Caveh Zahedi on Turning Joyce's Ulysses into a 24-Part Film Series | Film Ireland Podcast

This year, Bloomsday Film Festival will present a special screening of Ulysses, New York - an ambitious 24-part adaptation of Ulysses introduced by director, Caveh Zahedi and hosted by Irish filmmaker Dean Kavanagh. Caveh is an American autobiographical filmmaker celebrated for his experimental, self-reflexive and adventurous work across film, web series, and podcasting. In this podcast, we catch up with Caveh to chat about his art, craft, and plans for the festival. Listen now on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Acast and Amazon, subscribe to Film Ireland wherever you get your podcasts or watch the original recording here. https://www.filmireland.net/podcast-f... This screening and talk will be taken place on 12th June 2026 7pm to 8:30pm in Belvedere College. The Bloomsday Festival runs from 11th–16th June, with screenings hosted at the historic James Joyce Centre and the Irish Film Institute (IFI). About Ulysses, New York Ulysses, New York is an ambitious 24-part adaptation of James Joyce’s Ulysses by Caveh Zahedi, an American autobiographical filmmaker known for his self-reflexive and formally adventurous approach to cinema. His feature films include Autobiographical Filmmaker Seeks Camera-Friendly Companion (2025), The Sheik and I (2012), I Am a Sex Addict (2005), In the Bathtub of the World (2001), I Don’t Hate Las Vegas Anymore (1994), and A Little Stiff (1991). He is also the creator of the web series The Show About the Show and the writer/host of the podcast 365 Stories I Want To Tell You Before We Both Die. With Ulysses, New York, Zahedi attempts to do to Joyce’s Ulysses what Joyce did to Homer’s The Odyssey: transpose a canonical work into a new time, place and form. The events of 16 June 1904 in Dublin are reimagined as taking place on 16 June 2022 in New York City, on the centenary of the novel’s publication. Following eight actors performing in a Bloomsday stage production of Ulysses, the film moves between Joyce’s chapters onstage and the corresponding hours of the actors’ real day. This special presentation features a work-in-progress version of the introductory episode, followed by a discussion with Zahedi on the challenges of adapting Joyce. Bloomsday Film Festival Ireland’s most literary film festival was established as a celebration of cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the far-reaching influence of Ireland’s father of modernism, James Joyce. The festival is presented in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival and the James Joyce Centre, and runs from 11–16 June, with screenings hosted at the historic James Joyce Centre and the Irish Film Institute (IFI). Continuing its annual traditions, the festival marks the birthday of W.B. Yeats on 13 June with a curated programme of poetry and literature-inspired short films. On 14 June, in keeping with Joyce’s radical and experimental spirit, the programme showcases a selection of innovative experimental films. The following day, 15 June, celebrates the anniversary of the publication of Dubliners with screenings of Joycean short films and adaptations of Dublin-based stories. Alongside its cinematic programme, the Bloomsday Film Festival presents a diverse range of events, including director Q&As, workshops, musical performances, and poetry readings. At its core, the festival is committed to fostering artistic innovation - championing filmmakers who forge their own paths and create work that pushes the boundaries of the medium, in the same pioneering spirit that defined Joyce’s literary legacy. Check out the programme & get tickets at www.bloomsdayfestival.ie.