The 37th Galway Film Fleadh has ended this evening with a sold-out screening of The Life of Chuck, the closing film of the festival, directed by Mike Flanagan and based on the novella by Stephen King. The screening followed the presentation of this year’s prestigious awards, recognising the exceptional achievements in Irish and international filmmaking across the festival programme.
Over six days, the Fleadh screened 97 feature films, including 44 Irish features, and more than 100 shorts from Ireland and the rest of the world, welcoming filmmakers and audiences from around the world to celebrate bold storytelling, new voices, and cinematic excellence.
The Best Irish Film, in association with Element Pictures, was awarded to CHRISTY, written by Alan O’Gorman, directed by Brendan Canty and produced by Marina Brackenbury, Meredith Duff and Rory Gilmartin.
The Best Irish First Feature went to HORSESHOE, directed by Edwin Mullane and Adam O’Keeffe, written by Adam O’Keeffe and produced by Mo O’Connell, Edwin Mullane and Adam O’Keeffe.
The Best Irish Feature Documentary, supported by Danú Media, was awarded to SANATORIUM, directed by Gar O’Rourke and produced by Andrew Freedman, Ken Wardrop and Samantha Corr.
The Bingham Ray New Talent Award, supported by Magnolia Pictures, was awarded to Jessica Reynolds for her role in The Wolf, The Fox & The Leopard.
The Best Irish Language Feature Film was awarded to Báite, directed by Ruán Magan, written by Sheena Lambert and produced by Siobhán Ní Ghadhra and John Brady.
The James Horgan Award for Best Animation Short, supported by Animation Ireland, was awarded to Éiru, written and directed by Giovanna Ferrari and produced by Nora Twomey.
The Best Independent Irish Film, supported by Moore Ireland, was awarded jointly to Donncha Gilmore’s Girls & Boys and Eamonn Murphy’s Solitary.
The Audience Award went to Lance Daly’s Trad.
Several awards were also given to projects presented at the Galway Film Fair, including Gary Lennon’s John Lennon’s Island (Best Documentary Project, supported by Impronta Films) and Fiona Ashe’s Beneath the Surface (Audience Design Award, supported by Síle Culley).
Full list of 2025 Award Winners:
- Best International Short Animation – LUZ DIABLA
- Joe McMahon Award for Best International Short Drama/Fiction – HEAT ME
- Best International Short Documentary – THE MIRACLE OF LIFE & WE WERE THE SCENERY (Joint Winners)
- Best First Short Animation (Brown Bag Films) – ONE TRACK MIND
- James Flynn Award for Best First Short Drama – INTERNAL BLEEDING
- Best Cinematography in a Short Film (ISC Award) – THE AXE FORGETS
- Peripheral Visions Award – VITRIVAL – THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE IN THE WORLD
- Generation Jury Award – WHERE THE WIND COMES FROM
- Best International Feature Film – DRAGONFLY
- Best International Documentary – GERRY ADAMS – A BALLYMURPHY MAN
- Best International Independent Film – ADULT CHILDREN
- Best Cinematography in an Irish Film (Teach Solais Award) – LISTEN TO THE LAND SPEAK
- Best Documentary Project (Marketplace with Impronta Films) – John Lennon’s Island, Gary Lennon
- Audience Design Award (Síle Culley) – Beneath the Surface, Fiona Ashe
- Best Marketplace Project (Bankside Films) – Ten Mickeys, Cristian Nicolescu
- The Pitching Award (Wild Atlantic Pictures) – The Body + Blood, Carol Murphy
- Bingham Ray New Talent Award (Magnolia Pictures) – Jessica Reynolds (The Wolf, The Fox & The Leopard)
- Best Irish Language Feature Film – BÁITE, directed by Ruán Magan
- James Horgan Award for Best Animation Short (Animation Ireland) – ÉIRU, directed by Giovanna Ferrari
- Best Independent Irish Film (Moore Ireland) – SOLITARY & GIRLS & BOYS (Joint Winners)
- Best Short Documentary (TG4) – DRAGON’S TEETH
- Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama – THREE KEENINGS
- World Cinema Competition – WINTER IN SOKCHO, directed by Koya Kamura
- Audience Award – TRAD, directed by Lance Daly
The Galway Film Fleadh is supported by The Arts Council of Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, TG4, Coimisiún na Meán, Galway City Council and Fáilte Ireland.