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Declan Recks

Film + TV Director
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Filmography
  • Tarrac
    2022 — Feature Film
  • Red Election
    2021 — TV Series 2 × — 45 mins
  • The South Westerlies
    2020 — TV Series 3 × — 48 mins
  • Dad
    2019 — TV Movie
  • Drop Dead Weird
    2019 — TV Series 23 × — 23 mins
  • Counsel
    2019 — TV Movie — 58 mins
  • The Flag
    2016 — Feature Film — 84 mins
  • The Truth Commissioner
    2016 — Feature Film — 94 mins
  • 6 Degrees
    2014 — TV Series 5 × — 30 mins
  • Scup
    2013-2014 — TV Series 14 × — 25 mins
  • Three Wise Women
    2010 — TV Movie — 88 mins
  • Pure Mule- The Last Weekend
    2009 — TV Series 2 × — 52 mins
  • Eden
    2008 — Feature Film — 83 mins
  • The Running Mate
    2007 — TV Mini-Series 4 × — 52 mins
  • The Clinic
    2005 — TV Series 2 × — 52 mins
  • Pure Mule
    2005 — TV Mini-Series 3 × — 52 mins
  • Any Time Now
    2002 — TV Series 2 × — 60 mins
  • On Home Ground
    2001 — TV Series 2 × — 52 mins
  • Making Ends Meet
    1999 — Feature Film — 52 mins
  • Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog
    1999 — TV Series 3 × — 30 mins
  • Soap
    1998 — TV Series — 22 mins
  • Quando
    1997 — Short Film — 26 mins
  • Sunny's Deliverance
    1993 — Short Film — 22 mins
  • Big Swinger
    1989 — Short Film — 15 mins
  • The South Westerlies
    2020 — Tv Series 3 × — 50 mins
  • Red Election
    2021 — Tv Series 2 × — 50 mins
  • Nova Jones
    2022-2023 — Tv Series 6 × — 25 mins
  • Death In Paradise
    2023 — Tv Series 2 × — 60 mins
  • Signora Volpe
    2024 — Tv Series 2 × — 90 mins
  • Faithless
    2024 — Tv Series 6 × — 24 mins
Awards
  • 2014 — Nominee
    IFTA — Best Irish Language Programme. Scup
  • 2009 — Nominee
    IFTA — Best Director (TV). Pure Mule- The Last Weekend
  • 2008 — Nominee
    IFTA — Best Director (Feature Film). Eden
  • 2008 — Nominee
    Marrakech Film Festival — Golden Star. Eden
  • 2008 — Official Selection
    Tribeca Film Festival — Narrative Competition. Eden
  • 2008 — Winner
    Boston Irish Film Festival — Best Feature Film. Eden
  • 2007 — Nominee
    IFTA — Best Director (TV). The Running Mate
  • 2007 — Winner
    IFTA — Best Drama (TV). The Running Mate
  • 2005 — Winner
    IFTA — Best Director (TV). Pure Mule
  • 1997 — Winner
    Cork Film Festival — Audience Award for Best Short Film. Quando
  • 1994 — Winner
    Worldfest Houston — Bronze Award, Short FIlm. Sunny's Deliverance
  • 1989 — Winner
    Galway Film Fleadh — Best Short. Big Swinger
  • 1990 — Nominee
    Celtic Film and Television Festival — Best Short Drama. Big Swinger
  • 2016 — Nominee
    Celtic Media Festival — Best Single Drama. The Truth Commissioner
  • 2008 — Nominee
    Film by the Sea International Film Festival — Film and Literature Award . Eden
  • 2025 — Nominee
    RTS Awards — Scripted TV. Faithless

Declan is a graduate of Dun Laoghaire College of Art and Design (Dublin), and UCLA Extension (Los Angeles), where he studied film and television. His early short films won several awards and played at numerous festivals worldwide. They include BIG SWINGER (1989) winner Best Short at the Galway Film Fleadh, Best Short at the Fuji Film Awards (UK), SUNNYS DELIVERANCE (1992) Bronze Award Worldfest Houston and QUANDO (1997) Audience award for Best Short at the Cork Film Festival. Both BIG SWINGER and SUNNYS DELIVERANCE received a theatrical release as support in Ireland, the UK and the USA.

He founded Paradox Pictures with Producer Liam O’Neill in 1990. The company produced numerous short films, documentaries and several feature films including; SEPARATION ANXIETY (1996), PETES METEOR (1998) and HOW HARRY BECAME A TREE (2001). Declan left Paradox in 2003 to concentrate on his Directing career.

He has directed some of the top rated shows on Irish Television including the critically acclaimed “Pure Mule” (RTE) winner of 5 IFTA’s including Best Director; Best Drama IFTA winner “The Running Mate” (TG4), and “Scúp” (TG4/BBC) Nominated best Irish Language IFTA. The Irish Times wrote “Pure Mule” had “spectacularly raised the bar for Irish television drama” while “The Running Mate” was described as “Truly marvelous…A political drama with balls“.

His debut feature film, “Eden“, premiered in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival winning Eileen Walsh the Best Actress Award for her role. The New York Times described it as”Exquisitely tuned to the terrors of approaching middle age” and was a New York Times “critics pick”. His film “The Truth Commissioner” (2016) was nominated for Best Drama at the 2016 Celtic Media Awards. The Observer (UK) called it “Resonant, electric drama“. “The Flag” was released in Irish cinemas in 2016 and was the number one film screened on Irish TV on Christmas Day of that year, capturing a third of all viewers.

His latest Feature Film “Tarrac” was released in Ireland in October 2023 to 4 star Reviews “Declan Recks puts some wind in the sails of the sporting underdog tale with this all-female rowing drama ScreenDaily; Recent TV credits include episodes of “Death in Paradise” and “Nova Jones” for BBC Studios, “Red Election” (Mopar Studios/A+E) now available on Disney+ and “Signora Volpe” for AcornTV. He is currently directing the second season of RTS Nominated “Faithless” a 6 part comedy/drama for Virgin Media. The first season aired in early 2024 to glowing reviews “It deftly juggles moments of sweetness and melancholy with bouts of slapstick silliness and shafts of pitch-black humour”(Irish Times).