Lois Gration, Diarmuid Hughes, Collie McCarthy

Source: Forty Foot Pictures

Lois Gration, Diarmuid Hughes, Collie McCarthy

Dublin and London-based Forty Foot Pictures, the outfit behind Netflix feature I Used To Be Famous and upcoming mockumentary Fran The Man starring Ardal O’Hanlon, is ramping up its co-production activities with the hire of former Searchlight UK exec Diarmuid Hughes.

Dublin-based Hughes will lead on new business and partnerships for the company, as head of co-production and post-production. While at Searchlight UK he held the position of director of post-production, with credits on titles including Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Andrew Haigh’s All Of Us Strangers, Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees Of Inisherin, and Raine Allen Miller’s Rye Lane. He has previously held roles across production and post at Warner Bros, Big Talk and Working Title.

Collie McCarthy, a Screen International Rising Star Ireland 2023 and founder of Forty Foot Pictures, said: “We want to capitalise on our unique position as a genuinely dual Irish/UK company and enable producers in either territory to get their projects over the line,” drawing on both Ireland’s Section 481 tax incentive and the UK’s credits. 

“The opportunity to help drive the company’s growth alongside collaborating with talented producers both domestically and internationally is incredibly exciting,” added Hughes.

The addition of Hughes follows the hiring of London-based development exec Lois Gration from Netflix last year to build out Forty Foot’s film and television slate.