IRFF25 A Want In Her

Artist and debut filmmaker Myrid Carten has been filming since she was a child. Her mother Nuala, once a successful social worker, suffered a mental breakdown after the sudden death of her own mother. She shuffles between rehab clinics, psychiatric hospitals, and occasionally the street. When Nuala goes missing somewhere in Ireland, Myrid returns from London to find her and picks up her camera again in response to this new crisis. Her search takes her into a feuding family, a contested house. Intimate, surprising, and often darkly funny conversations with her mother and other family members reveal the trials of loving someone who struggles with addiction and madness. Home videos from Myrid’s childhood and recordings of video installations from her current work as an artist form a playful blend of fictional and documentary elements, which compellingly capture the vicious cycle of care and rage. Atmospheric Irish ballads about vagrant drinkers and dreamlike images of the neglected family home conjure the cultural and relational roots at play. In fresh and inventive ways, the film returns to a familiar, universal question: how can we be with those we love without losing ourselves? A WANT IN HER is an immersive, first person account of the cost of love, and how difficult it can be to escape.

IRFF25 Bring Them Down

Featuring standout performances from Oscar-nominee Barry Keoghan (Saltburn, The Banshees of Inisherin) and Christopher Abbott (Possessor, Sanctuary), Bring Them Down is a tense and gripping thriller about two warring families set against the harsh landscape of the west of Ireland. Michael (Abbott), the last son of a farming family, lives an isolated existence with his ailing, cantankerous father Ray (Colm Meaney). Burdened by a terrible secret from his past, Michael has isolated himself from the world and dedicates himself to his prized flock. When the ongoing conflict with rival farmer Gary and his wayward and unpredictable son Jack (Keoghan) stirs old tensions and grievances, it triggers a chain of events that take increasingly violent and devastating turns, leaving both families permanently altered. Directed and co-written by first-time filmmaker Christopher Andrews and co-starring Colm Meaney, Paul Ready and Nora-Jane Noone, Bring Them Down is a fierce, muscular debut that signals a bold new cinematic voice.

IRFF25 Christy

17-year-old Christy is at a crossroads. Kicked out of his suburban foster home, he moves in with his estranged older brother Shane and his young family. As far as Shane is concerned this is a temporary arrangement, but Christy begins to feel at home on Cork’s working-class Northside. As he makes friends and begins to let the community in, he also reconnects with his past through his seemingly more corrupting extended family, despite Shane’s efforts to protect him. Shane wants something better for Christy at any cost – even if it means he has to push him away. As the brothers look to reconcile their turbulent past, their family and the community around them offer hope for Christy’s future. Bursting with humour, soul, and raw authenticity, the film stars breakout talent Danny Power and Diarmuid Noyes alongside a brilliant Irish ensemble including Emma Willis, Alison Oliver, Chris Walley, and Helen Behan. The film also features members of Cork’s Kabin Studio, the arts collective behind ‘The Spark’ — the 2024 viral hit with over 1 billion views, dubbed the “song of the summer” by The New York Times.

IRFF25 Dead Man's Money

When Young Henry’s (Ciarán McMenamin – Hope Street, Rig 45) wealthy uncle starts courting “the Widow” Maureen Tweed (Kathy Kiera Clarke – Derry Girls, Bloodlands), he starts to fear that he’ll be written out of Old Henry’s (Pat Shortt – The Banshees of Inisherin, The Guard) will. Conspiring with his wife, Pauline (Judith Roddy - Darklands, Derry Girls, Say Nothing) and a chauffeur with a chequered past known as Gerry the Wheels (Gerard Jordan – Blue Lights, Game of Thrones, Father Ted), Young Henry puts a plan in motion to make sure that the Widow Tweed never sees a penny of the inheritance he thinks is rightfully his. However, when Pauline’s guilt threatens to expose them, fear and distrust starts to seed within the trio. Not knowing who can trust whom, their dirty deed leads to a series of events that there is no coming back from, for any of them.

IRFF25 Fidil Ghorm (The Blue Fiddle)

This beautiful, feel-good, contemporary Irish Language movie is one for all of the family, bringing together Irish music and traditions with the resilience of 10-year-old, Molly, who’s on a heartfelt mission to wake her father from a coma. Molly’s dad, Ruraic, is injured in a car crash and is moved to a rehab centre, where Molly meets Malachy, a grumpy old man. Drawn to the beautiful music she hears him play, Molly learns that Malachy was once a champion fiddler known for the magic in his hands. Their unlikely friendship blossoms as she persuades him to teach her the fiddle. Together, they embark on a journey filled with music, determination, and the healing power of connection, searching for the magic only music can bring. Set in Rathmullen County Donegal, Fidil Ghorm combines a beautiful film score with breathtaking scenery, setting the scene for a story full of love, joy and magic. Molly and her family’s musical and emotional journey make 85 minutes of heartwarming cinema.

IRFF25 Fran the Man

When an Irish football club becomes embroiled in an international match-fixing scandal, their hapless assistant manager finds himself way out of his league. Written by Richie Conroy (TWO BY TWO, MALORY TOWERS) and directed by Stephen Bradley (LAST ONE LAUGHING, NOBLE), FRAN THE MAN has Fran Costello, the much-loved star of football mockumentary series FRAN, returning to the screen in a feature-length comedy that sees him working undercover to save the beautiful game from match-fixing. Darragh Humphreys reprises the role of Fran, supported by an great ensemble cast including Ardal O’Hanlon (FATHER TED), Amy Huberman (FLORA & SON) and Risteárd Cooper (APRÈS MATCH). Produced by Forty Foot Pictures with support from Screen Ireland and RTE. FRAN THE MAN is our Opening Night film in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth. Included in your cinema ticket will be: drinks, food, live music and lots of craic!

IRFF25 Froggie

Brothers Fiachra and Tadgh peaked early at the age of 7 when they appeared on The Late Late Toy Show singing with their homemade puppet, Froggie. 25 years later, they are in comic hell, still singing the same ol’ song when their show gets cancelled. The world is pulling the brothers apart and they are borassic broke! To make matters worse, Froggie is stolen. A ransom video appears online – in a cruel twist, the thief will release Froggie when the puppet achieves 1 million followers!! Fiachra and Tadgh must team up to rescue their childhood puppet by helping Froggie regain his fame. Fiachra (Seán T Ó Meallaigh) and Tadgh (Gearoid Kavanagh) ham it up as the hapless brothers and are supported by a fine cast of comic actors including Carrie Crowley (An Cailín Ciúin) and Paul Oakley Stovall (who played George Washington in the musical Hamilton). The film is made (with love) in Galway and captures the chaotic roller coaster of the city’s bohemian (read stone broke!) artistic community.

IRFF25 Gerry Adams: A Ballymurphy Man

Irish republican leader Gerry Adams is one of the most important, polarizing political leaders and visionaries of our time. He played a central role, along with others, in creating the Irish peace process and ending generations of conflict. Adams, along with Martin McGuinness, was key in persuading the IRA to embrace an alternative to armed actions. In July 2005, following an appeal by Adams, the IRA  ended its armed actions and engaged with the International Independent Commission on Arms. Imprisoned and shot, Adams was demonized and censored and labelled by the establishment media as a subversive and terrorist. In the end however the British and their allies and the Irish government were forced to recognize his electoral and democratic legitimacy and to negotiate with him and his party Sinn Féin. The Good Friday Agreement in April 1998 was the result.  In A Ballymurphy Man Adams speaks of the role of Irish America and of the influence both personally and for the Irish republican movement of the ANC and Nelson Mandela. An intensely private man always protecting his family from the public eye, this is the first time Adams has sat down to tell his story, interweaving the conflict he lived through as a teenage activist, becoming party leader and political representative, and an internationally recognized and respected leader. 

IRFF25 Housewife of the Year

Housewife Of The Year tells the story of Ireland’s treatment of women through the prism of a unique, surreal, live televised competition, that has to be seen to be believed, where a generation of Irish women competed in front of a live audience for the title of ‘Housewife of the Year’. The documentary is compelling viewing for those generations for whom Gay Byrne’s Late Late Show set the moral agenda and the Catholic Church was all powerful in Ireland. The former contestants share their direct experiences of marriage bars, lack of contraception, Magdalene laundries, financial vulnerability, huge families, boredom and shame and of course, of being contestants in the competition. What shines through is the courage and spirit of the women who sometimes overcame major obstacles to reach a place in life where they are proud of their achievements. They hail from a variety of backgrounds and from places as diverse as Galway, Cork, Kildare, Donegal, Dublin and Limerick. It is a poignant, often hilarious, uplifting story of a resilient generation of women and how they changed a country.

IRFF25 In Time: Dónal Lunny

Dónal Lunny is one of Ireland’s most outstanding artists, and this is the first film account of his life – a portrait that reveals his peerless contribution to Irish culture and music. Bono has called him “Ireland’s answer to Quincy Jones”. His influence is evident across an extraordinary range of production credits and collaborations, including work with Elvis Costello, U2, Van Morrison, Sinéad O’Connor, Paul Brady, Baaba Maal, Kate Bush and many more. A founding member of Planxty, The Bothy Band and Moving Hearts, Lunny played a central role in reviving and transforming Irish traditional and folk music for new generations. In this film, music fuses with the personal arc of Dónal Lunny’s biographical journey, bringing the artist into being on screen. It explores how pivotal moments in his creative and personal life intersected with major cultural, political and historical shifts in Ireland and across the world. The film also features rare and powerful performances – including a moving reunion with Christy Moore.

IRFF25 Irish-Australian Shorts Program

The Irish Film Festival will, for the first time in its history, present a session of Irish-Australian short films in cinema screenings in Sydney and Melbourne. These films are the product of the interweaving of Irish and Australian themes and cultures through their producers, directors, actors or themes. Ranging from comedy, LGBTQIA+, doco, experimental, dance and history, these shorts represent a new generation of Irish Australian creative talent, who are expressing their heritage in cinematic terms.

IRFF25 Kathleen is Here

Kathleen (Hazel Doupe – Say Nothing, Calm With Horses) is 18 and fresh out of foster care. Her departure coincides with the death of her biological mother and so she returns to her hometown to take ownership of her mother’s house. She gets a job and even a friend; but the emptiness of Kathleen’s life cannot be filled by social media and reality shows. Alone and desperate for a mother figure, she sets out on a destructive path to find one. What does the future hold when the past is all you've got? This is director Eva Birthistle’s debut feature. Well known in Ireland as an actor with outstanding roles in Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters, alongside Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn, and right back to her debut on RTE’s Glenroe.

IRFF25 Mrs Robinson

Mrs Robinson tells the impressive life story of change-maker Mary Robinson: Ireland’s first female President, a pioneering UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the successor of Nelson Mandela as Chair of The Elders. This intimate portrait of Mary Robinson from director Aoife Kelleher (One Million Dubliners) takes viewers from Mary Robinson’s childhood in Mayo in the rural west of Ireland to the world stage working with Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. Unfettered access for the first time allows the viewer to hear Mary’s commentary on a changing Ireland, her legal wins decriminalising homosexuality, legalising divorce and contraception and her triumphant Presidential victory. It also tracks the lows of her decision to leave the Presidency early and her duping by the Dubai royal family over the Princess Latifa affair. Mrs Robinson is an inspiring story about female leadership, human rights activism and climate action. At 81 years of age, Mary Robinson has lost none of her spark and this doco captures her integrity and her passion for life.