IFTA Screen: Dynamic Diverse 2025

As part of IFTA's Dynamic Diverse series of discussions over the past four years, we hosted a special afternoon of conversation and engagement, celebrating artistic development across diverse communities within the screen industries, exploring visibility and representation and looking to best international practice in this area. The event was supported by Coimisiún na Meán and brought together inspiring talent and influential thought leaders from a broad spectrum of disciplines within Film, TV, Media and the Screen industries as a whole. Key guests and speakers include filmmakers, actors, broadcasters and key decision makers, who are showing themselves to be leaders and trailblazers in the industry, working both at home and abroad, to offer inspiring insights to our audience and attendees on the day.
 

2025 PANEL Speakers

Miranda Wayland is  the CEO of the Creative Diversity Network, enabling the UK Broadcasting industry to increase diversity and inspire inclusion. She has over 20 years’ experience working for the world’s largest and most influential broadcasters and streamers, which include Amazon MGM Studios, BBC, and ITV. She was previously the Head of Europe Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility for Prime Video and Amazon Studios. With over 20 years’ experience of driving DEIA across both the private and public sector, Miranda was previously the Head of Diversity for the BBC, and is also a trustee of the National Film and Television School and the Anne Frank Trust. Miranda was listed on Variety’s Impactful International Women of 2023 and awarded the Winner of the Inspirational Leader of the Year by the Precious Awards.

"You are the next generation of owners of our industry… When you get there, remember that everything you experienced on the way up that you didn’t like, you have an opportunity to stop it."

Prasanna Puwanarajah is an actor, writer and director based in the UK. His writing and directing work has played at the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. His IFTA-nominated debut feature film Ballywalter starring Patrick Kielty and Seana Kerslake was filmed in Northern Ireland. He has appeared in TV and film projects including The Crown, Too Much (Netflix), Ten Percent (Prime Video), Line of Duty, Doctor Foster (BBC), The Gunman and Diana.

“As an artist, you need to screw up, you learn things at the bleeding edge of your work. It's mostly not good. But when it speaks to someone, you're in that space, that’s where the real work happens.”

Zeinab Elguzouli is a dynamic Irish-Sudanese media personality and singer-songwriter, born and raised in Dublin. She is currently one of the three hosts of FM104's iconic Strawberry Alarm Clock breakfast show and a frequent presenter on Virgin Media One’s Six O’Clock Show. Zeinab was awarded IMRO’s The Gay Byrne Award for Newcomer of the Year in 2024.

“Whatever I pitch or create, I want it to come from passion, not questioning if a woman from Ballymun should be doing it, but boldly going, this is what I want to do, and I’m going to do it.”

Martin ‘Beanz’ Warde   a member of the Irish Traveller community, is a stand-up comedian/writer, theatre-maker, and podcaster with a passion for telling stories from the margins. He writes regularly for publications including the Irish Times, Irish Examiner, and the Sunday Independent, and appears on TV panels on RTE and Virgin Media. He has appeared on BBC Radio 4 and completed a project with the National Museum of Ireland to archive oral histories from Traveller elders. His debut play, The Dead House, sold out during its 15-night run at the 2023 Dublin Theatre Festival. He premiered his first television series The End of the World with Beanz on RTE One in 2024.

“It shouldn’t be Traveller versus Traveller for that one Traveller part. There are still so many shapes, faces, and colors of Travellers who aren’t getting the opportunities.”

Bobby Zithelo  is an award-winning director and filmmaker based in Dublin, known for his bold visual storytelling and keen eye for culture, identity, and community. His work spans commercial and narrative filmmaking, crafting visually striking campaigns for top brands like Adidas, Life Style Sports, Jameson, Brown Thomas, RTÉ, TG4, Red Bull, AIG, CAIRN, and Rockshore. He is also a multifaceted visual artist, photographer, and filmmaker. His directing credits include the critically acclaimed docuseries Our Land, which he followed up with the film This Land.

“There’s so much more to our lives than just, ‘What’s it like being Black?’ I want to go deeper, to show the slices of life from my community we never see on screen.”

Zbyszek Zalinski is  a native of Łódź, Poland. He joined RTÉ in 2007 and has worked in a variety of production and on-air roles across RTÉ Radio 1 and 2FM. As Diversity & Inclusion Lead, Zbyszek helps RTÉ better reflect the Ireland of today – among those who make the programmes and support our different services, as well as those who appear on them.

“ We need more nuanced, more uncomfortable conversations about what we mean when we talk about diversity, because this isn’t a one‑day project. It’s a multi‑year, multi‑stakeholder journey that demands depth, honesty, and patience.”