Housewife of the Year

English | Ireland | 81mins | 2024 | Cert: PG | Dir: Ciaran Cassidy 

This remarkable documentary tells the history of Ireland’s treatment of women through the prism of the 'Housewife of the Year' competition, a unique and surreal television show where a generation of Irish women competed in front of a live audience for the then coveted title.

The former contestants share their direct experiences of marriage bars, lack of contraception, Magdalene Laundries, financial vulnerability, boredom, shame, and of course, of being contestants in the competition. It is a poignant, often hilarious, uplifting story of a resilient generation of women and how they changed a country. 

Winner of Best Irish Feature Documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh 2024.