GORM

St. Patrick was a migrant 🍀

But today we are seeing a turn on how migrants are painted in Ireland.

We are on a mission to change that narrative and unify across our differences

Join the movement by following

☘️🌈🎩

What happens when a young filmmaker takes a chance on herself the day before applications close?

For Shantel , it led to her looking at her short film MICHAELA in a whole new light (which premiered last month) and a creative community she now calls home.

In our latest Close-Up Summer Residency alum interview, Shantel shares how the Wideshot and Close-Up Residency shaped her directing, editing and storytelling.

From ’s “jeopardy” lesson to late-night pitch prep and real talk on navigating Irish film as a young woman of colour, her insights show exactly why community and mentorship matter.

Read her full story and learn why she believes you should apply to GORM's Wideshot Programme /Close-Up Summer Residency 2026.

Yesterday evening, we were angered to hear that in Smithfield has been ordered to close on 14 January.

It feels like yet another blow to Dublin’s already shrinking network of art spaces, places being pushed aside for more hotels and offices.

This brings us back to 2020, when the arts carried the country through COVID. We turned to live-streamed theatre, music and performance for solace and connection. The arts are a core part of Ireland’s fabric, and we’re losing the very spaces that make that possible.

The Complex has been home to our biggest annual event, the GORM Gathering for the past two years. Every year, hundreds of people from all cultures, backgrounds and walks of life come together there to celebrate creativity and diversity. That event is only possible because the space allows for imagination, freedom and community.

We also want to acknowledge the staff, who have always shown us care, flexibility and problem-solving when we needed it most. They deserve security just as much as the wider arts community.

The Complex has hosted everything from concerts to DJ sets to fashion shows and community gatherings. Dublin needs spaces like this. We need places where people can create, experiment and come together.

We’re joining the call to save The Complex. If you’ve had a positive experience there, speak up. Share it. And please add your name to the petition.

Here are some photos from our last two GORM Gathering events, a small glimpse of what spaces like The Complex make possible.