John Carney’s Power Ballad, the acclaimed filmmaker’s latest musical-comedy, will have its World Premiere as the Closing Gala of the 2026 Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF). The special event will take place on March 1st at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, a first in the festival’s history, and will see stars Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas walk the red carpet in Dublin.
Tickets for the high-profile screening go on sale tomorrow, Thursday 22nd January, for DIFF Members Club and Festival Pass holders, with general release at 9am on Friday, 23rd January. Prices start from €38, available from diff.ie and bordgaisenergytheatre.ie.
The film follows Rick (Paul Rudd), a past-his-prime wedding singer who crosses paths with Danny (Nick Jonas), a fading boyband star, during a gig. After bonding over music and a late-night jam session, the two develop an unlikely friendship—one that soon disrupts both their lives in surprising ways.
Described as a rousing, feel-good celebration of music, friendship, self-respect, and the price of ambition, Power Ballad promises a suitably uplifting finale for this year’s festival.
Produced by Anthony Bregman and Peter Cron for Likely Story, alongside Robert Walpole and Rebecca O’Flanagan for Treasure Entertainment, Power Ballad was financed by 30WEST in partnership with Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, with Lionsgate acquiring the rights for the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland; and WME Independent handling international sales.
I’m delighted to have our film, Power Ballad, close this year’s festival. It’s apt to go out, after so many great films, with a bang of music and fun. Who wouldn’t want to watch Paul Rudd throw Nick Jonas off a balcony? (Seriously, that happens in our movie.)
John Carney, Writer/Director
A big thank you to Bord Gáis Energy Theatre for being a part of a DIFF first, showcasing our closing night film in their beautiful theatre, and for Lionsgate UK and to the wonderful team at Treasure Entertainment and director John Carney in entrusting us to make it all happen. It’s the perfect closing film for the 2026 festival, which features a record number of Irish features – the future of Irish cinema has never looked so bright.
Gráinne Humphreys – Festival Director, DIFF
The full DIFF 2026 programme will be unveiled on January 27th.
About the Dublin International Film Festival
The Dublin International Film Festival is Ireland’s leading film event, renowned for showcasing the best of contemporary and classic world cinema. Over its 24-year history, it has screened more than 2,000 films from 52 countries and welcomed over 600 high-profile guests, including Al Pacino, Angela Lansbury, Brendan Gleeson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Danny DeVito, Ennio Morricone, and Julie Andrews.
DIFF 2026 is supported by its Principal Funder, the Arts Council; Industry Partner, Screen Ireland; Global Partner, Avolon; Hotel Partner, The Merrion; and Media Partners, RTÉ, Pearl & Dean, and Screen International. Additional support comes from Outer Limits, Wells Cargo, Virgin Media, and Dublin City Council.
About John Carney
Dublin-born filmmaker John Carney began his creative career as a musician with The Frames before transitioning into film. His breakout feature, Once (2006), won the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance and the Oscar for Best Original Song, introducing global audiences to “Falling Slowly.” Carney has since written and directed internationally celebrated films including Begin Again (2013) and Sing Street (2016), which opened DIFF that same year.