The growing wave of Irish-Australian screen co-productions

A partnership that's hitting its stride

A psychological thriller about a man, played by Nicolas Cage, who returns to an idyllic Australian beach to surf with his son, and a crime drama based on Belfast's infamous Northern Bank robbery might not appear to have much in common. Yet both are products of a growing Irish-Australian screen partnership, one that industry figures in both countries have long recognised as a natural creative and cultural fit. The difference today is that the number of collaborative projects reaching our screens are finally beginning to catch up with that potential.

A key enabler has been the formal co-production treaty between Ireland and Australia, one of only six such agreements Ireland holds outside the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production and one of twelve held by Australia. The treaty allows qualifying projects to be recognised as national productions in both countries, opening access to finance, talent and audience reach in each market.

To date, that framework has produced twelve official co-productions with a combined budget of around AUD $73 million and proven market reach and success. A recent Irish-Australian co-production that highlights the strength of these partnerships is romantic drama miniseries, Mix Tape, which won the coveted SXSW Audience Award for TV in 2025.

Official co-productions are only part of the story. Alongside projects that meet the criteria of the treaty, there's a growing number of 'unofficial' collaborations that bring Irish and Australian creatives together. A good example is Almost With You, written and directed by Irish-born Australian filmmaker Adam Morris. Shot in Shark Bay and Albany, Western Australia, and in Ireland, with music by Irish artists Declan O'Rourke and Luka Bloom, the film will premiere at the Galway Film Festival in 2026. It's the kind of project that doesn't fit neatly into one national identity and that's kind of the point.

Why Ireland? Why now?

Ireland's appeal as a screen production partner isn't new thanks to the calibre of the local talent base of writers, directors, producers, and crews and the country's attractive Section 481 tax incentive. The formal co-production treaty between Ireland and Australia also is also long-standing having been in effect since 1998. Yet when you look at the data, the momentum building is undeniable as a third of projects completed using the treaty were in 2024 and 2025. 

Like Australia, Irish producers have always had to look outward because domestic market can't support the scale of ambition in the content being made. Co-production and co-financing with international partners are necessary realities that are reinforced by a diaspora that has spread Irish stories and sensibilities to every corner of the world, including Australia.

Any producer with experience in co-productions will tell you that while they can unlock access to financing, talent and new audiences, they can also be complex, bureaucratic and, like any production, immensely challenging. When those challenges arise, it is relationships built on mutual respect, a shared understanding of storytelling and, importantly, a common sense of humour that sustain these collaborations. Growing momentum in Ireland–Australia coproductions is being supported by the positive experiences creatives from both countries are having working with each other to date.

The industry is investing in the relationship

The uptick Irish-Australian screen collaboration has also been bolstered at industry and government level. In 2024, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) hosted an Irish delegation at its annual Screen Forever conference that's backed by Screen Australia. The following year, Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), supported by Screen Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, welcomed an Australian delegation to Ireland for a programme of industry engagements. These kinds of reciprocal exchanges matter because they bring together stakeholders necessary in helping co-productions projects get off the ground and increase opportunities for producers to meet, share ideas and build relationships.

What's coming next

The pipeline ahead suggests both industries are backing themselves on this. One project to watch is Chasing Millions, an Ireland–Australia co-production due for release later this year. The film follows an Australian police officer and a Northern Irish detective investigating what is billed as the largest bank heist in UK and Irish history. It is exactly the type of ambitious, dual-market project the treaty was designed to support.

Zooming out, both Ireland and Australia are well positioned in an international content landscape where fully domestic financing is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain, even for larger markets. As streaming platforms continue to demand content that resonates both locally and internationally, the ability to structure smart, creative international partnerships is becoming more of a competitive advantage.

Ireland and Australia have been building toward this for years. The next wave of projects will show just how far that foundation stretches but all the signals suggest the relationship is entering its most exciting chapter yet.