around the world, an opportunity for filmmakers to share their work with their peers, and to bring audiences & filmmakers from all backgrounds together to share their passion for film. Their mission aligns naturally with Stowe’s to help emerging filmmakers get their work made and seen. The Marketplace at the Galway Film Fair coordinates pre-scheduled meetings between filmmakers with projects in development and/or completed films, and invites Film Financiers, Distributors, Sales Agents, Broadcasters, Film Funds and Major Producers. It is an opportunity to access the world’s leading financiers, showcase new Irish, European, and International Cinema to leading film buyers, distributors, and festival programmers. Learn more about Galway Film Fleadh here.
ABOUT SCREEN IRELAND
As the national agency for the Irish creative screen industry, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland (Screen Ireland) is the creative partner to the sector, investing in talent, creativity and enterprise. We are inspired by original storytelling that will emotionally move audiences at home and abroad. Through a wide range of practical funding support across development, production, distribution, promotion and skills development, Screen Ireland supports the sector at every stage. We support filmmakers in their creative pursuit to share valuable artistic, cultural and commercial stories on screen. For more information, please visit: https://www.screenireland.ie/
ABOUT STOWE STORY LABS
Stowe Story Labs is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping top emerging and established screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers get work made and seen. We do this through labs, retreats, workshops, online writing programs, one-on-one mentorship, fiscal sponsorship, market experience programs, advanced development support, and production grants. Our mission is to help artists develop skills and projects and through that work to bend the world through story.
