Neurodivergence in Irish film and TV: Leaking talent due to ableism
Within the film, animation, and TV industry working conditions often do not support neurodivergent creatives. This is seriously damaging to individuals and to the sector at large. Eleanor Mc Sharry, an academic who used to work in film, wrote a paper on the topic earlier this year.
Was anyone else squirming in their seat? It was hard to tell in the dark. I glanced sideways. The cinema audience, transported back to 1980s Ireland, seemed transfixed. Small Things Like These evoked strong emotions. One line in the film could sum up a whole decade of societal repression: “If you want to get on in this life, there are things you have to ignore”.
Offscreen, Cillian Murphy — who plays the main character — is an ambassador and supporter of the Activating Social Empathy programme, which cultivates social and emotional learning among teenagers.
