Dónall Ó Héalaí (Arracht), Moe Dunford (The Dry), Danielle Galligan (House of Guinness) and Olwen Fouéré (The Northman) will lead the cast of Landlines, the debut feature from writer-director Tristan Heanue, which is currently in production in Connemara.
Set against the spectacular backdrop of Ireland’s west coast, Landlines is an intimate rural drama exploring family, inheritance and the devastating consequences of broken promises.
James Moran (Dónall Ó Héalaí) has spent his life working the family farm, on the promise that one day it would be his. But after the sudden death of his father, ownership of the land falls to his mother, Annie (Olwen Fouéré), whose decision to divide the farm between James and his estranged brother, Thomas (Moe Dunford), shatters the future James had imagined with his wife, Katie (Danielle Galligan). As resentment turns to obsession, his determination to reclaim what he believes is rightfully his threatens to tear his family apart.
The Irish-UK-Belgian co-production is written and directed by Tristan Heanue. Produced by Peadar King and Claire McCabe for Black Gate Productions, in co-production with Collie McCarthy and Diarmuid Hughes for Forty Foot Pictures and Beata Saboova and Benoît Roland for Wrong Men Films. Executive producers are Eamon Day Lavelle, Greg Martin, Keith Kehoe, Philippa Nicholl, Michael Reuter, Seb Barker, Nell Roddy and Robert McCann Finn. Cinematographer is Narayan Van Maele, with production design by Diarmuid Wolfe, costume design by Aisling Wallace Byrne and editing by Michele Chiappa.
Landlines is supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, TPC and The Post Republic UK. Break Out Pictures will distribute the film in Ireland and the UK, with a theatrical release planned for 2027.
Heanue, a Connemara native making his feature debut, said the film grew out of stories he had gathered over many years. “Over the years, I’ve heard so many stories about inheritance disputes that began with a misunderstanding or a lack of communication and ended with families never speaking again — or worse,” he said. “What fascinated me was how quickly land could become more important than the people fighting over it, and what people were willing to do to hold onto it. From the outset, I wanted to tell a story that explores that journey, while offering the possibility that compassion, rather than violence, can break the cycle.”
About Tristan Heanue
Heanue is an award-winning filmmaker from Connemara, Co. Galway. Since 2013 he has written and directed a series of acclaimed short films, including Today, Ciúnas (Silence) and Harvest. His work has won numerous national and international awards, including the Grand Prix at Cork International Film Festival, the Writers Guild of Ireland Short Script of the Year Award and the George Byrne Maverick Award, while earning two IFTA nominations for Best Short Film. In 2026 he was named by the Irish Independent as one of its Ones to Watch, recognising him as a rising voice in Irish cinema.