Discoveries from Ireland World Cinema

When their mother passes a family attempts to come to terms with their own grief.

In 1986 a London-Irishman by the name of Larry Tracey took it upon himself to form the Irish Bobsleigh and Luge Association. He recruited a group of elite Irish rowers and set his sights on qualifying the team for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Having achieved qualification for the games, the stage was set for an historic Olympic debut. But one thing stood in their way; the Olympic Council of Ireland. Despite qualifying for the games, the OCI refused to allow them to compete at the games in Calgary, which saw the famous Jamaican bobsleigh team become Olympic heroes. Undeterred, the team evolved and set their sights on the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France.

Love across the barricades: RUC policeman Billy loves Emer, whose Da and brother Cal are IRA men. To Da and Cal's fury the IRA declare a ceasefire. Does this mean they will have to welcome Billy into the family? As the wedding descends into chaos, Ma brings about peace and reconciliation by the traditional Northern Irish method - with a baseball bat.

In 2018 on the steps of the High Court in Dublin, Vicky Phelan gave a now infamous address where she exposed one of the worst women’s health scandals in Irish History, the CervicalCheck debacle. VICKY is a profound and intimate journey into not only her fight to expose the truth of what happened for all women but also her own personal fight to stay alive.

I Will Go On Missing You Till Then is an experimental documentary taking words from a young woman's love letters, from Ireland to America, written in 1960 exploring what remains across a cavern of time and momentous change on both sides of the Irish border

When Adamma and her father, Jide, seek refuge in an asylum centre in Ireland they are greeted by angry protesters, but a dangerous situation threatens to become explosive when Adamma ventures out into the neighborhood alone in search of her missing cuddly toy, Kiki.

Endless Sunshine on a Cloudy Day tells the story of the McCanns, an Irish family battling to stay together despite the odds. The film examines life and mortality while celebrating our ability to find meaning in the darkest of times. This is a story about the power of the human spirit.

Something peculiar happened that day. Curious Melissa was enchanted by some real Faeries. Ignoring her Mother she followed them down into Blackheath Woods... Melissa never came back.

Here she goes again, the formidable Agnes Brown trying to keep her chaotic family in order (forgetting of course that she is the cause of most of the chaos). In this, part three of the series, Agnes tries not to interfere (yeah right!) as she sees her daughter Cathy fall in love with a hunk of a detective Garda (Keith Duffy), but is all as it seems? Cathy's best friend, that sexy, shapely, slapper Sharon, doesn't think so.

Feelings can be hard for a six-year-old to understand, luckily Katie has her best friends Barry and Betty to help her out.

Take a four-minute journey to some of the planet’s most spectacular glaciers, waterfalls, beaches, rivers and waterways. Destinations include, Iceland, Igauzu Falls Brazil, Atchafalaya Basin Louisiana, Lake Tahoe California, Black Canyon of the Gunnison Colorado, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Performers in Believe are three vocalists Chloë Agnew, Lisa Kelly, Lisa Lambe, and fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt All songs on this album are re-releases from their previous albums. Their only new song, entitled 'Princess Toyotomi', is featured in the film of the same name. This is the first album where nine members (both current and previous) appear together. Another album of the same title was released on January 24, 2012 Both this album and DVD (live performance from the Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia) feature new music from Agnew, Kelly, Lambe and Nesbitt. The performance was broadcast on PBS stations in December 2011 Some of the songs performed but not available on the CD are A Tribute To Broadway, sung by Agnew, Lambe and Kelly, and Mná na hÉireann, played by Nesbitt. European and North American dates for the 2012 Believe tour have already been set, but Lisa Kelly will not join this tour due to her pregnancy, and will be replaced by Susan McFadden.

Imelda May explores the legacy of Susan and Elizabeth Yeats, two sisters who played a significant role in the revival of Irish literature in the 1920s.

In this Lego stop-motion animated short brickfilm, an astronaut mysteriously trapped in space recounts how things could have been different

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A young couple, on the verge of bringing their first child into the world, are at a loss to find the joy of it when terrifying news from the doctor, as well as unspoken secrets, begin to tear the relationship apart. Meanwhile, an older couple, having received an even graver medical prognosis, look back on their lives and wonder if there's still time to tie up loose ends. When the couples' paths entwine, nothing will ever be the same again.

In Daddy’s Boy, Renèe Helèna Browne creates an intimate portrait of their Irish homeland, documenting their father as he undertakes tasks around the house and on a rural farm. Browne’s voice-over draws the viewer in as a confidante, introducing elements of narrative from the 1990 sci-fi Jurassic Park and using the character of T-Rex to explore patriarchal dynamics, gender conformity and societal expectations.

A story about a purple boy, a green ball, a red ball, a green girl, a red girl and a purple boy.

After learning that class photo day is approaching, a young boy comes face to face with the manifestation of his insecurities in the form of a troll called Alan.

Riverdance Show is a cultural phenomenon that defies criticism for the enthusiastic and leaves everyone else scratching their heads. The wonderfully talented cast, headed by the Riverdance Irish Dance Company, bewitchingly spins (and stomps) its Celtic folk choreography featuring numerous breathless solos by Michael Flatley (since departed) and Jean Butler. The mellifluous Riverdance Orchestra boasts Davy Spillane, who coaxes plaintive lamentations out of a peculiar instrument that resembles a bagpipe in a metal leg brace. For Enya fans, there is the sound-alike choral group Anuna, who casts a similarly New Age-style vocal spell. Also thrown into the mix are such disparate folk traditions as American gospel and Spanish flamenco. Though it's only 70 minutes long, Riverdance is repetitive by half. But judging from the ecstatic audience ovations and the continued foot-stomping during and after the curtain calls, too much is still not enough.

After his mother’s funeral in rural Ireland, Fergus is taken to a techno rave by the sea outside Dublin with Mick, Alan and Conal. Based on a short story by Colm Tóibín (Brooklyn).

A visual investigation into the influence of Norm MacDonald on impressionable young males.

A man is afraid to leave his house because his beloved grandmother told him when he was little, "If you step foot outside, you'll get burned to the ground." One day, there's a knock on the door and everything changes.

Bobby Coote is in his eighties, but he still has a dream: one day he wants to fly. He has built himself a hangar, and he has a runway of sorts, all he needs is a plane. And now he is finally going to buy one and make his dream come true.

Found footage liminal space horror in the vein of 'The Backrooms' set in a Dublin mall.

This short film follows a train journey from Roscommon to Dublin in 1947. When everyone is aboard the train leaves Castlerea Station and the camera captures the stunning landscape of the trip. -IFI Archive

A man tried to cut himself off from the world but is foiled by a sheep.

A delivery biker buys a used camera and finds some strange images left on the memory card. This film was the recipient of the 2024 Cinemagic On The Pulse Award for Best Irish Short Film.

Illuminating the challenges often unseen beyond the toys, trees and tinsel, people in a small Irish village reflect on their difficult relationships with Christmas. "So This Is Christmas" is a heartwarming and charming portrait from award-winning director Ken Wardrop, which perfectly exemplies his innate ability to tell the stories of ordinary people, depicting their thoughts, feelings and experiences in an empathetic way. Beautifully rendered in 35mm, the film is authentic and compassionate, and a valuable addition to the Irish documentary canon.

In this long-awaited, landmark documentary on Mary Black, widely regarded as the first lady of the Irish music industry, we gain a rare, unprecedented insight into her life and career.

One minute short film.

Set in the late 1790s, a depiction of Irish villagers rebelling against British occupation (Red Coats) over the right to bear arms.

Doug is having a very bad day. Terminally broke and facing eviction, he's charged by his estranged partner, Julie, with the task of looking after his son, Billy, for the day; while simultaneously having to get rid of the family dog - Billy's best and only friend. Welcome to the doghouse.

For the Burke family everything was normal besides the one secret which they kept from their son, Nicholas. Now their past is catching up with them, and Nicholas's suspicion of something malicious is growing greater by the day.

An Iranian Father and Son arrive at their new home in Dublin, Ireland. However, they are unable to confront the reason for their move and the effect of which threatens to drive them apart.

Past and present collide in this dreamlike tour through a former Nazi rocket factory and forced labor camp, which is now a museum.

A seven year old girl discovers her mum is having an affair.

From PBS - The Shannon is Ireland's greatest geographical landmark and the longest river. It is both a barrier and highway - a silver ribbon holding back the rugged landscapes of the west from the gentler plains to the east. On its journey south, the Shannon passes through a huge palette of rural landscapes; where on little-known backwaters, Ireland's wild animals and plants still thrive as almost nowhere else. For a year, wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson lives on the river - camping on its banks, exploring its countless tributaries in a traditional canoe, following the river from dawn to dusk through the four seasons, on a quest to film the natural history of the Shannon as it has never been seen or heard or experienced before.

Special Agent Darris Cain is on the hunt for an elusive fugitive. His only leads are a reluctant witness held in a military prison and the words "prey alone" written in a notebook. Can Cain track him down and discover the true identity of the mysterious criminal?

Three severely misguided Irish girls fancy themselves as the Next Big Thing when an ambitious manager lends a helpful, if wandering, hand in turning them into the all-singing, all dancing girl band, THE ATHENRIDES. With more delusions of grandeur than actual talent, they've got their eyes on Eurovision.

Documentary about how the Irish remember those who fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and the ensuing civil war.

A man dies and goes to Heaven, only to discover that it's being run on slave labor from Hell.

Set in 1970's Ireland, an awkward 10 year old schoolboy, Jamie, attempts to manage his recently bereaved mother, a bully at school and a gaggle of sisters. A pair of his mother's shoes bring matters to a head in this coming of age tale.

This cheesy infomercial promotes a hot new topic gripping the nation – Racism! But hurry, Racism is available for a limited period only before Tolerence and Understanding become commonplace. But don’t take our word for it, take Tony’s who has been trying out Racism.

A new insight into the Irish origins of Ice-hockey in Canada.

A young couples trial and tribulations over the course of an entire year.

A structural experiment featuring three Irish poems set against the backdrop of Irish nature.

A pious doctor is forced to deal with a family matter whilst hiding under the bed of a stranger.

How does dating and finding love work in an era where partnership has been radically redefined? All people share the yearning to connect and belong with others and the hope of experiencing genuine intimacy. Our three protagonists Sarah (Austria), Johanna (Germany) and Sampsa (Finland) search for love in very different ways and show that having faith in the most unusual of methods can open up undreamed of opportunities.

A pair of professional but mismatched criminals break into an house with a dark past thats about to make its presence felt. Their story interwines with two other sinister tales.

In a deeply personal authored documentary, producer, broadcaster and gay activist Bill Hughes tells the story of his friendship with radio and TV star Vincent Hanley.

Combining talking head testimony with elegantly recreated scenes, this extraordinary, daring documentary tells the previously unheard story of how women who loved other women contributed to the fight for Irish independence from the British Empire. A vital contribution to charting an essential gay history of Ireland, Croíthe Radacacha (which is translated as ‘radical hearts’) depicts lesbians at the heart of the Irish revolution as uncompromising in their politics, committed to feminism, socialism and equal rights. Many would take arms in the struggle and many would die. Ciara Hyland’s film nobly revives their memory and acknowledges their courage.

Phil Kennedy made history and headlines when he connected the brain of a paralysed man to a computer in the 1990s. He became known as The Father of the Cyborgs - but the neurologist’s quest for knowledge didn’t end there. In 2014, he stunned his peers and his family when he agreed to have his own brain implanted to continue his research. This Irish production follows his remarkable and unprecedented journey.

A Nigerian taxi driver and his passenger go on a miraculous voyage through the streets of Dublin and Calabar.

A down on his luck thirty-something develops a feud with his local bin collector.

Is the customer always right? How far should an artist compromise their vision for commercial gain? And what do Michael Winner and Charles Bronson have to do with any of this?

Amy, a beauty therapist, and Darren, a street sweeper, are a young Dublin couple struggling to conceive. They are forced to assess their relationship as they navigate the strain of fertility treatment.

John Giles wants to tell his life story, in his own words. Sticking with the habit of a lifetime, he’s going to say it as he sees it. This is the tale of a young Dublin boy raised in the inner city markets area, a gifted teenager who signed for the Busby Babes two years before the Munich Air disaster, who grew into one of the most revered names in English soccer with an all conquering Leeds United team. It is the story of a father figure of Irish soccer who went on to manage for club and country and who with Eamonn Dunphy became one of the most memorable double acts in the history of Irish television. This documentary looks at key moments and memories in John’s life. In Ireland, locations will include his childhood home in Ormond Square in Dublin’s market areas, the famed Dalymount Park and the Wexford beaches where John and his family spent their holidays. In the UK, John visits the iconic Old Trafford, as well as making a trip to a crucial Leeds United game at Elland Road.

Documentary that follows the lives of two pirates and their community on the Somali coastline; what are the incentives of the pirates, why did they become pirates, how did they grow up in a country with political chaos, war and extreme poverty? The narrative structure is built around two interweaving story-lines; one depicting the "present", the daily lives of the pirates and their community, and the second in the "past", revealing through epic animation, the unfolding of a recent hijacking.

Short drama film set in 1922 during the Irish Civil War. A boy follows his executed father's final wish...