NORTHERN IRELAND PROJECTS AND TALENT SELECTED FOR THE 2025 GALWAY FILM FLEADH
Date Posted: June 26, 2025
NORTHERN IRELAND PROJECTS AND TALENT SELECTED FOR THE 2025 GALWAY FILM FLEADH
Galway Film Fleadh announces World, International and Irish Premieres for the 37th edition of the film festival taking place from 8 – 13 July in the Town Hall Theatre and Pálás Cinema. Northern Ireland is well represented at the 37th Galway Film Fleadh across features, shorts and documentary.
Thursday 10th July
- THE MORRIGAN
Director/Writer: Colum Eastwood
Producers: Ashley Holberry, Gavin Cosmo Mehrtens
On a remote Irish island, archaeologist Fiona unearths a burial casket containing a mummified figure, unknowingly unleashing an ancient evil upon her team, and her rebellious daughter, Lily. After being propositioned by Fiona’s boss, Lily is inexplicably drawn to the casket, opening the seal. A vicious storm isolates the island as Lily, now possessed by the Morrigan – a vengeful Pagan War Goddess imprisoned centuries ago – begins a bloody rampage. Facing betrayal and escalating horror, Fiona must find a way to save her daughter and stop the Morrigan’s reign of terror, before it leaves the Island. The Morrigan was shot on location in Northern Ireland with support from Northern Ireland Screen.
- TUMTHA IMMERSED
Director/Writer: Mary Keane
Producer: Edel Ní Churraoin, Nodlag Houlihan
Tumtha reveals the story of the Coláistí Ullmhúcháin, seven boarding schools founded across Ireland in the early years of the State amid urgent efforts to revive the Irish language, and keep it alive. Through the memories of the remaining former boarders, the film immerses viewers in an ambitious educational experiment, and explores the powerful, often conflicted feelings the language continues to evoke. It speaks to the enduring bond between language, memory, and the many ways we belong. Tumtha was supported by the Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
- JEGGIES
Director/Writer: Louise Parker
Producer: Nico McClean
10-year-old Claire’s parents are fighting, and the streets where she lives are empty. With an unquenchable desire to find some craic, she takes her younger brother in search of adventure. Jeggies was funded through the Northern Ireland Screen New Shorts Focus scheme.
- POLISHED
Director: Katie Bridget Murphy
Writer: Carly Mills
Producers: Alanna Riddell-Bond, Leo McGuigan
Two school classmates, Sophie and Zara, spark a friendship that challenges their perceptions of authenticity as they navigate the pressures of being 17. Polished was funded through the Northern Ireland Screen Short Film Call.
- PUREBRED
Director/Writer: Caleb J. Roberts
Producers: Jon Beer, Callum Harrison
During a heatwave in Belfast, transgender man Owen returns to the flat of his on-off-again lover, Seán, after taking a pregnancy test. Assuming pregnancy wasn’t a possibility, the nature of their relationship is called into question. Purebred was was funded through the Northern Ireland Screen Short Film Call.
Friday 11th July
- ÉIRE AGUS NA CHÉAD NÁISIÚIN IRELAND AND THE FIRST NATIONS
Director/Writer/Producer: Ronan McCloskey
The incredible untold story of how Irish people interacted with the First Nations of North America, with contributions from some of Ireland’s leading historians along with a new wave of First Nations academics and commentators. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Irish people are trading and intermarrying with native people and later fighting against them as part of the 7th Cavalry. Our attitude to the First Nations reflected a deep division within our own psyche. We were both friends and foes, who, having lost our land, settled in theirs. This film looks at the domino effect of colonialism, showing our journey into America from our perspective, and through the eyes of the people we displaced. Éire agus na chéad náisiúin was supported by the Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
- PRINTS
Directors: Edel McCormick, Erin O’Rawe
Writer: Will Reade
Producers: Margaret McGoldrick, Paul Moran
A lino print artist pours all of herself into her work, sometimes literally, but finds her art meeting an impassive public that are equally as self-involved as she is. Feeling lost and invisible, she snaps, creating a piece that no one can ignore. Prints was funded through the Northern Ireland Screen Short Film Call scheme.
Saturday 12 July
- DANCE MASTER
Director: Richard Howard
Producers: Seán Ó Baoill, Anne Stirling
Featuring: Breandán de Gallaí
Breandán de Gallai is the dancer’s dancer. A Riverdance lead, now choreographer and academic, his life as a gay man in his 50s holds a mirror to the changes in Irish society over half a century. Now a PhD and director of dance company Ériu, Breandán’s students and performers come from all over the world to explore gender, movement, and narrative through Irish Dance. Over a year, we observe the process of creating new shows and choreography, including a very personal work for his late partner, Declan, performed on Gola Island in 2025. Dance Master was supported by the Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
- Babaí Brain
Director: Nikolaj Feifer
Writer: Brídín Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh
Producers: Ciarán Charles, Darach O’Tuairisg
Sarah’s quest for motherhood becomes an obsession after a failed IVF treatment. Struggling with isolation and perfectionism, she makes increasingly desperate choices that blur the lines between aspiration and delusion. Babaí Brain was supported by the Irish Language Broadcast Fund’s Tús/Céim Eile Scheme.
Sunday 13 July
- AG TAISTEAL SIAR TRAVELLING BACK
Director: Méabh O’Hare
Producer: Mary Johnston
Traveller music has been a defining force in Irish musical heritage since the ballad boom of the 1960s. As the music reached new heights, the Traveller way of life was undergoing profound change. Ag Taisteal Siar explores the profound, and often overlooked contribution of legends such as Pecker Dunne, Maggie Barry and Johnny Doran to Ireland’s musical legacy. Featuring powerful performances and intAerviews with Kathleen Keenan, Sarah Dunne, Sharyn Ward, Niamh Dunne and Steo Wall, alongside original poetry written by Martin Warde. Ag Taisteal Siar was supported by the Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
- AONTAS
Director: Damian McCann
Writers: Sarah Gordon, Damian McCann
Producers: Órfhlaith Ní Chearnaigh, Chris Myers
Three unlikely thieves, led by a woman on the verge of a breakdown, rob a rural Irish Credit Union. Opening in the tragic aftermath of the heist-gone-wrong, the story uses reverse chronology to unravel the events that led to this point. What starts as a poorly executed robbery becomes a portrait of a wilful woman trapped in her own past. Aontas is about the choices that change our path, the moments we get trapped in, and how we’re prisoners of our memories. Aontas was supported by the Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
- IT ALL COMES DOWN
Director: Meg Earls
Writers: Anna Moore, Amy Tattersall White
Producer: Arpita Ashok
Three generations of women sit around a table as the granddaughter begins to question the past. A spark reveals inherited family memories of conflict and struggle in Northern Ireland.
- ONE TRACK MIND
Director: Faye Isherwood-Wallace
Producer: Johnny Schumann
Sophia the squirrel is on a healing train journey after losing her friend Flora. Guided by new friendships and nature’s beauty, she rediscovers joy, processes grief, and chooses to stay where hope and happiness await.
- WILDKIND
Director: John McDaid
Writer/Producer: Ciara Tinney
This is a poem painted to awaken the senses, a fluid journey of hope and healing across our shared watercolour motherland. A universal bedtime story, and a call to nurture a wild, kind life. Wildkind was funded through the Northern Ireland Screen Creative Animation Scheme.
The Galway Film Fleadh is supported by the Arts Council, Fáilte Ireland, Screen Ireland, and Galway City Council. Find out more about the programme and book your tickets Day By Day – Galway Film Fleadh
