LISTEN TO THE LAND SPEAK
Presented in association with DC Environmental Film Festival (DCEFF)
Sunday, March 1 • 11:50 AM • T2
The screening will include a special guest introduction by Ruán Magan.
Documentary Feature | East Coast Premiere | Award Winner
Generously sponsored by Meredyth A. Woody
Filmed over four seasons, this documentary follows the late Manchán Magan’s journey to reveal the profound knowledge and wisdom contained in Irish landscape and myths, exploring how they have shaped the way we look at the world. Unfolding from Winter Solstice to Bealtaine through Reek Sunday to Samhain—the film navigates how the stories and myths associated with rivers, mountains, and lands are crucial to unlocking aspects of how we need to rebuild our relationship with nature today. Along his journey, Magan meets respected archaeologists, mythologists, writers, and shamans that offer different perspectives on how our ancestors related to the landscape. As he seeks to help heal society’s relationship with nature, the film also becomes a deeply personal story, when Manchán unexpectedly realises that there is a serious illness within himself that makes him see these ancient sites and beliefs in a whole new light.
DIR Maurice O’Brien; SCR Manchán Magan; PROD Zlata Filipnovic; CAST Manchán Magan; DOP Michael O’Donovan; SCORE Michael Fleming. Ireland, 2025, color, 75 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AWARDS: Best Cinematography in Irish Film Award - Galway Film Fleadh 2025
“Listen to the Land Speak is stunning to watch, full of dramatic, star-soaked cinematography. Ireland has rarely looked so beautiful.” - The Irish Examiner
“Beautifully made...” - The Irish Times
"...looks for true soul of Ireland in the landscape—without a data centre or supermarket in sight.” - The Irish Independent
Funded by RTÉ, Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee, Lifeblood Films, and the support of incentives for the Irish Film Industry provided by the Government of Ireland.
🎟 For further information regarding bookings:
Please call 301-495-6720 between M-F, 9 AM - 5:30 PM or email silverinfo@AFI.com
Maurice O’Brien directed and produced numerous critically-acclaimed, award-winning films for amongst others the BBC, RTE, Screen Scotland, Screen Ireland and Guardian Documentaries.
Most recently he finished series-directing LISTEN TO THE LAND SPEAK, a collaboration with Crossing the Line Films and Manchán Magan, which premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh 2025 where it won the coveted award for Best Cinematography. His 2024 feature documentary, CHASING THE LIGHT (Screen Ireland / RTÉ / C na M), premiered at Cork International Film Festival 2024 where it competed for Best Irish Film and was released theatrically nationwide. It has since won multiple awards including Best Feature Documentary at Louth International Film Festival and screened at almost 20 festivals around the world.
DINNER AND A MOVIE DEAL
Our festival partner, McGinty's Public House, has generously offered an ongoing discount from February 27 through March 2 for all CIFF ticket holders! When you dine at the restaurant, show your CIFF ticket or pass for a 10% off discount on your bill. Located just around the corner from AFI Silver Theatre, McGinty's (911 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD 20910) is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat between screenings.
The Capital Irish Film Festival is supported by the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Embassy of Ireland, Northern Ireland Bureau, Northern Ireland Screen, and the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International Programme supported by Culture Ireland. Solas Nua is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
