Hubbry Logo
Louis LentinLouis LentinMain
Open search
Louis Lentin
Community hub
Louis Lentin
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Louis Lentin
Louis Lentin
Louis Lentin
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Louis Lentin (11 December 1933 – 22 July 2014) was a theatre, film and television director. He was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1933 and worked for over forty years in the arts in Ireland. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts.[1][2]

Key Information

He founded Art Theatre Productions in 1959 and was responsible for the first Irish productions of Krapp's Last Tape and Endgame.[1] RTÉ head of drama Hilton Edwards asked him to work in RTÉ.[1][2] In 1975, he received a Jacob's Award for his direction of three television plays broadcast on RTÉ in the previous year: Aleksei Arbuzov's The Promise, Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage, and Jean Anouilh's The Rehearsal ("La Répétition ou l'Amour puni").[3] Lentin was a member of Aosdána.

Louis Lentin was also involved in founding Israeli television.[1][2]

He died, aged 80, on 22 July 2014.[4]

Productions

[edit]

A Penny for your Thoughts

[edit]

One of a series of four 40-minute cross-European programmes The New European on the introduction of the Euro. Script and direction, Lisa Mulcahy, Producer, Louis Lentin. In association with MM Productions Amsterdam funded by NCRV, RTÉ and ZDF Dokukanal.

Cathleen O'Neill – Born Bolshy

[edit]

Documentary profile of the North Dublin inner city activist and educator. Funded by RTÉ. Certificate for Creative Excellence US International Film and Video Festival.

"Ár Dover Féin"

[edit]

A one-hour drama-documentary re-telling/ examination of the 1937 Kirkintilloch Bothy disaster in which ten young "tattie hokers" all from Achill Island, lost their lives. Viewed against the background of seasonal migration from Achill and Donegal; and in the context of racist attitudes then and now. Funded by TG4, The Gaelic Broadcasting Committee and Bord Scannán na hÉireann (the Irish Film Board). Second Prize Gold Plaque WorldFest Heuston. Certificate of Creative Excellence US International Film and Video Festival. John Healy Award and overall Media Award Carrick-Gold Festival. Celtic Film and Television Festival Nomination.

The Work of Angels?....the Book of Kells

[edit]

A major one-hour film exploring one of the most famous illuminated manuscripts in the World. In association with Muse Television and Film, New York and Viz Ltd. Funded by RTÉ, Bord Scannán na hÉireann (The Irish Film Board), The Gaelic Broadcasting Committee, Scotland. Edinburgh Film Festival 2000, Cork Film Festival 2000, Montreal Arts Festival 2001, New York Festivals Finalist Award 2001, Banff Rockies 2000 Arts Documentary Nomination.

Stolen Lives

[edit]

Three 1-hour documentaries. "Our Boys' Stories", "We Were Only Children", "Philomena's Story". Personal narratives detailing and examining the lifelong effect of physical, mental and sexual abuse in Irish Industrial Schools between the 1940s and 1970s. Funded by TV3.

Tales from the Poorhouse / Scéalta Ó Theach na mBocht

[edit]

by Eugene McCabe, translated by John McArdle. The Orphan Girl; The Master; The Landlord; The Mother. Disturbing excavations of the almost unthinkable human realities of the Great Famine-set and filmed within the scenario of a Famine Poorhouse. Four interlinked personal testimonies. Funded by TG4 and RTÉ. Banff Television Nomination 1999. Silver Screen Award 1999. US International Film and Television Festival.

No More Blooms

[edit]

A one-hour documentary, examining Ireland's attitude to the Jewish Refugee Problem, 1933–46. Funded by RTÉ. Creative Excellence award 1998 US International Film and Television Festival.

Dear Daughter

[edit]

A one-hour documentary-drama. In recounting the story of Christine Buckley, an Afro-Irish woman's search for her parents the film exposed the regime of cruelty that existed in the fifties and sixties in Goldenbridge Orphanage, run by the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin. Funded by RTÉ and Bord Scannán na hÉireann (The Irish Film Board). 1997 Banff Television Festival Nomination for Social and Political Documentary, 1996 Creative Excellence Certificate, US International Film and Television Festival. Input and the best of Input.

Bóthar an Bháis

[edit]

Eight 13-minute location-based series on The Great Famine. Presented by Michael Gibbons. Funded by Teilifis na Gaeilge.

McKennas' Ireland

[edit]

Six 30-minute 'Hidden Ireland' food and hospitality series presented by award-winning food writers, John and Sally McKenna. Funded by RTÉ.

The Quality of Rapture

[edit]

A one-hour documentary profile of Irish soprano Regina Nathan. Funded by RTÉ.

The Grey House

[edit]

A 20-minute arts documentary examination of a location installation by Glen Dimplex nominee artist, Patricia McKenna.

Personal Concerns

[edit]

Four 1-hour profiles of major Irish dramatists, Tom Murphy, Paul Mercier, Frank McGuinness and Graham Reid. Funded by RTÉ.

Grandpa, speak to me in Russian

[edit]

In this docudrama Lentin reconstructs the life of his paternal grandfather, Kalman Solomon Lentin who came to live with his family in Ireland in 1936. Lentin sets out, with his son Miki Lentin, to find out where the old folk came from, what was it like and if anything survived. Leaving Ireland and journeying through the Baltic countries he uncovers the story of his family and the lost world of the Jewish shtetl.

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Louis Lentin

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
''Louis Lentin'' is an Irish theatre, film, and television director and producer known for his pioneering documentaries that exposed institutional child abuse and historical injustices in Ireland, significantly influencing public discourse and official inquiries. Born in Limerick in 1933 to a Jewish family descended from Lithuanian immigrants, Lentin studied at Trinity College Dublin before beginning his career in theatre, where he founded Art Theatre Productions in 1959 and staged Irish premieres of Samuel Beckett's Endgame and Krapp’s Last Tape. He joined RTÉ in 1961, initially as a floor manager, and went on to produce and direct major programs, including the landmark eight-part reconstruction Insurrection (1966) marking the Easter Rising centenary. Appointed Head of RTÉ Drama in 1978, he expanded the department's output through series such as Thursday Playdate and Sunday Series, introducing works by prominent Irish writers. After leaving RTÉ in 1989 and founding the independent company Crescendo Concepts, Lentin focused on socially impactful documentaries, most notably Dear Daughter (1996), which detailed survivor Christine Buckley's experiences of abuse at Goldenbridge industrial school and triggered widespread public outcry, an apology from the religious order involved, and the eventual establishment of state commissions into institutional abuse. His subsequent works, including Stolen Lives (1999), No More Blooms (1997), Ár Dover Féin (2001), and the personal Grandpa, Speak to Me in Russian (2007), continued to address themes of institutional failure, Ireland's treatment of Jewish refugees, migrant worker tragedies, and his own family's Lithuanian-Jewish heritage. Lentin received multiple awards for his contributions, including the Jacobs Award in 1975 and several international film festival honors, and was elected to Aosdána in 2006 for his lasting impact on Irish arts and society. He died in 2014.

Early life and education

Birth and family background

Louis Lentin was born on 11 December 1933 in Limerick, Ireland, the eldest of six children born to Isaac Lentin and Annie Rose (Hyacinth) Lentin (née Goldberg). His father owned a women's tailoring business in the city. The family was part of Ireland's small Jewish community, whose members were predominantly immigrants from Lithuania who had arrived in the latter half of the nineteenth century to escape persecution. Both sets of Lentin's grandparents endured the 1904 Limerick boycott and anti-Jewish agitation instigated by Redemptorist priest John Creagh; his maternal grandparents' family subsequently resettled in Cork. His maternal uncle, Gerald Goldberg, later became the first Jewish Lord Mayor of Cork in 1977. Lentin's paternal grandfather, Kalman Lentin, had emigrated from Lithuania in the 1890s, working as a travelling pedlar and operating a scrapyard in Limerick. The family remained in Limerick until 1943, when they relocated to Dublin. Lentin later explored these Russian-Jewish roots in his documentary Grandpa, Speak to Me in Russian, which profiled his grandfather's immigrant experience.

Education and early influences

Louis Lentin enrolled at Trinity College Dublin at the age of sixteen, initially to study medicine. He soon became drawn to the university's theatre activities and joined the Trinity Players, eventually serving as its chair. In this capacity, he produced and directed several productions, including John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, Jean Cocteau’s The Infernal Machine, and the Irish premiere of William Saroyan’s Jim Dandy. His growing involvement with theatre diverted him from his original medical studies, which he did not complete. Lentin graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. This formative period of student theatre engagement, where he gained hands-on experience in directing and production, shaped his lifelong passion for the stage and laid the groundwork for his professional directing career. Following graduation, he continued his training on a scholarship at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh, studying directing and lighting.

Career

Theatre directing

Louis Lentin began his professional theatre directing career after graduating from Trinity College Dublin with a Bachelor of Arts in 1956, building on his earlier involvement as chair of the Trinity Players where he produced and directed several productions including John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, Jean Cocteau’s The Infernal Machine, and the Irish premiere of William Saroyan’s Jim Dandy. Following further training in directing and lighting at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh on a scholarship, he returned to Ireland and managed production for the Carnival of Nations at Dublin's Mansion House in May 1958, featuring international cultural groups. In 1959, Lentin founded Art Theatre Productions in Dublin and directed the Irish premieres of Samuel Beckett's one-act plays Krapp's Last Tape and Endgame, marking significant early introductions of Beckett's work to Irish audiences. In 1961, he directed Voice of Shem, his own adaptation of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, which premiered at the Dublin Theatre Festival before touring to London and Paris. These productions highlighted Lentin's commitment to innovative and challenging contemporary drama in the pre-television phase of his career.

RTÉ tenure and leadership

Louis Lentin joined Telefís Éireann (later RTÉ) in 1961 at the invitation of Hilton Edwards, initially working as a floor manager before progressing to the role of news director. He subsequently served as a drama producer and director within the broadcaster, building experience in television production over the following years. In 1978, Lentin was appointed Head of Television Drama at RTÉ, a senior leadership position that placed him in charge of overseeing drama programming for the national broadcaster. His tenure at RTÉ spanned from 1961 until his departure in 1989, a period of nearly three decades during which he contributed to the growth and professionalization of television drama production in Ireland through his successive roles in production and administration. As Head of Drama, he held responsibility for shaping the direction of scripted content during a formative era for Irish television.

Independent production phase

Louis Lentin left RTÉ in 1989 after nearly three decades with the broadcaster, marking the beginning of his independent production phase. He established his own production company, Crescendo Concepts, through which he operated as a freelance filmmaker and producer. In this period, Lentin concentrated primarily on documentary filmmaking, addressing a range of challenging and socially significant subjects often overlooked in mainstream media. His independent work was produced for broadcasters including RTÉ and TV3, reflecting a shift toward greater creative autonomy while continuing to engage with Irish public television audiences. This phase spanned from 1989 until his final documentary in 2007, encompassing investigative and personal projects that built on his earlier experience in drama and current affairs. During these years he produced landmark documentaries such as Dear Daughter (1996) and Stolen Lives (1999), among others. In recognition of his contributions to Irish arts over five decades, he was elected to membership of Aosdána in 2006. Lentin's independent activities tapered off after 2007 as he began writing a memoir, prior to his death in 2014.

Notable works

Key documentaries

Louis Lentin's documentaries are noted for their unflinching examination of social injustices in Ireland and his own Jewish heritage. His independent production phase saw the creation of several influential works that combined investigative journalism with personal reflection. Dear Daughter (1996) stands as one of his most impactful documentaries, exposing the physical and emotional abuse suffered by residents of the Goldenbridge industrial school run by the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin. The film centered on the testimony of survivor Christine Buckley, who detailed years of mistreatment, and marked a turning point in public awareness of institutional child abuse in Ireland. Its broadcast on RTÉ provoked widespread public shock and outrage, contributing significantly to the establishment of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and prompting official apologies from religious orders and political leaders. Dear Daughter is widely regarded as a landmark in Irish broadcasting for its role in breaking the silence on these issues. Grandpa, Speak to Me in Russian (2007) shifted to a more intimate register, documenting Lentin's exploration of his Russian-Jewish family roots through conversations with relatives and reflections on immigration and identity. The film incorporated his grandson's questions as a framing device, blending personal history with broader themes of cultural displacement and heritage preservation. It received acclaim for its tender and insightful approach to personal storytelling within the documentary form. Other notable documentaries include No More Blooms (1997) on Ireland's treatment of Jewish refugees during the Nazi era, Stolen Lives (1999) on abuse in institutional settings, and Ár Dover Féin (2001) on the 1937 deaths of Achill Island migrant workers, addressing themes of social marginalization and historical memory as preserved in collections such as the IFI Archive. These films collectively reinforced his reputation as a pioneer who used documentary to confront difficult truths and foster societal reckoning.

Television and theatre productions

Louis Lentin contributed significantly to Irish television drama through his roles as producer, director, and head of RTÉ's drama department. He produced and directed the pioneering eight-part series Insurrection in 1966, a dramatic reconstruction of the 1916 Easter Rising scripted by Hugh Leonard and broadcast nightly during the anniversary week. In 1975, Lentin received the Jacobs Award for his contributions to television drama, specifically for his work on three studio plays: The Promise, Mother Courage, and The Rehearsal. Appointed Head of Television Drama at RTÉ in 1978, he introduced and oversaw the strands Thursday Playdate and Sunday Series, which featured new and challenging plays by Irish writers including Dominic Behan, Eugene McCabe, and Maeve Binchy. In his later independent phase, Lentin produced and directed the four-part bilingual drama series Tales from the Poorhouse (Scéalta ó Theach na mBocht) in 1998, written by Eugene McCabe and presented as the first co-production between RTÉ and Teilifís na Gaeilge, exploring the human realities of the Great Famine through a disturbing and forthright narrative. Alongside his television career, Lentin continued directing theatre productions after joining RTÉ in 1961, with work that included tours across Ireland, Europe, and Israel.

Personal life

Family and heritage

Louis Lentin was married to Ronit Lentin from 1969 until his death in 2014. The couple met while working at Israel Television and married in Israel before settling in Ireland in 1969. They had two children, daughter Alana and son Miki. Lentin's family participated in his funeral service in July 2014, with son Miki, wife Ronit, and daughter Alana leading the traditional filling of the grave. The service took place at the Jewish cemetery in Dolphin's Barn, Dublin, underscoring the family's ongoing connection to Jewish heritage and traditions. He was also survived by his grandchildren Arielle, Noam, and Eden.

Death and legacy

Death

Louis Lentin died on 22 July 2014 at the age of 80 following a sudden illness. He died at Wexford General Hospital. He is survived by his wife Ronit and his children Alana and Miki. The death was also described in some reports as following a brief illness. News of his passing prompted immediate statements from RTÉ and the Arts Council, acknowledging his contributions shortly after the announcement.

Recognition and impact

Louis Lentin was elected to Aosdána in 2006 in recognition of his contributions to the Irish arts spanning more than half a century. He received numerous national and international awards throughout his career, including the Jacobs Irish Critics' Award for his contribution to television drama in 1973 and the Creative Excellence Award at the US International Film and Television Festival. Lentin is regarded as a pioneer in Irish documentary filmmaking whose probing explorations of social injustice and state failure forever changed the medium in Ireland. His work on institutional abuse brought widespread awareness to these issues, contributing to national outcry that led to the establishment of the Murphy and Ryan commissions, the Redress Board, and an official apology to survivors from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. At a time when such investigations were rare, his documentaries proved instrumental in effecting significant societal changes and prompting enduring conversations about generational trauma and institutional failings. Following his death in 2014, Aosdána described him as an artist of great integrity whose multi-award-winning and groundbreaking work had a profound effect on Irish society, with his influence set to endure for years to come. President Michael D. Higgins noted that Lentin's body of work, including his documentaries, leaves a legacy that will continue to inform future generations. The Irish Film Institute has preserved his contributions through the Louis Lentin Collection, underscoring his lasting importance to Irish cultural life.
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.