Synopsis

“The winners write the history; the losers write the songs,” so says Branwen, one of a new wave of Irish musicians featured in this loose and likeable tapestry of Ireland’s contemporary folk music scene. Funny, talented, and politically outspoken, these rebel artists are redefining Ireland’s traditional folk music, acknowledging the country’s colonial past and its painful legacy, while looking toward a better future—if not a utopia, at least an improvement on what came before.

Unfolding like a musical jam session, we meet and listen to a wide array of musicians—young, old, white, Black, guitarists, and rappers—offering up alternative folk songs that evoke the past, yet, as one cheeky bandmate says, are played “to scare priests and politicians.” The film also contrasts their present with evocative archival footage of Ireland’s recent history depicting its deeply conservative roots. With a form as irreverent as its subjects, Celtic Utopia is a wry and raw celebration of Irish culture, language, and yes, its fighting spirit.

Synopsis

Nestled along Ireland’s Western coast, Galway holds a magnetic attraction for artists of all stripes. Through a series of interviews with writers, musicians, poets, and painters, Cumar ( Irish for “confluence”) crafts a portrait of the metropolis as seen through the eyes of its artists. This visually sumptuous, reflective ode to the city itself explores Galway’s rich history of artistic excellence and its enduring influence on its residents.

Synopsis

Stricken with grief after his parents’ death, the reclusive, extremely shy 28-year-old John Cunliffe is attacked on the street. As he recovers in the hospital, both physically and mentally, he begins to fall for his nurse Siobhán. Upon his release from the ward, he begins to abandon his hermit-like ways and open his heart to the world. Featuring stunning, mist-covered landscapes and a magnetic lead performance, this adaptation of Donal Ryan’s The Thing about December is an emotional character study of one man’s journey to embrace life.