Frank Berry’s The Lost Children of Tuam has taken the Best Irish Film award as the 38th Galway Film Fleadh closed on Sunday evening following six days of Irish and international cinema, the festival’s biggest edition to date.
The Audience Award went to Learning to Breathe Underwater, Rebekah Fortune’s coming-of-age drama shot entirely in Galway and written by Richard Brabin, produced by Jack Tarling, Patrick O’Neill, Heather Higgins and Ivan McMahon. The film earned the highest audience score of this year’s programme.
The results capped a landmark year for the Fleadh, with record attendances across both the festival and its industry strand, the Galway Film Fair, which welcomed its largest-ever gathering of producers, financiers, sales agents, distributors and broadcasters. Thousands attended screenings, premieres, masterclasses and panel discussions over the six days, while the Fair’s Marketplace again served as a key financing and development platform for Irish and international projects.
Festival Director Miriam Allen said the response to this year’s edition had been “extraordinary.”
“We experienced record attendances across both the festival and the Galway Film Fair, with audiences embracing Irish and international cinema in remarkable numbers,” she said. “The calibre of filmmaking on display this year has been exceptional, and we’d like to congratulate all of our award winners and everyone who shared their work with audiences in Galway. The Fleadh continues to be a place where filmmakers launch careers, forge international partnerships and celebrate the very best in cinema.”
Speaking about the award, director Frank Berry said “We are all absolutely delighted that The Lost Children of Tuam has won Best Film at the Galway Film Fleadh. This award means a great deal to us, especially after such a moving and unforgettable premiere in Galway.”
“We are so honoured to receive this award and to have been met with such powerful and overwhelming support at the launch of this film, which we will carry with us as we continue its journey and share Catherine’s story with the world. Thank you once again to the Galway Film Fleadh and to our incredible cast, crew and team.” Liam Neeson, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Martina Niland and Jules Daly, Producers
Winners
- Best Irish Film – The Lost Children of Tuam, directed by Frank Berry, written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, produced by Liam Neeson, Jules Daly, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann, Andrew Lowe, Ed Guiney and Martina Niland
- Audience Award – Learning to Breathe Underwater, directed by Rebekah Fortune, written by Richard Brabin, produced by Jack Tarling, Patrick O’Neill, Heather Higgins and Ivan McMahon
- Best Irish First Feature (Element Pictures Award) – You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead, directed and written by Dallan Shovlin, produced by Patrick O’Neill, Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler
- Best Irish Feature Documentary (joint winners) – Try, directed and written by Oisín Mistéil, produced by Claire McCabe; and The S.U, directed and produced by Rob Dennis, Alan Bradley and Sarah Jones
- Best Independent Irish Film – Hollow Trees, directed, written and produced by Cathal Fitzpatrick
- Best Irish Language Film – Cill Stiúifín, directed and written by Kev L. Smith, produced by Kev L. Smith, Donncha Mac Con Iomaire and Deirdre Learmont
- Best International Film – Beautiful Evening Beautiful Day, directed and written by Ivona Juka, produced by Anita Juka
- Best International Documentary – Brace for Oblivion, directed and written by Xackery Irving, produced by Xackery Irving, Rick Santos and James Feeney
- Bingham Ray New Talent Award (Magnolia Pictures) – Peter Young for Our House
The Galway Film Fair also honoured a number of projects still in development: the Bankside Films Best Marketplace Project award went to Fat (Alice Productions), the Impronta Films Best Marketplace Documentary Project award to Dances with Whales (Oxytocin Productions), the Síle Culley Audience Design Award to Violent Delights, and the Wild Atlantic Pictures Pitching Award to Yannick Janey for The Ruin of the Earth.
Short filmmaking was also celebrated across drama, documentary, animation and cinematography categories, with prizes going to The Lacey Way, Happy Hauntings, Daddy’s Girl, A Woman’s Place is Everywhere, Dobrina, A Knock at Your Door, My Friend, Kev, Voideden and Lucky Liam — a slate that underlined the breadth of emerging talent on show this year.
The 38th Galway Film Fleadh was supported by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann. The festival returns in 2027.