Bord Scannán na hÉireann / The Irish Film Board (Ireland): 8

An animated fantasy film, Song of the Sea (2014), was directed and co-produced by Tomm Moore. It tells the story of Conor, a lighthouse keeper on an island off the coast of Ireland. He lives with his son Ben, pregnant wife Bronagh, and their Old English Sheepdog Cú. One night, Bronagh mysteriously disappears after giving birth to their daughter Saoirse. Six years later, Conor is heartbroken, Saoirse doesn’t speak, and Ben resents her for his mother’s disappearance. On Saoirse’s birthday, their grandmother visits and criticizes their home as an unsuitable place to raise children. That night, Ben ...

Calvary (2014) is an Irish drama film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. In the film, Father James is confronted with a troubled soul who confesses to him about suffering sexual abuse from a priest in his childhood. Shocked by this revelation, Father James offers sympathy for the man’s pain. However, things take a dark turn when the man reveals his plan to murder Father James as revenge for the indifference towards priestly child abuse. In a twisted logic, the man believes that killing an innocent priest will spark more outrage than punishing a guilty one. He gives Father James one week before carrying ...

Based on the legends of Ragnar Lodbrok, a renowned Viking leader feared for his ruthless raids on Anglo-Saxon England and West Francia, Vikings (2013–2020) portrays his rise from a simple farmer in Kattegat to a Scandinavian king. With the help of his family and fellow warriors, Ragnar’s fame only grows as he continues to pillage England. As the show progresses, it also delves into the stories of his sons and their own daring exploits across Europe, Asia, and North America. It broadly follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew, family and descendants as described in the 13th-century ...

The Guard (2011), a buddy cop comedy from Ireland, is written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. It follows the story of Sergeant Gerry Boyle, an officer with the Garda Síochána in the Connemara district. Boyle is known for his brash and aggressive demeanor, often turning to drugs and alcohol while on duty. However, he also has a softer side and demonstrates care for his sick mother, Eileen. Along with his new colleague Aidan McBride, Boyle is tasked with investigating a murder that seems to be linked to an occult serial killer. During this time, he attends a briefing led by American FBI agent Wendell Everett who ...

This Must Be the Place (2011), an Italian-French-Irish drama directed and written by Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello respectively, tells the story of Cheyenne. The former wealthy rock star has been living a mundane and uninspired life in Dublin for the past two decades. His retirement was prompted by the tragic suicides of two of his teenage fans. Seeking some sort of redemption, he makes the journey to New York to make amends with his dying father, only to arrive too late. His justification for not being in contact for 30 years was due to his father’s rejection when he began experimenting with goth ...

The Secret of Kells (2009) is an animated fantasy film set in 9th-century Ireland during the Viking expansion. It follows the story of Brendan, a curious and brave boy living in an Abbey under the watchful eye of his stern uncle, Abbot Cellach. The Abbot’s main concern is protecting the Abbey from Viking attacks by building a wall around it. Brendan is apprenticed in the monastery’s scriptorium where he first hears about Brother Aidan, the renowned creator of the Book of Iona. As he becomes more fascinated with the illuminator and his unfinished masterpiece, Aidan arrives in Kells with his unique white cat, Pangur Bán, after escaping a raid on his ...

Six Shooter (2004), a short film by Martin McDonagh, follows Donnelly as he receives the news of his wife’s passing. As the doctor breaks the devastating news that she died at 3 o’clock that morning, Donnelly is brought to her bedside. However, the doctor must quickly excuse himself due to a chaotic scene at the hospital. Two cot deaths and a woman whose son ‘shot the poor head off her’ have caused an influx of patients. Left alone with his wife, Donnelly struggles to find the right words and instead gives her a photo of their pet rabbit, David. On his train ride home, Donnelly finds himself ...

The biographical period drama film, Michael Collins (1996), was written and directed by Neil Jordan. As the Easter Rising of 1916 comes to an end, the Irish republicans at their headquarters in Dublin surrender to the British Army. Tragically, several prominent figures of the Rising, including Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, Tom Clarke and James Connolly are executed by firing squad. The only exception is Éamon de Valera, who is spared due to his American citizenship but is detained with Michael Collins and Harry Boland. After Sinn Féin’s victory in the 1918 Irish general election, they unilaterally declare ...