About
Gar O'Rourke is an award-winning director based between Portugal and Ireland. His work spans across feature films, branded work, commercials and art films.
His debut feature documentary Sanatorium (2025) was selected as Ireland's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Academy Awards after an award-winning international festival run. His latest film, The Siege of Paradise (2026), received an honour at Tribeca Film Festival in New York in summer of 2026, and will be screening & competing in many international film festivals throughout 2026/27.
Alongside his documentary work, Gar directs commercials and branded work for some of the world's most influential brands, including Anthropic, Visa, Heineken, Patagonia, Canon and Sony. This work has been recognised at the highest level of the industry - most recently with a Grand Prix win at Cannes Lions in 2026 (Heineken - ‘The Pub That Refused To Die’, Publicis + LePub Milan).
Selected Press
“A remarkable film”
— The Guardian
“Immersive and mesmerising”
— The Irish Times
“One of the most beguiling films of 2025.”
— RTÉ
“Immensely watchable and thought-provoking”
— Screen International
“One of Ireland's most exciting documentary filmmakers”
— Modern Times Review
“A filmmaker who has clear confidence in their own approach”
— The Curb
“Less an ad and more a rousing documentary.”
— Adweek
“Sanatorium contains one of the strongest big-screen images of recent times”
— RTÉ
Film Partners & Selected Clients
- Netflix
- BBC Storyville
- Paramount+
- CBS
- France TV
- ARTE
- Screen Ireland
- Irish Museum of Modern Art
- Canon
- Visa
- Patagonia
- Heineken
- Sony
- Dyson
- Anthropic
Contact
gar@garorourke.comElsewhere
Instagram