Ian D. Murphy is an Irish writer and director. The Ginger Jesus, his first narrative feature, is a drama and dark comedy shot across the remote landscapes of West Cork.

He came to film sideways. At eighteen, from a small Irish town with no film industry, he took a job in the camera department on high-end commercials in Dubai — an intense real-world training ground that tested every part of him and his love of the work. He studied at the Polish National Film School until the money ran out and he had to leave, but not before settling what he wanted from images: emotional depth, and the patience to find it.

What followed was a decade of writing to find a voice, through more low points and crises of confidence than he'd care to count, always discovering that the desire to continue outweighed the desire to stop. Alongside it, short documentaries in remote communities around the world led to The President and the Dragon, a feature documentary on the public health work of former US President Jimmy Carter, which he directed and photographed in South Sudan. Released by Buffalo 8, it is available internationally. He embedded himself in rural communities there for months. It humbled him, and it reignited a belief that cinema is at its best telling non-traditional stories about people who overcome real adversity.

He has also worked extensively as a cinematographer, lensing seven feature films, and has directed documentaries and commercials across the world.

His storytelling is honest, humorous and thought-provoking, built on deep-rooted philosophical ideas and images that stay with an audience.

He is based in Dubai and works internationally.

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