– The eighth edition of the Belfast-based festival presents Irish and international documentaries tackling climate change, housing, migration and media freedom
Magilligan by Ross McClean
Docs Ireland returns to Belfast from 17-22 June for its eighth edition, offering a rich programme of documentaries that interrogate power structures, challenge dominant narratives and amplify marginalised voices. Taking place at a moment when independent journalism and factual storytelling face increasing pressure worldwide, the festival brings together nearly 100 features, short films and special events, alongside a growing international industry strand. This year’s programme explores themes ranging from climate justice and housing crises to media freedom, migration and cultural identity.
The festival opens with Steal This Story, Please! by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, a portrait of award-winning journalist and Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, examining the role of independent media in holding power to account at a time of increasing attacks on press freedom. The closing film is Magilligan, the feature debut by Belfast filmmaker Ross McClean, which follows a young man rebuilding his life after prison, which premiered at Visions du Réel. McClean is a former participant in the festival’s Ignite development programme and won the 2025 Docs Ireland Short Film Competition.
The Pull Focus Irish Documentary Competition once again showcases a strong selection of new Irish work. Among the selected titles is Cara Holmes’ Lesbian Lines, which uncovers a hidden history through the archives of lesbian telephone helplines operating during a period of profound social and constitutional change in Ireland. Dennis Harvey and Lars Lovén’s Celtic Utopia explores Ireland’s contemporary folk-music renaissance while reflecting on post-colonial identity and cultural inheritance. Gary Lennon’s An Irish Atlantic Rainforest follows environmental activist Eoghan Daltun and his efforts to restore Ireland’s native temperate rainforests, and Nicky Larkin’s To This I Belong documents community-based dance projects developed across the island by Ireland’s national dance company, Luail.
Furthermore, Kevin Brennan and Laurence Durkin’s Desert Passages examines the ecological crisis affecting the Colorado River, and the increasingly fragile relationship between technology, nature and human settlement in the American Southwest. Neasa Ní Chianáin’s Forever Is Now follows former Irish Green Party leader Eamon Ryan during his final months in government with an intimate portrait of family life. Housing and urban transformation are the focus of James Redmond’s Displace: The Battle for Dublin, which chronicles the struggles of residents confronting a rapidly financialised property market.
Seán Murray’s Journacide: The War on Truth investigates the unprecedented death toll among journalists in Gaza and Lebanon since October 2023, while Ian Thuillier’s Guggi offers a portrait of the celebrated Irish artist, tracing his journey from the experimental post-punk group Virgin Prunes to international recognition as a painter. Martin Danneels’ Answering the Call follows efforts to protect the endangered corncrake population along Ireland’s Atlantic coast, linking local conservation initiatives to broader global ecological systems.
The festival’s international Maysles Brothers Competition presents films from across the globe, including American Doctor by Poh Si Teng, A Fox Under a Pink Moon by Soraya Akhalaghi and Mehrdad Oskouei, Once You Shall Be One of Those Who Lived Long Ago by Alexander Rynéus and Per Bifrost, Remake by Ross McElwee, Always by Deming Chen, Enough Is Enough by Elisé Sawasawa, and Cutting Through Rocks by Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki.
Short films remain an important pillar of Docs Ireland, with two competition programmes featuring works from Ireland and abroad. Among the selected titles are Lucille Carolan’s Anatomy of an Irish Disco, Feargal Ward’s Tin City, Eva Babington’s The Militant Homosexual Evangelist and Niamh Barry’s Something in the Air. The shorts explore subjects ranging from folklore, religion and climate change to youth culture, identity and social activism.
Alongside the screenings, Docs Ireland presents a series of special events celebrating documentary history and cultural heritage. This year’s Outstanding Contribution to Irish Documentary Award will be presented posthumously to author, broadcaster and filmmaker Manchán Magan, who passed away in October 2025. The tribute includes a screening of Maurice O’Brien’s Listen to the Land Speak, following Magan’s journey through Ireland’s sacred landscapes and oral traditions, as well as a discussion featuring his brother Ruán Magan, filmmaker and writer Kerri ní Dochartaigh, and O’Brien himself.
The festival also welcomes acclaimed filmmaker Mark Cousins, who will present an extract from his ambitious 16-hour project The Story of Documentary Film and discuss the evolution of non-fiction cinema with curator Eric Hynes. Elsewhere, a special screening of Alex Gibney’s No Stone Unturned commemorates the tenth anniversary of the publication of the Police Ombudsman’s report into the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, accompanied by discussions involving investigators, journalists and family members affected by the case. The programme additionally includes The Road to Mexico by Evan Marshall, revisiting Northern Ireland’s qualification campaign for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, followed by a conversation with football legends Pat Jennings and Gerry Armstrong.
