Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Barry Dignam is a filmmaker and educator. He studied drama at Trinity College, Dublin, and later pursued film studies at the National Film School of Ireland (IADT). Barry's career in filmmaking encompasses numerous award-winning short films, including "Chicken," "Dream Kitchen," and "A Ferret Called Mickey." His films have been showcased in over 150 international film festivals and have been broadcast by prominent networks such as Film Four, PBS, and Canal+.
Barry has over twenty year's of experience in teaching, academic strategy, and leadership. At IADT, he has held various roles, including Lecturer in Screenwriting and Directing and Head of the Department of Film & Media and Programme Director of FilmEU at IADT. Barry now serves as Vice Dean, European University. He is also Chair of GEECT (Groupement Européen des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision), reflecting his leadership in European film education.
Barry's feature film credits include co-writing "Monged," which premiered in 2015. His work has been recognised with nominations for prestigious awards such as the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Golden Bear at Berlin. Through his contributions to both filmmaking and education, Barry continues to influence the film industry and academic landscape in Ireland, Europe and beyond.
Education/Academic qualification
Postgraduate - Masters, Master of Arts in Screenwriting (Film & Media), IADT, Dublin, Ireland
1 Sept 2005 → 1 Jun 2006
Bachelor, Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Film / Video (Directing & Producing) (Film & Media), IADT, Dublin, Ireland
1 Sept 1998 → 1 Jun 1999
Diploma in Design Communications, Film & Video Production (Film & Media) Qualification, IADT, Dublin, Ireland
1 Sept 1995 → 1 Jul 1998
Diploma in Theatre Studies (Samuel Beckett Centre for Theatre Studies), Trinity College Dublin
1 Aug 1989 → 1 Jun 1991
Postgraduate - Other, Postgraduate Certificate in Assessment and Evaluation, IADT, Dublin, Ireland
2015 → …
Postgraduate - Other, Postgraduate Cert in Teaching and Learning, IADT, Dublin, Ireland
2012 → …
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
-
SDG 4 Quality Education
-
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
C-Accelerate Plus - EIT HEI
Gallagher, R. (Project Team Member), Keating, D. (Project Team Member) & Dignam, B. (Project Team Member)
1/04/25 → 30/04/27
Project: Research
-
AVENUE: Audiovisual Education and Training Network for European Vocational Excellence
Dignam, B. (Institutional Co-Lead) & Byrne, D. (Institutional Co-Lead)
1/02/25 → 1/02/29
Project: Other
-
Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Sound (ReSound)
Brennan, C. (Project Coordinator), Dignam, B. (Project Team Member), Lynch, K. (Lecturer), O'Toole, D. (Lecturer), Hogan, L. (Lecturer) & Carty, B. (Lecturer)
1/01/25 → 28/02/31
Project: Other
-
CUTTING EDGES: Virtual Production at the Edges of the European Union
Dignam, B. (Institutional Lead), Buckley, J. (Project Team Member) & Snow, F. (Project Team Member)
1/11/24 → 30/11/27
Project: Research
-
WIRE (Widening Innovation and Research Excellence in FilmEu)
Dignam, B. (Steering Committee Member), Mullaney, M. (Steering Committee Member) & Carroll, L. (Project Manager)
1/01/24 → 31/12/28
Project: Research
-
Future Perspectives for European Universities: The Challenges of Implementing a Governance Model for the European Universities Initiative
Damásio, M. J., Dignam, B., Van der Sluys, V. & Quin, S., 20 Feb 2025, The European Universities Initiative and the ‘Euro-internationalisation’ of European Higher Education. Routledge, 19 p.Research output: Book chapters and conference proceedings › Book chapter › peer-review
-
Film EU: Mobility Management Manual
Carroll, L. & Dignam, B., 2021, Film EU.Research output: Other research output (including blogs and online text) › Other contribution › peer-review
Open Access -
Monged
Dignam, B. & Duggan, G., 2015Research output: Audiovisual, visual and non-textual formats › Audiovisual work
-
Enough
Dignam, B. (Director), 2008Research output: Audiovisual, visual and non-textual formats › Audiovisual work
-
A Ferret Called Mickey
Dignam, B. (Director), 2003Research output: Audiovisual, visual and non-textual formats › Audiovisual work
Prizes
-
-
Golden Berlin Bear / Short Film
Dignam, B. (Recipient), Fay, K. (Recipient) & McKiernan, C. (Recipient), 1 Feb 2000
Prize: Festival › Festival - Nomination
-
Newport International Film Festival, Rhode Island: Special Jury Award
Dignam, B. (Recipient), 2001
Prize: Festival › Festival - Prize
-
New York Independent Film & Video Festival / Best Foreign Short Film
Dignam, B. (Recipient), 2001
Prize: Festival › Festival - Prize
-
Palme d'Or for Best Short Film / Official Selection In Competition
Dignam, B. (Recipient), 1 May 2001
Prize: Festival › Festival - Nomination
Activities
-
Declaration to Degree: Embedding Sustainability from Policy to Practice in Film Education
Dignam, B. (Speaker) & O'Toole, D. (Speaker)
8 Dec 2025Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Keynote address
-
Cnam-Enjmin
Byrne, D. (Visiting Researcher) & Dignam, B. (Visiting Researcher)
2 Dec 2025 → 3 Dec 2025Activity: Visiting an external institution › Visiting an external academic institution
-
CILECT Congress 2025
Dignam, B. (Member of Programme Committee)
27 Oct 2025 → 31 Oct 2025Activity: Curation and Events › Organising a conference, workshop, ...
-
RUN-EU Day 2025
Dignam, B. (Invited speaker)
16 Oct 2025Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Invited talk
-
Pathfinder: Joint International BA in Film: A Case Study in Cross-Border Collaboration
Dignam, B. (Speaker) & O'Toole, D. (Speaker)
3 Jul 2025Activity: Talk or presentation at conference or event › Oral presentation