Louis Theroux gives IFTA masterclass in Dublin

Louis Theroux, world-renowned filmmaker and journalist, delivered a powerful and entertaining IFTA Masterclass sharing fascinating stories from his work and his career.

The event was moderated by Miriam O’Callaghan and supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Canon.

The audience was made up of key names in the Irish documentary and filmmaking community, who hailed the event as “an unforgettable evening.” Attendees included Baz Ashmawy (Emmy-winning broadcaster), Sinead O’Shea (director of Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story), Aoife Kelleher (director of Mrs Robinson), Maeve O’Boyle (director of Joan Baez: I Am A Noise), Andrew Freedman (producer of Sanatorium – Ireland’s 2026 Oscars Selection), Brendan Courtney (broadcaster), Kevin Backhurst (RTE Director General), Clare Dunne (writer and actor), Louise Kiely (Emmy-nominated Casting Director of Normal People), Steve Carson (RTE Director of Video), among others.

Theroux was warmly welcomed by the Irish audience, joking:

“It’s been such a pleasure spending a couple of nights in Dublin… I’m a student of strange cultures, weird people, toxic people — and I’ve never felt more at home for the last couple of days.”

Louis spoke about his approach to tackling complex subjects, covering everything from the Church of Scientology and Jimmy Savile to the Westboro Baptist Church and Israeli settlers. Miriam spoke with Louis about how he has become one of documentary film’s most distinctive voices, and he described his own work as:

“an empathetic appreciation of our differences, but also our similarities.”

Louis’ work is known for shining a light on intriguing beliefs, behaviours, and institutions, using a gentle questioning and informal approach that ultimately offers rounded portraits of the people involved in complex social issues and human dilemmas. Known for films such as My Scientology Movie and this year’s acclaimed The Settlers, he is a three-time BAFTA winner and Emmy nominee. He is also the host of Spotify’s The Louis Theroux Podcast.

Louis’ big break in TV happened under the mentorship of the iconic Michael Moore, previous subject of an IFTA Masterclass in Dublin, who hired him for his series TV Nation (1994-95).

“What he saw in me, it’s kind of a mystery, he gave me — with no experience — a job as a correspondent on a network TV show.”

Working with Michael inspired his approach to interviewing:

“He’s got this all-American persona, but he’s also highly intelligent, and wily. He appears guileless, but actually there’s this machinating intelligence that I think, without realising it, I wouldn’t say I emulated it, but… people sometimes call me faux-naive. And I think Michael always had a quality of being faux-naive.”

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He pivoted to making documentaries for the BBC with Weird Weekends:

“Truthfully, I didn’t particularly want a documentary series on the BBC. I wanted to write on sitcoms in Hollywood. And I tried very hard to do that, and Hollywood said ‘No, we don’t want you. We don’t want Louis Theroux making any kind of sitcoms or writing on one.’”

Louis also gave insights into his feature documentaries such as My Scientology Movie and The Settlers, as well as his interviews with celebrities on his podcast. The enduring message from the discussion was:

“Always think of your audience, always think about what’s going to connect with people.”

Louis took questions from the audience, including presenter Baz Ashmawy, who asked about the work it takes off-camera to achieve a great rapport with his interviewees on-screen. Louis replied:

“It’s hard to know how much of it is deliberate and how much is organic. Michael Moore saw in me a kind of vulnerability and insecurity, eagerness to please, it’s not a quality I’m particularly proud of or whether I’ve got it. I find it odd when people say ‘I like your programmes, they’re so awkward’ when we work so hard to make them not awkward.”

The event concluded with IFTA CEO Aine Moriarty presenting Louis with a special framed Recognition Award from the Academy in honour of his contributions to the industry.

His final words were about the inspiration he gets from his children:

“I know the world’s scary, dangerous, dark… but on the plus side, I feel like there’s so much in culture that’s fascinating. I learn so much, both from [my children’s] musical taste, their taste in media, the way in which they engage with what’s going on. Curiosity is not really something you can learn, but I think it’s something that you can be, you can encourage and cultivate. By being curious, you connect with the part of you that perhaps at times can feel lonely, the part of you that feels like you are maybe different, or an outsider.”

The event with Louis Theroux joins a long list of impressive events IFTA has hosted with high-profile international guests, including Martin Scorsese, Chloé Zhao, Judi Dench, Edward Norton, Todd Field, John C. Reilly, Stephen Frears, and Deepak Chopra, as part of IFTA’s annual Learning Programme of events.

Separately, IFTA’s annual Awards Ceremony was held in February, which saw Irish stars Saoirse Ronan, Cillian Murphy, Ruth Negga, Andrew Scott, Nicola Coughlan, Liam Cunningham, and Sharon Horgan among the Irish guests.