We conclude the Irish programme with a look at seven films from Ireland's North. Beginning with the neglected housing crisis in Donegal, we travel through themes of mysticism and magical thinking in Belfast, across the border into "the west", into the shadow, beyond the grave, and through bravery and kindness, to the simple pleasure of a quiet pint in the local.

Galar

Niall Duffy / Ireland / 2025 / 25mins In rural Ireland, determined father Michael Gallagher fights to save his crumbling home and protect his family amid a neglected housing crisis. As Michael confronts the physical deterioration of his home caused by defective blocks, he also faces his own declining health and the emotional strain on his family. Set against the backdrop of Donegal's rugged beaut, this story offers a personal and intimate portrayal of resilience, community, and the fight for justice.

Fog Tooth

Hugo Fearon / Ireland / 2026 / 14mins An aloof librarian chooses to reflect on the consequences of her lifelong curse of perpetual luck, a coin with seemingly more than two sides. Exploring mental health and its effects and drawing on both Irish and Kurdish cultures, this film pushes against traditional boundaries to examine the darker side of mysticism and magical thinking.

Nine Counties

Penny McGovern / 13:55 / 2025 / 5mins Nine Counties is a Super 8 travelogue that charts a car journey across Ireland on a path lit by the winter solstice. A catalogue of habitual, intimate and enigmatic sights and sounds recorded as they rushed past while travelling north to south and east to west, chasing the sunset, making a moving-image map of the Irish landscape.

Scáth

Chris McKenna / Ireland / 2025 / 8mins Scáth (Shadow) is a breath held between worlds, shaped by silence, memory, and the light that lingers after someone has gone. Set in a time-worn corner of rural Ireland, it follows the footsteps of two brothers bound not only by blood but by something eternal. A story not of loss but of presence; not of endings but of echoes. For in the spaces love once filled, something sacred remains. And in the shadow, we begin to see the shape of what was never truly gone.

Joe's Finale

Michael Creagh / Ireland / 2025 / 14mins A dying pianist struggles to play just one more piece until a visit from an unorthodox Grim Reaper offers him a glimmer of hope.

Not That Bad

Maire Campbell / Ireland / 2026 / 15mins A female teacher bears the brunt of toxic masculinity, which threatens her character, career and mental health. When a male student bravely intervenes, kindness and forgiveness begin to take hold of the hearts and minds of the whole school.

Tracey

Gino Lynch / Ireland / 2025 / 12mins Fresh out of prison, Tracey soon learns that the simplicity of a quiet pint may no longer be so simple.