The Choral

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival 2025 -

From BAFTA-and-Tony-winning writer Alan Bennett and director Nicholas Hytner, the team behind The History Boys and The Lady in the Van, The Choral explores the humour and humanity at the heart of a community facing an uncertain future.

Academy Award® nominee and BAFTA-winner Ralph Fiennes heads up a cracking cast in this touching period piece.

As war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army. The Choral’s ambitious committee, determined to press ahead, decides to recruit local young males to swell their ranks.

They must also engage a new chorus master, and despite their suspicions that he has something to hide, their best bet seems to be Dr. Henry Guthrie (Fiennes) – driven, uncompromising, and recently returned from a career in Germany.

As conscription papers start to arrive, the whole community discovers that the best response to the chaos that is laying waste to their lives is to make music together.

With a knockout performance from the always-reliable Fiennes, and a compelling story to boot, The Choral is guaranteed to be a hit at this year’s Festival. Book your tickets quickly to avoid disappointment!

STARRING: Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong

DIRECTED BY: Nicholas Hytner

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

The long-awaited sequel to the comedy classic This is Spinal Tap is here to turn the Festival up to 11!

Forty-one years after the release of the original groundbreaking mockumentary, the now estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer) are forced to reunite for one final concert.

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues also marks the resurrection of documentarian Marty Di Bergi (Rob Reiner), who once again tries to capture his favourite metal gods as they contemplate mortality—and the hope that their 12th drummer doesn’t join them in The Great Beyond.

Joined by music royalty Paul McCartney and Elton John, Spinal Tap wrestles with their checkered past to put on a concert that they hope will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock ’n’ roll.

STARRING: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner

DIRECTED BY: Rob Reiner

The History of Sound

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Festival de Cannes 2025 -

Based on the acclaimed book by Ben Shattuck, Paul Mescal (Aftersun, All of Us Strangers) and Josh O’Connor (The Crown, Challengers) play star-crossed lovers in this sweeping, moving and tender romance from Oliver Hermanus (Living).

In 1917, Lionel (Mescal) — a young, talented music student — meets David (O’Connor) at the Boston Conservatory, where they bond over a deep love of folk music.

Years later, Lionel receives a letter from David, leading to an impromptu journey through the backwoods of Maine to collect traditional songs. This unexpected reunion, ensuing love affair, and the music they collect and preserve, will shape the course of Lionel’s life far beyond his own awareness.

Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor’s star turns received rave reviews when The History of Sound premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, making this quiet but powerful drama a must-see at the British and Irish Film Festival 2025.

STARRING: Paul Mescal, Josh O’Connor, Chris Cooper

DIRECTED BY: Oliver Hermanus

I Swear

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival 2025 -

Funny, moving, and deeply human, I Swear tells the remarkable true story of John Davidson, a Tourette Syndrome campaigner whose humour and honesty helped the world better understand the disorder.

Robert Aramayo (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) plays Davidson, whose life was irrevocably changed at 15 years old when he developed uncontrollable vocal and physical tics. Tourette Syndrome was barely understood at the time - even by doctors - causing John years of isolation, anxiety and shame.

It wasn’t until Davidson reached his late twenties that things started to change. After meeting Dottie, the mother of a former school friend, who had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, a strong bond formed between the pair. With Dottie’s unwavering support, John discovered the confidence to be himself.

Written and directed by Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine), I Swear features an astonishing lead performance from Aramayo, joined by the excellent supporting cast of Maxine Peake (Funny Cow), Shirley Henderson (Bridget Jones’s Diary) and Peter Mullan (Trainspotting). A frank, funny and touching story about the transformative power of friendship and community, I Swear is a crowd-pleaser you can’t miss in this year’s line-up.

STARRING: Robert Aramayo, Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson, Peter Mullan

DIRECTED BY: Kirk Jones

Glenrothan

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Toronto International Film Festival -

The legendary Brian Cox makes his directorial debut with this compelling family drama, set in the stunning Scottish Highlands and co-starring Alan Cumming.

When his beloved Chicago blues club burns down, Donal (Cumming) returns to his family-owned whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Donal didn’t leave Scotland on the best terms, having wound up in a violent exchange with his brother Sandy (Cox) and their father on the day of their mother’s funeral.

Joined by his daughter Amy (Alexandra Shipp, Barbie), Donal returns to his homeland in the hopes of making amends with his brother. But with old wounds running deep and the fate of the family business on the line, can inner peace finally be found before it’s too late?

Written by David Ashton (The Last King of Scotland) and accomplished TV writer Jeff Murphy (Hinterland), Glenrothan explores the complexities of familial bonds, set against the proud and timeless tradition of whisky making.

Cumming gives one of his best on-screen performances, opposite Cox who brings gravitas to every scene - both in front of and behind the camera.

STARRING: Alan Cumming, Brian Cox, Shirley Henderson, Alexandra Shipp

DIRECTED BY: Brian Cox

Broken English

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Venice International Film Festival 2025 -
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: BFI London Film Festival 2025 -

Broken English is a bold and imaginative documentary portrait of the inimitable singer, songwriter and icon Marianne Faithfull.

A survivor, provocateur and true original, Marianne spent more than six decades defying expectations, releasing over thirty-five albums while constantly reinventing herself.

Made with her full involvement, Broken English is an intimate and unflinching exploration of a fractured yet unbreakable life shaped by fame, creativity and relentless public scrutiny.

The film unfolds within the “Ministry of Not Forgetting”, an imagined, cinematic institution where memory and mythology collide. The Ministry is presided over by Tilda Swinton as The Overseer, and George MacKay (also starring in & Sons at this year’s Festival) serves as The Record Keeper, poring over Faithfull’s life and career.

Broken English is a genre-defying act of resilience and rebellion — Marianne Faithfull’s final fearless declaration, her defiant swan song.

STARRING: Marianne Faithfull, Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Zawe Ashton

DIRECTED BY: Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth

Words of War

From James Strong, director of the acclaimed mini-series Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Words of War tells the powerful true story of world-renowned journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya.

Maxine Peake (also starring in I Swear at this year’s Festival) expertly portrays Politkovskaya’s brave crusade, putting her life in jeopardy by fighting to be an independent voice of truth for the Russian people. She refused to give up reporting on the war in Chechnya despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence, including being poisoned.

Sparring with Peake on the silver screen is Jason Isaacs, in the role of Politkovskaya’s husband Sasha - a TV journalist who can barely hide his jealousy of his wife’s success. Irish screen legend Ciarán Hinds also joins the cast as Dmitry Muratov, Anna’s editor of the independent paper Novaya Gazeta.

Politkovskaya’s legacy lives on, and her story serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting the right to report the news without fear of death or reprisal.

STARRING: Maxine Peake, Ciarán Hinds, Jason Isaacs

DIRECTED BY: James Strong

Christy

- WINNER: Grand Prix, Berlin International Film Festival Generation -
- WINNER: Best Irish Film, Galway Film Fleadh -

Seventeen-year-old Christy is at a crossroads. He’s just been thrown out of his pleasant suburban foster home and moved in with his estranged older brother Shane. As far as Shane is concerned this is a temporary arrangement, but Christy begins to feel at home on Cork’s working class north side. 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 steer him away from this crowd.

Shane wants something better for Christy at any cost – even if it means he has to push him away. After so many years apart, the brothers need to now reconcile their turbulent past whilst deciding what the future looks like.

Christy draws inspiration from the lived experiences of the young people involved, assembling much of its ensemble cast from the Kabin Studio in Cork, a non-profit community space that has grown out of a love for hip hop and art.

Winner of The Grand Prix at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, as well as Best Irish Film at the Galway Film Fleadh, Christy is a punchy drama not to be missed.

STARRING: Danny Power, Diarmuid Noyes, Emma Willis, Cara Cullen

DIRECTED BY: Brendan Canty

The Dead of Winter

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Locarno Film Festival 2025 -

Witness British screen-legend Emma Thompson as you’ve never seen her before in this tense, gripping, and icy thriller...

When she’s unexpectedly hit by a blizzard, grief-stricken loner Barb (Thompson) gets lost among the backroads near a Minnesotan lake.

While stopping to ask for help at a remote cabin in the woods, Barb discovers a young woman (Laurel Marsden), who has been kidnapped by an armed and desperate couple (Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca), intent on murder.

Isolated in the desolate frozen wilds and without cell service, Barb realises she is this woman’s only hope of survival.

From Irish director Brian Kirk (My Boy Jack) and featuring a career-best performance from Thompson, this gritty, pulse-pounding trip is guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat.

STARRING: Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca, Laurel Marsden

DIRECTED BY: Brian Kirk

Moss & Freud

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: BFI London Film Festival 2025 -

Ellie Bamber (also starring in Words of War at this year’s Festival) and Derek Jacobi bring the respective supermodel and painter to life in this exquisite drama.

Set in 2002, Kate Moss is at the height of her success and at a moment of transition as she prepares for motherhood. After revealing that one of her life goals is to have her portrait painted by Lucian Freud, the enigmatic artist invites Moss to his studio.

Infamously private and fiercely guarded, Freud begins to unravel Moss’ hidden depths, and as the two British cultural icons converge, a lasting bond is formed.

As their mesmerising rapport develops, Kate discovers her true self, and Freud finds his eternal muse.

Bamber and Jacobi wonderfully portray these iconic figures, enabling audiences to witness the personal interaction that took place behind closed doors.

This impressive feature debut from Oscar-winning New Zealand writer/director James Lucas (the film is a UK/NZ co-production) is a tender portrait of self-reflection and an unexpectedly transformative friendship.

Don’t miss the gorgeous visuals, elegant writing and captivating performances of Moss & Freud!

STARRING: Ellie Bamber, Derek Jacobi

DIRECTED BY: James Lucas

The North

Prepare to be transported to the striking beauty of the Scottish wilderness in The North, a visceral journey through sheets of rain, craggy cliffs and lonesome beaches.

A decade after being best friends and roommates, Chris and Lluis set out on a 600 kilometre hike through the Scottish Highlands. Following the West Highland Way and The Cape Wrath Trail, they spend 30 days together in nature - hoping to rekindle their once-powerful friendship.

But while Chris remains preoccupied with work and life back at home, Lluis is determined to finish the trail to prove he can do it. The solitude and silence of the Highlands forces them to confront harsh truths about themselves, their friendship, and what it truly means to stand still and listen.

Set against the pace and demands of long-distance hiking, The North depicts the intricacies and challenges of both friendship and internal human struggles against the backdrop of the beautifully stark landscapes of the Highlands.

Director Bart Schrijver was inspired to make the film after walking New Zealand’s own Te Araroa hike.

STARRING: Bart Harder, Carles Pulido

DIRECTED BY: Bart Schrijver

Islands

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Berlin International Film Festival 2025 -

Tom (Sam Riley, Control) is the tennis coach at a luxurious island hotel, filling his time between lessons with booze and brief affairs. The arrival of the Maguire family pulls Tom out of his normal routine and he strikes up a relationship with Anne (Stacy Martin, The Brutalist), her husband Dave (Jack Farthing, Spencer) and their son Anton. Tom is unable to shake the feeling that he has met Anne before, and this tension grows between them until one night, Dave goes missing and the police investigation points to both Anne and Tom as suspects. With Islands, Festival audiences are in for a “scorching, sun-frazzled Hitchcockian delight” (The Standard).

STARRING: Sam Riley, Stacy Martin, Jack Farthing

DIRECTED BY: Jan-Ole Gerster

Re-Creation

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Tribeca Film Festival 2025 -

Part courtroom drama, part true crime documentary, the extraordinarily inventive Re-Creation delves into one of Ireland’s most shocking unsolved crimes.

In 1996, French filmmaker Sophie Toscan Du Plantier was murdered at her holiday home in West Cork. English journalist Ian Bailey was investigated by Irish authorities, but never faced trial in Ireland - despite the fact he was tried and convicted in absentia by the French government.

Re-Creation directors Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father) and David Merriman have constructed a fascinating mix of fiction and reality that explores the question: what if Bailey had been tried in Ireland?

The film skilfully brings audiences into the room as a fictional jury sorts through the facts, inconsistencies and inconvenient truths that make the case so intriguing to this day.

With spectacular performances from the ensemble cast, headed by the remarkable Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), Re-Creation is an unmissable entry in this year’s line-up.

STARRING: Vicky Krieps, Jim Sheridan, Aidan Gillen, Colm Meaney

DIRECTED BY: Jim Sheridan and David Merriman

Lollipop

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Edinburgh International Film Festival 2024 -

In this absorbing drama, Posy Sterling (The Outrun) delivers a powerful performance as Molly, a young mum from East London who has lost everything while in prison.

After serving four months, Molly assumes it will be a matter of hours before she can collect her kids from foster care - but she now faces a longer ordeal than anticipated...

Molly finds herself in the mother of all catch-22s: she can’t get housing because she doesn’t have her kids living with her; but she can’t get them back without a roof over her head.

Molly has just six months to get housing and turn her life around before a judge in the family court makes the final determination whether her children will remain in long-term foster care, or return to live with her.

A glimmer of hope in Molly’s world is reconnecting with her best friend from school, Amina, who also finds herself on hard times. Leaning on their friendship, can Molly and Amina beat the system and take destiny into their own hands?

Book now for this incredibly passionate and moving tale.

STARRING: Posy Sterling, Idil Ahmed, TerriAnn Cousins

DIRECTED BY: Daisy-May Hudson

Christmas Karma

From visionary British director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham, Blinded By The Light), Christmas Karma sees ones of history’s greatest novels - Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol transformed into a joyous, colourful, feel-good Christmas musical that celebrates modern-day London and all of its vibrant communities and cultures. With an all-star cast and music from Gary Barlow, Nitin Sawhney and Shaznay Lewis, the film features an eclectic soundtrack influenced by gospel, bhangra, carols, rap and classic pop songs. Christmas Karma is a festive British classic for our times, and for generations to come, that promotes a strong message to be kind, choose love and celebrate the present.

STARRING: Kunal Nayyar, Eva Longoria, Billy Porter, Boy George, Hugh Bonneville, Danny Dyer, Pixie Lott, Leo Suter

DIRECTED BY: Gurinder Chadha

Four Mothers

- WINNER: Audience Award, BFI London Film Festival 2024 -

Edward (James McArdle, Mary Queen of Scots, Mare of Easttown), a novelist saddled with caring for his elderly mother, Alma (Fionnula Flanagan, Waking Ned Devine) finally finds himself on the brink of literary success.

With pressure to go on a US book tour mounting, the last thing Edward needs is his friends jetting off to Spain for an impromptu Pride holiday, leaving their mothers on his doorstep!

Over a chaotic weekend, he has to juggle his burgeoning career with the care of four eccentric, combative, and wildly different ladies.

An Irish twist on the acclaimed Italian hit Mid-August Lunch, this uplifting comedy and tender drama takes an unlikely found family on an emotionally charged journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

Book your tickets now for this Irish charmer, winner of the BFI London Film Festival Audience Award!

STARRING: James McArdle, Fionnula Flanagan, Niamh Cusack, Dearbhla Molloy

DIRECTED BY: Darren Thornton

The Golden Spurtle

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 -
- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Telluride Film Festival 2025 -

Dating back to neolithic times, few culinary traditions have survived as long as the hearty bowl of morning porridge. Despite its simple recipe of oats, salt and water there is a lot that can vary.

Each year the sleepy highland village of Carrbridge awakens with excitement as locals and competitors from around the globe vie for the honour of winning The Golden Spurtle in the World Porridge Making Championships.

For ageing, charismatic, and soon-to-retire protagonist Charlie Miller, this competition means so much more than just a bowl of steaming oats. With ailing health but a responsibility to his fellow porridge committee members, Charlie is on a mission to secure the future of the championships – and his own legacy.

Against the backdrop of the breathtaking Scottish Highlands and infused with whimsical humour of an eclectic cast, The Golden Spurtle captures the humanity of village life and those who visit with spurtle in hand.

DIRECTED BY: Constantine Costi

Gerry Adams: A Ballymurphy Man

- WINNER: Best International Documentary, Galway Film Fleadh -

Irish republican leader Gerry Adams is one of the most controversial political leaders and visionaries of our time, having led the people of the North of Ireland from conflict to peace.

Adams was a critical voice in the decision taken independently by the IRA to lay down their arms after their twenty-five-year war against the British. Imprisoned and shot, he was demonised and censored by dominant media as a subversive and a terrorist.

Ultimately, the British and their allies were forced to recognize his legitimacy and negotiate with him - and his party Sinn Féin - the Irish peace accord known as ‘The Good Friday Agreement’.

Today, Adams supports the next generations on their peaceful and inclusive path toward Irish unity.

An intensely private man, protecting his family from the public eye, Adams tell his story for the first time in this eye-opening documentary. Interwoven with his words, a wealth of imagery of what is one of the most documented conflicts of our time gives an insight into Adams’ world - relaxed, informal, and uncensored.

DIRECTED BY: Trisha Ziff

Beat the Lotto

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: Dublin International Film Festival 2025 -

Beat the Lotto is a rip-roaring tale about the mathematician who, along with a ragtag syndicate, plotted to fix Ireland’s National Lottery in 1992, captivating the nation and sparking rabid debate.

In Ireland, the public became obsessed when the National Lottery arrived, none more so than mathematician and avid stamp-collector Stefan Klincewicz. Using mathematical analysis, he reckoned the system could be beaten if he could just gather enough people to form a syndicate to buy every single ticket combination – and front up all the cash, of course.

Director Ross Whitaker fashions this unbelievable true story into a gripping thriller, mirroring the tension felt by the public as the lottery authorities caught wind of the plan.

With insightful interviews and fantastic archival footage, Beat the Lotto is a look back at Ireland in the 1990s and a compelling tale of one man’s attempt to outsmart the system.

DIRECTED BY: Ross Whitaker

Twiggy

- OFFICIAL SELECTION: BFI London Film Festival 2024 -

An intimate, star-studded dive into the birth of an icon, and everything that followed, Twiggy is a look at the life of the greatest ‘it-girl’ of all time.

Director Sadie Frost follows up her 2021 documentary Quant with another deep dive into the story of a fashion legend. This time it’s the model and cultural icon Dame Lesley Lawson - better known as Twiggy.

This slick documentary features a combination of fascinating archival footage and new interviews with stars such as Dustin Hoffman, Paul McCartney, Charlotte Tilbury, Joanna Lumley, and many more.

Telling her story for the first time herself, Twiggy is an exploration of the model’s upbringing, career, relationships, and everything else that has made her the woman she is today.

STARRING: Twiggy, Dustin Hoffman, Paul McCartney, Joanna Lumley

DIRECTED BY: Sadie Frost

A Room With a View

A Room With a View captured the attention of the world upon its release, bringing the novel by E.M. Forster to dazzling life in the Florentine countryside and in the well-appointed homes of the English Edwardian upper classes. A comedy of manners with a quick wit and impeccable comic timing, A Room With A View is also a portrait of the quiet solitude that lies beneath Forster’s characters, and of the need for human connection in a world of rigid convention.

The young Englishwoman Lucy Honeychurch (played by Helena Bonham Carter), arrives in Florence on a Baedecker-style grand tour with her aunt Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). Through a series of events involving English expatriates Miss Eleanor Lavish, an unflappable novelist (Judi Dench), and the Emersons, a free-thinking father and son (played by Denholm Elliot and Julian Sands), Lucy’s life is changed forever under a loggia in Florence and in the Tuscan countryside.

Ivory’s delicate and playful direction spirits us from an adventure in the back alleys of Florence, lost with Dench and Smith, to the lace-parasolled rigidity of English lawn parties. Shot on location in and around Florence (including unforgettable scenes in the Piazza della Signoria and at Giotto’s frescoes in Santa Croce), A Room With A View made stars not only of Bonham Carter, Day Lewis and Sands, but of the Tuscan landscapes and Puccini arias (as sung by Kiri Te Kanawa) featured throughout.

STARRING: Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Denholm Elliot, Julian Sands

DIRECTED BY: James Ivory

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Maggie Smith earned her first Academy Award for this beloved period drama, originally released in 1969. Smith plays the titular Jean Brodie, a headstrong and liberated young teacher at a private school in 1930s Edinburgh. Eccentric but inspirational, Miss Brodie prefers to avoid any sort of curriculum in favour of what she feels her young female charges should know about life. Outside of class, a small group of girls compete for her favour, but their initial devotion eventually leads to jealousies, betrayal and tragedy. Based on the acclaimed novel and stage play by Muriel Spark, make time during this year’s Festival to revisit Maggie Smith’s award-winning performance.

STARRING: Maggie Smith, Robert Stephens, Pamela Franklin, Gordon Jackson, Celia Johnson

DIRECTED BY: Ronald Neame