– The 38th edition of the festival will showcase 35 new Irish features, major documentary premieres, emerging European talent and a special focus on Estonia
The Lost Children of Tuam by Frank Berry
The 38th Galway Film Fleadh (7-12 July) has unveiled the full programme for its upcoming edition, thus proving that it continues to be one of Ireland’s most important showcases for domestic filmmaking while offering audiences a diverse selection of international features, documentaries and genre titles. Across six days, the festival will present world, international and Irish premieres, alongside industry events, filmmaker discussions and networking opportunities.
Opening the festival is the world premiere of Our House, the feature debut by Peter Young. The thriller follows four siblings locked in a dispute over the family home after the death of their mother, marking a prominent launch for the Northern Irish filmmaker. Another notable world premiere is Frank Berry’s The Lost Children of Tuam. The film stars Monica Dolan as a historian whose research has uncovered evidence pointing to the deaths of hundreds of children at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam. The movie was produced by Liam Neeson alongside Jules Daly, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe and Martina Niland.
Other Irish feature films receiving their world premieres at Galway include Alex Fegan’s Murphy Vs Christmas; Dean Conway’s debut feature, Conversations in Bed; and Sinéad Murphy’s first feature, Sludge. Terry Loane adapts Marilyn Taylor’s award-winning young-adult novel Faraway Home, while writer-director John Farrelly (An Taibhse) returns to the Fleadh with his second feature, Naxos, following a research trip to the Greek island of the same name. The line-up also features Dallan Shovlin’s dark comedy You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead.
Documentary filmmaking occupies a central position within this year’s programme. Highlights include Sinéad O’Shea’s Sundance title All About the Money, Cara Holmes’ Lesbian Lines, chronicling the confidential support network created for lesbians in 1980s Ireland, and Ross McClean’s Magilligan, which premiered in competition at Visions du Réel. Other notable Irish documentary premieres include Ciara Hyland’s Pós Mé, James Wynne’s Star of the Sea and The S.U. by Gerard Conway, Mark Byrne and Rob Dennis, exploring the history of the University of Galway Students’ Union.
The festival’s Peripheral Visions competition returns with a selection dedicated to first and second features by emerging European filmmakers. The section includes Laundry by Zamo Mkhwanazi, The Silent Run by Marta Bergman, How to Shout by Josefina Rautiainen, Prosecution by Faraz Shariat and Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep by Rakan Mayasi. Competing works come from across Europe and reflect the section’s ongoing commitment to discovering bold new directorial voices.
Genre cinema once again takes centre stage through the What The Fleadh?! strand. The selection includes the Irish premiere of Victorian Psycho by Zachary Wigon, arriving after its Cannes debut, alongside the rural horror feature Feed by Marco van Belle. Also on the menu are the world premieres of Cathal Fitzpatrick’s science-fiction flick Hollow Trees, set in a post-war world where half of humanity has been wiped out, and John Spillane’s comedy mockumentary The Badger of Ballybog. Audiences seeking lighter fare can also turn to comedies such as Maddie’s Secret by John Early, which will be enjoying its European premiere.
As part of Galway’s continuing cultural partnership with Estonia during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union programme, the festival will host a Spotlight on Estonia section comprising four feature films and a dedicated short-film showcase.
The festival will also present the 2026 Bingham Ray New Talent Award, recognising emerging Irish screen talent across directing, producing, acting, writing and cinematography. This year’s nominees include directors Meghan O’Shaughnessy (Moloch), Niamh Bryson (Newtown Boys), Ross McClean (Magilligan) and Oisín Mistéil (Try!); actors Clinton Liberty (Feed) and Liz Fitzgibbon (Fat, Lucy’s Boyfriend, Little Bitch); producers Claire McCabe (All About the Money, Try!) and Heather Higgins (Learning to Breathe Underwater); cinematographer Ross Power (Naxos, Hollow Trees); and writer-director Peter Young (Our House).
Alongside its feature programme, Galway Film Fleadh will screen more than 130 Irish and international short films competing for the festival’s Oscar-qualifying awards. The event will also celebrate the tenth anniversary of Peter Foott’s cult Irish comedy The Young Offenders with a special live audio-commentary screening featuring the filmmaker, and cast members Alex Murphy, Chris Walley and Hilary Rose.
