DOCUMENTARY
DANIEL O’CONNELL: THE EMANCIPATOR
Narrated by Domhnall Gleeson, this hour-long documentary explores the life and legacy of Daniel O’Connell to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth in 2025. The documentary, produced in association with University College Cork and Notre Dame University, examines how O’Connell’s achievements continue to shape and impact our world today.
PATRICK: A SLAVE TO IRELAND
This documentary challenges some of the traditional stories about Patrick, placing him within the broader context of a radical Christian movement that swept across Europe at that time. It also explores the pre-Christian culture of Ireland and how Patrick's church became a beacon of classical learning, science, and philosophy throughout Europe. Based on Patrick's own fifth-century writings - some of the oldest texts in Irish history - this film tells the story of an extraordinary man, his life and legacy.
Narrated by Ciarán Hinds, and made by the producers of Steps of Freedom and 100 Years of Ulysses, this documentary was filmed at locations across Ireland, the UK, France, Switzerland and Africa. It includes contributions from historians, including Niamh Wycherley and Damien Bracken, and an original score by Natasa Paulberg, performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. A story of resilience, faith, and how Patrick became a history-maker whose life continues to influence and inspire people around the world.
THE CABLE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
Exploring the story of the first transatlantic communications cable to traverse the ocean floor, from Valentia Island, County Kerry, to Newfoundland, Canada, 165 years ago. Narrated by distinguished actor Jessie Buckley, this documentary showcases historical reconstructions and rarely seen archive footage, providing an insight into the eight-year journey of those who successfully connected North America and Europe for the first time. It also reveals how that first cable helped to lay the foundation of the modern world's technology industry and explains the fragility of undersea cables today.
OUR BLUE WORLD
‘Our Blue World’ explores humanity’s profound relationship with water and reveals how human agency can help rebalance the planet’s water systems. By taking a deep dive into the lives of dynamic and visionary people around the world, this beautiful, eye opening and moving film reveals our profound relationship with water and its role as the nourishing life force for all that lives on this planet.
Our Earth is in trouble, water is the vehicle through which the effects of Climate Change will be felt. Extreme droughts, floods, fires, loss of biodiversity, pollution and global warming are on the increase. Our Blue World shows that through a small shift in consciousness and practice we can bring enormous positive change and rebalance and regenerate life on earth.
Our ancestors lived in harmony with water. They knew that water always wins. Our Blue World demonstrates how by relearning the wisdom of our ancestors and fusing it with modern science and technology we can transform this world for the better.
‘Our Blue World: A Water Odyssey’ Awards:
Accolade Competition 2024 - Humanitarian Award Best Film Winner 2024
Golden Gate International Film Festival 2024 - Best Documentary Feature Winner 2024
IndieFEST Film Awards 2024 - Outstanding Achievement - Ruán Magan Winner 2024
IndieFEST Film Awards 2024 - Outstanding Achievement Winner 2024
Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival 2024 - Best Feature Film / Full-Length Documentary Award, Best Film Winner 2024
Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival 2024 - Best Feature Film / Full-Length Documentary Award, Special Water Sustainability Award Winner 2024
New York International Film Awards 2024 - September Monthly Edition, Best Documentary Feature Winner 2024
THE IRISH CIVIL WAR
A series of 3 documentaries exploring the origins, impact and legacy of the Irish Civil War of 1922/23. Though low in casualties compared with other civil wars of the period in Europe, the Irish experience would have long lasting repercussions that continue to play out today, 100 years later. Produced in association with University College Cork and Atlas of the Irish Revolution.
A Create One / Tyrone Productions co-production for RTÉ.
100 YEARS OF ULYSSES
One hundred years ago, on February 2nd 1922, James Joyce’s Ulysses was first published by Sylvia Beach in a small bookshop in Paris. The book, which consumed 7 years of Joyce’s life, years in which his family’s circumstances were very difficult, would have a profound impact on the literature and culture of the century to follow. No twentieth century novel has rivalled Ulysses in its reach.
Produced to mark the 100th anniversary of the book’s publication, ‘100 Years of Ulysses’, a one hour documentary produced by Create One sets out to unlock one of most impregnable and explosive books of modern times.
History & Sciences International Documentary Festival 2023- Winner 2023
Râșnov Film and Histories Festival 2022 - Winner 2022
STEPS OF FREEDOM - THE STORY OF IRISH DANCE
Over years in development and production, Steps of Freedom represents a labour of love by producer, Ruán Magan and the extraordinary creative team who came together to make it. The feature documentary charts the development of Irish dance from ancient timers all the way through to the present day and shows how a traditional dance was forged and shaped by social and cultural interactions between the Irish and the rest of the world and gradually formed over time to the dance that is loved by so many across the world today.
A Create One / Tyrone Productions co-production for APT, ARTE, BBC, Shout Factory, RTÉ and YLE.
‘Steps of Freedom - The Story of Irish Dance’ Awards
Celtic Media Festival 2023 - Torc Award for Excellence Feature Documentary (over 60mins) Winner 2023
Culture Cinema 2022 - Best Arts Winner 2022
Toronto Black Film Festival 2022 - Best Documentary Feature Film Winner 2022
Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival - Best Film Winner 2022
Dances With Films 2022 - Best Documentary Feature Nominee 2022
Rose d’Or 2022 - Rose d’Or Award, Arts Nominee 2022
San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2022 - Honorable Mention Award, Best Feature Nominee 2022
THE HUNGER
Narrated by Liam Neeson and produced to mark the 175th anniversary of the great famine, this major feature length documentary, written, produced and directed by Ruán Magan builds on the latest scholarly work and the extraordinary research undertaken by the UCC team behind Atlas of the Great Famine.
Featuring a line-up of some of the finest academic minds of their time, The Hunger tells the story of the famine with unflinching frankness. The film has won awards across the planet and has aired across Europe, the US and China to audiences of many millions.
A Create One / Tyrone Productions co-production for RTÉ and ARTE.
Accolade Competition 2021 - Best in Show Winner 2021
DOC LA 2021 - Best International Documentary Winner 2021
FLICKFAIR On Demand Film Festival - Best Documentary Winner 2021
The Hunger, I Will Tell International Film Festival 2021 - Best Documentary Winner 2021
The Hunger, Celtic Media Festival 2020 - Torc Award for Excellence Feature Documentary (over 60mins) Nominee 2020
THE IRISH REVOLUTION
This major, multi-award winning and critically acclaimed, 3 part documentary series produced in association with University College Cork, narrated by Cillian Murphy and scored by Pól Brennan, tells the story of the Irish War of Independence in gripping detail.
The series reveals how Irish nationalists succeeded in overcoming Britain’s might through public solidarity and guerrilla tactics.
A Create One / Tyrone Productions co-production for RTÉ.
Accolade Competition 2019 - Award ofm Excellence Winner 2019
New Delhi Film Festival 2020 - Red Rose Award, Best Documentary Feature Winner 2020
Vegas Movie Awards 2019 - Award of Prestige, Best Documentary Feature Winner 2019
Lift-Off Film Festival New York, Festival Award New York Lift-Off Film Festival Nominee 2019
Prix Europa 2019 - Documentary of the Year Nominee 2019
PEARL HARBOR - THE HEROES WHO FOUGHT BACK
This cutting-edge documentary repurposes original film footage shot during WW2 battles to generate an as live account of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and features the stunning actions of some of the soldiers who fought back during the attack. This documentary was the second most watched production on the channel in 2017.
Produced by 360 Productions for Discovery Channel Heroes.
‘Pearl Harbor: The Heroes Who Fought Back’ Award
Pearl Harbor: The Heroes Who Fought Back, Irish Film and Television Awards 2018 - Best Documentary Television Nominee 2018
1916
Liam Neeson narrates this major 3-part documentary series charts the story of the Irish rebellion of 1916. Winner of IFTA and Silver Sabre at World Military Film Festival.
A CoCo Production in Association with RTÉ, BBC, APT, Notre Dame University.
‘1916: The Irish Rebellion’ Award
Irish Film and Television Awards 2016 - Best Documentary Series Winner 2016
WATERLOO’S WARRIORS
A powerful drama-documentary revealing the true experiences of the soldiers who fought at the Battle of Waterloo. We were blessed to have been invited to film a major Waterloo re-enactment attended by 1000s of re-enactors with their guns, uniforms and cannon. We brought 6 cameras and a Steadicam and followed the battle inserting our own actors in the field. Gold Award, World Media Festival 2016.
A Tile Films production for BBC, TG4.
LIFERS
This documentary exploring what motivates certain people to dedicate their entire lives to the service of others follows 3 missionaries, John Glynn, Patricia Murray and Pat Brennan as they go about their lives in some of the most challenging places in the world, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan and the Amazon region of Brazil.
Produced with the support of the Iris O’Brien Foundation and RTÉ, Lifers has won multiple awards and has aired across the planet.
Kingdomwood International Film Festival 2014 - Best Documentary Winner 2014
THE END OF AGEING
All over the world, human beings are living longer than ever before. This is due to many factors, including improved living conditions, lifestyle choices and medical advancements. While there is not a single cause, a growing community of scientists are pushing the limits of life expectancy. In the not-too-distant future, they may even be able to halt ageing altogether. As the world's population continues to live longer, our current economic systems will no longer be sustainable. Health care systems, and the economies that fund them, need to make major changes. Because a growing number of people are healthy enough continue to work and play, we will need to reevaluate the nature of employment and recreation.
DEATH OR CANADA
Death or Canada is the tragic and true story of one family's epic journey to Canada fleeing the ravages of the Irish famine in 1847. Archaeologists and historians reconstruct this forgotten tragedy, a pivotal moment in North America's Irish history, when Toronto was brought to its knees by a refugee and public health crisis that threatened the city's very future.
Gemini 2009 - Best History Documentary Program Nominee 2009
THE GHOSTS OF DUFFY’S CUT
A group of researchers spend nearly seven years trying to uncover the mystery of what happened to a group of 57 Irish immigrants along "Duffy's Cut", a portion of the bustling Pennsylvania railroad.
RIVERDANCE IN CHINA
This is a documentary that focuses on Riverdance as an extraordinary cultural phenomenon. Starting with the enormous success that the show has achieved to date throughout the world we will follow the production to Beijing, seeing it as an important cultural engagement between Ireland and China while also documenting what it takes to bring a show of this scale to a foreign location.
Through the documentary we get to know the principle players behind the scenes while also following the dancers and musicians getting a sense of their impressions of China and their experience of traveling so far from home. The documentary follows every detail of putting the show together in Beijing from the first truck arriving at the People's Hall right through to the curtain call of the Gala night and in the process, brings viewers a real sense of the enormous undertaking involved in this major international show. Pursuing the idea of seeing the Riverdance phenomenon from all angles the documentary follows the show at the People's Hall and the preparations that take place before the cast set foot in the theatre. It follows rehearsals and intercut with amazing footage of the dancers on the Great Wall of China and out and about in experiencing everyday life in Beijing and their engagement with the people and the city.
The documentary features interviews with all they key creatives that make up the backbone of the show. Riverdance is a modern manifestation of Ireland's ancient culture so it's timely that Ireland brings Riverdance to China, the oldest surviving culture in the world but a culture that is embarking on the most radical cultural and social evolution ever undertaken by a nation in one generation.
THE STRUGGLE
This powerful drama-documentary explores the Civil War story of the November 1922 raid by national army troops on the house of Anno Humphreys on Ailesbury Road in which IRA commander, Ernie O Malley was captured after being shot 11 times.
Global Nomad
Filmed in China, the Middle East, the United States, South America and India, this series of 40 episodes filmed, edited and produced by Ruán Magan chronicles the adventures of his brother, the writer, Manchán Magan as he celebrates the diversity of the human race and the wealth of human culture.
Produced for TG4 and Travel Channel.
Irish Film and Television Awards 2003 - Best Documentary Series Nominee 2003
BY DESIGN
Directed by Ruán Magan and Geoff Dunlop, this ground-breaking 6 part documentary series explored the legacy and impact of design in Ireland.
A Create One / Little Bird co-production, the series aired on RTÉ and Fox Laurber.