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West Cork couple behind co-production doc on online dating

October 4th, 2023 4:02 PM

By Kieran O'Mahony

West Cork couple behind co-production doc on online dating Image
Aoife Moore (Conor McCabe Photography)

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A WEST-Cork based couple, who run their own production company, Zucca Films are behind a new documentary on online dating, Fools for Love?  which airs on RTÉ 1 tonight at 9.35pm.

Nodlag Houlihan from Bandon and Matt Leigh from Dublin, along with producer Yvonne Kinsella (That's a Wrap TV) are also currently behind another programme, 'Marty's Big Picture Show' which is also airing also on RTÉ1 on Sunday nights.

In the documentary, journalist Aoife Moore examines how online dating has become a staple of modern romance, offering the promise of connections and companionship, and uncovers the dark underbelly of this digital realm, where women find themselves subjected to a range of distressing experiences, from unsolicited explicit imagery to romance scams and revenge porn.

Nodlag Houlihan told The Southern Star, that it's an idea she had and they have been working on it for about a year.

'It takes as it subject the negative experience that a lot of people encounter when they go online dating, this hostile environment that disproportionally affects women. In the documentary, Aoife talks to women  who have experienced everything from romance scams to revenge porn to identity theft and we look at the hostile environment that women experience online, particularly on dating apps,' said Nodlag.

'We were  delighted to work with Aoife who was able to bring her own experience to it and she has spoken a lot about her experience being trolled online and there's a lot of crossover between that behaviour and what happens on dating apps. We talk to a whole range of women from different walks of life.'

The documentary shines a light on the challenges women face in the world of online dating and calls for a safer, more respectful digital dating experience.

Fools for Love? airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player, on Wednesday, October 4th at 9:35pm. 

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