Northern Ireland Projects Win at 2025 Celtic Media Festival
Date Posted: June 9, 2025
The 46th Celtic Media Festival took place last week in Newquay, Cornwall. The landmark festival brought together professionals from the Celtic Nations and Regions, as well as the wider European media sector. Supported by leading screen agencies and public service broadcasters, the festival recognises excellence in film, television, radio and digital media.
Northern Ireland projects, many of which were supported by Northern Ireland Screen, secured a number of awards across several categories.
Among the early winners were:
- Animation (Screen): A Wind and the Shadow – produced by local companies Out of Orbit and Enter Yes.
- Current Affairs (Screen): Spotlight – I Am Not Okay – BBC Northern Ireland
- History (Sound): Assume Nothing: How to Kill a Government in 14 Days – BBC Northern Ireland/BBC Radio Ulster/ BBC Sounds
On Day Two of the festival, the Torc Awards for Excellence continued, with further wins for Northern Ireland:
- Comedy (Screen): The B Team – BBC Studios / BBC Northern Ireland, funded by Northern Ireland Screen.
- Live Music Programme (Screen): An Bothy Band – Big Mountain Productions / TG4, supported by Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
The final Gala Awards Ceremony concluded the festival with the presentation of the last Torc Awards, including:
- Single Documentary (Screen): Patrick: A Young Traveller Lost – RTÉ One, produced by Derry-based Alleycats TV.
- Presenter of the Year (Sound): Caoimhe Ní Chathail – BBC Radio Ulster / BBC Northern Ireland
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Spirit of the Festival award, which recognises exceptional work in an indigenous language.
- Spirit of the Festival (Screen): Kneecap – Fine Point Films / TG4. Funding was provided by Northern Ireland Screen and its Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
Accepting the Spirit of the Festival award award, Máire Bhreathnach, Executive Producer of Kneecap, said:
“It’s really special to get this award for this film. It’s been a mental year from when we bounced onto the screen at Sundance, the first Irish language film to get to Sundance. It’s a controversial film, it’s risky. But it’s also a very deep film, very much about indigenous language, and language rights. This is to the core of Kneecap as a band. Human rights are to the core of Kneecap as a band, speaking out for those who cannot speak out for themselves. We’ve won a lot of awards this past while, but the Celtic Media Festival is a special one to win.”
Northern Ireland’s strong presence across the festival’s award categories highlights the region’s continued impact in Celtic and indigenous-language storytelling.
