SOLAS NUA’S CAPITAL IRISH FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FULL FESTIVAL LINEUP FOR 2026 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER
FILMS FEATURING ÉANNA HARDWICKE, STEVE COOGAN, SENATOR GEORGE MITCHELL, GERRY ADAMS, DOMHNALL GLEESON, ADAM CLAYTON, BOB GELDOF, THE MARY WALLOPERS, OSCAR® AND BAFTA NOMINEES, AND MORE
SAIPAN ANNOUNCED AS FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT FILM WITH IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE FROM DIRECTORS LISA BARROS D’SA AND GLENN LEYBURN [GOOD VIBRATIONS]; INTRODUCTION FROM AMBASSADOR TO IRELAND, GERALDINE BYRNE NASON
Lineup includes 7 North American and 7 East Coast premieres in a list of 18 features; 4 shorts programs (24 titles including a family-focused shorts program); the Norman Houston Award; 12 directorial and feature debuts; award-winning filmmakers; 15 women directors and 17 women writers; in-person conversations, gala screenings, panels, a Pop-Up Gaeltacht, Q&As with visiting filmmakers, special events, and more
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 29, 2026) - Solas Nua, Washington, D.C.’s premier contemporary Irish arts organization, announces the full program for the annual Capital Irish Film Festival (CIFF), presented in partnership with AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, which takes place February 26 - March 1, 2026.
For 20 years, Solas Nua has presented Irish film to audiences in Washington, D.C., celebrating the contemporary culture and rich heritage from across the island of Ireland on screen. CIFF is one of the largest programs of Irish cinema in North America, showcasing the latest narrative and documentary features, shorts, art films, and animation releases by Irish and Ireland-based filmmakers. The four-day festival spotlights emerging voices on Irish screen, celebrates the exceptional talent and passion of contemporary Irish filmmakers, and is a reflection of the robust and vibrant screen industry that has grown in Ireland in recent years.
The program offers D.C. audiences the opportunity to watch some of the most eagerly awaited Irish films of the year, discover Irish talent and explore new titles that would not typically be screened in the U.S. The lineup includes 18 feature films (seven North American and seven regional premieres), four short film programs (24 short films total, including a family shorts program), and the fifth annual Norman Houston Short Film Award. Irish music, politics and the Irish language permeate the program this year, with 14 films in the program featuring Irish dialogue and an opportunity to engage in an Irish language at the CIFF Pop-Up Gaeltacht on Saturday and Sunday.
Themes of reckoning, identity, and renewal abound in films that convey the profound knowledge and wisdom contained in our landscape, myths, and indigenous roots (LISTEN TO THE LAND SPEAK, TRAVELLING BACK [AG TAISTEAL SIAR]); explore the new wave of Irish musicians redefining the Irish folk and trad scene (CELTIC UTOPIA [UTÓIPE CHEILTEACH]), and profile music giants Dónal Lunny (in Nuala O’Connor’s previously announced award-winning intimate portrait IN TIME: DÓNAL LUNNY) and music industry legend BP Fallon and musician (BP FALLON ROCK’N’ROLL WIZARD). Revealing and fascinating portraits of leading figures from the world of Irish politics and history depict their challenges and contributions, and their commitment to peace, democracy and non-violence (DANIEL O'CONNELL: THE EMANCIPATOR, THE NEGOTIATOR—about Senator George Mitchell)—and GERRY ADAMS: A BALLYMURPHY MAN).
The lineup includes some of the most critically acclaimed and highly anticipated Irish narrative feature films from the past year, including opening and closing night films SAIPAN and CHRISTY, Irish language crime and mystery thrillers AONTAS and BÁITE, as well as exciting directorial feature debuts HORSESHOE and GIRLS & BOYS, to discover. The festival will also present a total of seven North American premieres and seven East Coast premieres, films that would otherwise never be seen in the DC metro area.
There are provocative and incisive documentary films including the North American premiere Aoife Kelleher's TESTIMONY, chronicling the fight for justice by survivors of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes and their struggle to hold accountable those responsible for the abuses committed against women and children; BAFTA nominated Myrid Carten's multi-award-winning debut A WANT IN HER, (2025 Best Feature Documentary, British Independent Film Award; 2025 British Independent Film Maverick Award; 2025 Winner Helsinki Doc Point Award International Competition), a compelling exploration of the messiness of family love and a daughter’s attempt to navigate family addiction and trauma; the North American premiere of A QUIET LOVE, award-winning director Garry Keane's (IN THE SHADOW OF BEIRUT, GAZA) tender cinematic celebration of resilience, connection, and enduring love that follows the remarkable love stories of three Deaf couples through Irish Sign Language (for the first time ever on a featue film): a decades-long forbidden romance across a religious divide, a same-sex couple navigating parenthood with Deaf and hearing children, and a Deaf boxer and his hearing partner facing a life-altering choice; and Gar O’Rourke’s exquisite award-winning directorial debut SANATORIUM (previously announced), about the lives of the residents at a health spa on the edge of Odessa set against the backdrop of the ongoing war, nearby, and Ireland's Official Entry for Best International Film at the 2026 Oscars.
CIFF 2026 celebrates the next generation of Irish talent and introduces audiences to the stars of tomorrow: rising stars of international screen Éanna Hardwicke (SAIPAN, LAKELANDS) and Alison Oliver (CHRISTY, SALTBURN); emerging Irish talent including Carolyn Bracken (HORESEHOE, YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER); Bingham Ray New Talent Award Nominees Eleanor O’Brien (BÁITE, THE LAST RIGHT), Diarmuid Noyes (CHRISTY, PUREBRED), and Edwin Mullane and Adam O’Keeffe (HORSESHOE); Screen International’s 2025 Rising Stars (Ireland): Lewis Brophy (CHRISTY, SEAHORSE) and writer, director, and actor, Hannah Mamalis (NAKED LIGHTS, BABY STEPS); newcomers Danny Power (CHRISTY), Liath Hannon and Adam Lunnon-Collery (GIRLS & BOYS) making their feature acting debuts; and the 2026 Norman Houston Short Film Award winner, writer and director Oliver McGoldrick’s THREE KEENINGS (2026 Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama).
“Over the past two decades, Solas Nua's Capital Irish Film Festival has evolved into a vital platform for showcasing the excellence of Irish cinema, championing bold Irish storytelling and amplifying the next generation that are shaping the future of Irish filmmaking. Marking 20 years of film presentation in DC is an honour and a reminder of how far the festival and the Irish screen industry have come. CIFF is a celebration of creativity and community—it's about the value of congregating together and the power of art and ideas to foster cultural exchange and dialogue. It’s about engaging, connecting, and sharing stories that resonate across borders and generations. This year's program champions the skills, ambition and world class talent in the Irish screen industry and shines a spotlight on Irish language and music, new voices, and screen debuts. We are excited to expand our international partnerships and build new collaborations locally, to bring these stories to D.C. and to give film lovers the opportunity to discover exceptional Irish films and filmmakers.”
— Maedhbh Mc Cullagh, Director, Capital Irish Film Festival
“It’s remarkable that on our 20th anniversary, Solas Nua has brought over 500 Irish films to D.C. over the years. Irish filmmaking continues to offer some of the best narrative experiences, and while we live in an era of streaming, not all films cross into US distribution. The Capital Irish Film Festival is your place to get a pulse on contemporary Ireland.”
— Andrew Dolan, Executive Director, Solas Nua
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
The East Coast premiere gala screening SAIPAN, from award-winning directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, will open CIFF 2026. This nail-biting, darkly comic drama recounts one of the most fractious falling-outs in the history of sport: the explosive clash between soccer star Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke) and manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) on the island of Saipan just days before the Irish national football team competed in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The screening will take place on Thursday, February 26, at 7:00 p.m. at the historic art deco AFI Silver Theatre and will be followed by a Q&A with directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, moderated by Dr. Darragh Gannon, Assistant Teaching Professor and Associate Director of Global Irish Studies, Georgetown University. The Embassy of Ireland has sponsored the opening night reception in the AFI lobby after the discussion, for anyone with opening night tickets and all-access festival passes.
On Friday, February 27, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Bureau, North America, CIFF will present the annual spotlight on Northern Ireland film with a screening of the fifth annual Norman Houston Short Film Award-winning film, Oliver McGoldrick’s debut, THREE KEENINGS (previously announced). This will be presented in a double bill with Trevor Birney’s award-winning feature documentary THE NEGOTIATOR, exploring former U.S. Senator George Mitchell’s pivotal leadership role in chairing peace talks that brought an end to The Troubles and 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland. Presented in partnership with Georgetown University Global Irish Studies Initiative and Queen’s University Belfast, this film asks the question, in a world riven with conflict, what is needed to turn war into peace? The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s producer Stephen Douds; Joan Parsons, Head of Culture and Arts, Queen’s University Belfast; and visiting filmmakers from Northern Ireland. The live discussion will be moderated by The Irish Stew podcast hosts Martin Nutty and John Lee and recorded for a future episode of their award-winning podcast. An onsite, post-discussion reception at AFI for all ticket-holders is generously sponsored by the Northern Ireland Bureau, and bureau director Richard Cushnie will be in attendance.
On Saturday, February 28, the festival will partner with University College Dublin’s Creative Futures Academy to present the North American premiere of the documentary IN TIME: DÓNAL LUNNY (Best Documentary Feature: Kerry International Film Festival) about the life and work of Irish music Legend Dónal Lunny (previously announced). The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Nuala O’Connor and UCD CFA Director, PJ Mathews, who will travel from Ireland for the event.
Also on Saturday, February 28, the festival will present the North American premiere of director Trisha Zaff’s award-winning documentary GERRY ADAMS: A BALLYMURPHY MAN, (Best International Documentary at Galway Film Fleadh, 2025) the first-ever profile of the former political leader and Irish Republican activist Gerry Adams, who helped broker the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. This will be followed by the East Coast premiere of director Ruán Magan’s Irish language murder-mystery feature BÁITE (Best Irish Feature Film at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh), adapted by writer Sheena Lambert from her 2015 novel The Lake, and will include a Q&A with the director, writer, and lead actor, newcomer Eleanor O’Brien.
On Sunday, March 1, highlights include a screening of Ireland's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards Oscar (2026), the previously announced SANATORIUM, followed by a post-screening Q&A with director Gar O’Rourke and Professor Sky Sitney, of the Film and Media Studies Program, Georgetown University, and Co-Founder & Festival Director, DC/DOX, and a screening of the late broadcaster and writer Manchán Magan’s documentary film LISTEN TO THE LAND SPEAK, directed by Maurice O’Brien, and presented in partnership with DC Environmental Film Festival [DCEFF]. This will be followed by the North American premiere of Ruán Magan’s documentary DANIEL O’CONNELL: THE EMANCIPATOR, celebrating the life and legacy of Daniel O’Connell, the first great 19th-century Irish nationalist leader, with newly uncovered archival material and a beautiful original score by Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Presented in partnership with Notre Dame University and University College Cork, the film introduces O’Connell’s ideals to a new generation and reveals how his campaigns reshaped Ireland’s political and cultural landscape, positioning O’Connell as a model for later civil rights figures, including Frederick Douglass, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with leading scholars from the film, including Chanté Mouton Kinyon, Assistant Professor of English, University of Notre Dame and Jay Roszman, historian and lecturer from the School of History, University College Cork. The panel will be moderated by Christopher Morash, author and diplomat.
The final two films of the festival are the most eagerly awaited Irish films of the year: Damian McCann’s award-winning Irish language reverse chronology thriller, AONTAS is a finely tuned and crafted film set against the backdrop of a cost of living crisis and follows three unlikely women who carry out a bold, dramatic robbery on a credit union. The film features unmissable performances by two stalwarts of Irish theatre and screen Carrie Crowley (A QUIET GIRL) and Bríd Brennan (DOINEANN), and has trailblazed across festivals garnering multiple awards since its release.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM:
The festival will close with a gala screening of the internationally acclaimed CHRISTY, a powerfully crafted coming of age story of brotherhood, belonging, and finding your place in the world, set in Knocknaheeny, a working class housing estate in Cork city. In his debut feature, accomplished music-video director Brendan Canty (Hozier’s “Take Me to Church”) mines humor and heart for a crowd-pleasing drama that resists typical social realist pitfalls. The film won the prestigious Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus Jury at the 2025 Berlinale and Best Irish Film at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh. A follow-up to Canty’s 2019 short of the same name, CHRISTY features a breakout performance by new talent Danny Power and rising star Diarmuid Noyes and a standout ensemble cast made up of members of Cork city’s youth project Kabin Studio. The closing film will be attended by Fionnuala Quinlan, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Ireland and will be followed by a closing party at McGinty's Public House, adjacent to AFI.
SHORTS PROGRAMS HIGHLIGHTS:
CIFF 2026 presents 24 titles across four short film programs, including a family-focused program for younger children. The shorts program features a lineup of award-winning filmmakers, including John Kelly with RETIREMENT PLAN, the Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland-supported short film that has been nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards and a selection of Irish short films funded under Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland's flagship Focus Shorts and Frameworks scheme, including Zoe Gibney's I FOUND A PLACE, Jeda de Brí’s NAKED LIGHTS, Helen O’Reilly’s COME BACK, and Paul Ó Muiris’ METEORIC. Screening alongside animation and Irish language shorts is Michael Carolan’s NIGHT DRIVER and Niamh Bryson’s TRASNA NA LÍNE (Across The Line), part of the Virgin Media Discovers series in partnership with Fís Eireann/Screen Ireland.
FESTIVAL DAY-BY-DAY SCHEDULE
DAY 1 | Thursday, February 26, 2026
Opening Night: SAIPAN | 7:00 p.m. | T1 | The screening will be followed by a special guest Q&A with directors Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, moderated by Dr. Darragh Gannon, Assistant Teaching Professor and Associate Director of Global Irish Studies at Georgetown University. Post-screening reception generously sponsored by the Embassy of Ireland, Washington D.C.
DIR Lisa Barros D’Sa & Glenn Leyburn; SCR Paul Fraser; PROD Macdara Kelleher
John Keville, Trevor Birney, Olly Butler; CAST Éanna Hardwicke, Steve Coogan, Peter McDonald, Jamie Beamish, Alice Lowe, Aoife Hinds, Oliver Coopersmith, Alex Murphy, Harriet Cains, Jack Hickey; DOP Piers McGrail, ISC; SCORE David Holmes
Brian Irvine. Ireland, 2025, color, 91 min. In English. NOT RATED
BP FALLON ROCK’N’ROLL WIZARD | 9:30 p.m. | T1
DIR Alan Leonard PROD Niall Carver, Fiona Graham; Ireland, 2025, color, 93 min. In English. NOT RATED
DAY 2 | Friday, February 27, 2026
CIFF2026 SHORTS PROGRAM 1 | 10:00 a.m. | T2
COGAR
DIR/SCR Elaine Marie Kennedy; PROD Claire Cassidy. Ireland, 2025, color, 16 min. In Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
FARMERS!?
DIR/SCR Freddie Leyden; SCR Clare Hoey; PROD Harri Kamalanathan, Jens Nielsen, Sophie Ede. Ireland, 2025, color, 15 min. In English. NOT RATED
BABAI BRAIN
DIR Nikolaj Feifer; SCR Bridin Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh; PROD Ciarán Charles. Ireland, 2025, color, 17 min. In Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
THE INVITATION
DIR Sinead O'Brien; SCR Niamh O'Connor; PROD Sharon Lawless. Ireland, 2025, color, 11 min. In English. NOT RATED
WE BEG TO DIFFER
DIR/SCR Ruairí Bradley; PROD Thomas Purdy, Ruairí Bradley; DOP Daniel Sedgwick; SCORE Reuben Harvey. Northern Ireland, 2025, color, 13 min. In English. NOT RATED
COME BACK
DIR/SCR Helen O Reilly; PROD/SCORE Nathan Griffin; DOP Colm Hogan. Ireland, 2025, color, 15 min. In English. NOT RATED
CONVEYANCE
DIR/SCR Gemma Creagh; PROD Maeve McGrath, Keith Bogue; DOP Jaro Waldek; SCORE Natasa Paulberg. Ireland, 2025, color, 15 min. In English. NOT RATED
TRAVELLING BACK (AG TAISTEAL SIAR) | 10:30 a.m. | T3
DIR Méabh O'Hare; PROD Mary Johnston. Ireland/United Kingdom, 2025, color, 72 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
A QUIET LOVE | 12:10 p.m. | T2
DIR Garry Keane; PROD Anne Heffernan & Seán Herlihy; SCORE Stephen Shannon, DOP Michael O'Donovan; Ireland, 2025, color, 95 min. NOT RATED
A WANT IN HER | 2:15 p.m. | T2
DIR Myrid Carten; PROD Tadhg O’Sullivan, Roisín Geraghty, Kat Mansoor; CAST Myrid Carten, Nuala Carten, Kevin Gallagher; DOP Donna Wade, Myrid Carten, Seán Mullan; SCORE Clarice Jensen. Ireland, 2025, color, 81 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
TESTIMONY | 4:10 p.m. | T2
DIR Aoife Kelleher; Rachel Lysaght; PROD Rachel Lysaght, Farah Abushwesha; DOP Eleanor Bowman, Michael Lavelle. Ireland, 2025, color, 105 min. In English. NOT RATED
THE NEGOTIATOR with THREE KEENINGS (Norman Houston Short Film Award) | 6:30 p.m. | T1 | Award Ceremony | Post-screening panel discussion with producer Stephen Douds and Joan Parsons, Head of Culture & Arts, Queen’s University Belfast, moderated by Martin Nutty and John Lee of the Irish Stew podcast in a live audience recording | Post-screening reception sponsored by the Northern Ireland Bureau, North America
THREE KEENINGS: DIR/SCR/PROD Oliver McGoldrick; PROD Natalie Remplakowski, Cade Featherstone, Chloe Langdon. Northern Ireland, 2025, color, 10 min. In English. NOT RATED
THE NEGOTIATOR: DIR Trevor Birney; SCR Will Cohen; PROD Andrew Tully, Stephen Douds, Trevor Birney; CAST Senator George Mitchell; DOP Carl Best, Allie Humenuk; SCORE James Everett. Ireland, 2025, color, 92 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
GIRLS & BOYS | 9:25 p.m. | T1
DIR Donncha Gilmore; SCR Donncha Gilmore; PROD Gearóid Gilmore; CAST Liath Hannon, Adam Lunnon-Collery, Jenny Maguire, Justin Ensor, Francis O'Mahony, Oisin Flynn, Joseph McGucken; DOP Fionnuala McCormack; SCORE Josh Reichental. Ireland, 2025, color, 85 min. In English. RATED 15A
DAY 3 | Saturday, February 28, 2026
CIFF2026 - SHORTS PROGRAM 2 | 10:00 a.m. | T1
NIGHT DRIVER
DIR/SCR Michael Carolan; PROD Emer Durcan. Ireland, 2025, color, 20 min. In English. NOT RATED
WHINS
DIR/SCR Eimear Fearon; PROD Benjamin Jacob Smith; DOP Thomas McKeown; SCORE Katie Richardson. Northern Ireland, 2025, color, 13 min. In English. NOT RATED
I FOUND A PLACE
DIR/SCR Zoë Gibney; PROD Jo Halpin. Ireland, 2025, color, 8 min. In English. NOT RATED
SEAHORSE
DIR/SCR Rory Keenan; PROD Robert Walpole, Arianna Owens, Rebecca O'Flanagan. Ireland, 2025, color, 17 min. In English. NOT RATED
RETIREMENT PLAN
DIR/SCR John Kelly; SCR Tara Lawall; PROD Andrew Freedman, Julie Murnaghan. Ireland, 2025, color, 7 min. In English. NOT RATED
PUREBRED
DIR/SCR Caleb J. Roberts; PROD Jon Beer, Callum Harrison; DOP Eoin McLoughlin. Northern Ireland, 2025, color, 15 min. In English. NOT RATED
TRASNA NA LÍNE (ACROSS THE LINE)
DIR/SCR Niamh Bryson; SCR Heather O'Sullivan; PROD Lisa Turnbull-Daly, Rosie Sorrell. Ireland, 2025, color, 17 min. In English, Irish, and Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
CIFF2026 - FAMILY FRIENDLY SHORTS PROGRAM | 11:00 a.m. | T3
ÉIRU
DIR/SCR Giovanna Ferrari; PROD Nora Twomey. Ireland, 2025, color, 13 min. In English. NOT RATED
WILDKIND (CINEÁL FIÁIN )
DIR John McDaid; SCR/PROD Ciara Tinney. Northern Ireland, 2025, color, 7 min. In Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
ONE TRACK MIND
DIR/SCR Faye Isherwood Wallace; PROD Rachel Graham. Northern Ireland, 2025, color, 7 min. No dialogue. NOT RATED
IN TIME: DÓNAL LUNNY | 12:05 p.m. | T1 | The screening will be followed by a special guest Q&A with director Nuala O’Connor moderated by P.J. Matthews, Professor of Irish Literature, Drama, and Culture at University College Dublin and Director of the University College Dublin Creative Futures Academy.
DIR Nuala O’Connor; PROD Iarfhlaith Ó Domhnaill; CAST Dónal Lunny, Eoghan MacGiolla Bhríde, Zoë Conway, Graham Henderson, Christy Moore, Méabh Ní Bheaglaoich, Iarfhlaith Ó Domhnaill, Liam Bradley, Judy Lunny, Paddy Glackin, Matt Molloy, Andy Irvine, Cora Venus Lunny, Peter Moran & students of the Creative Futures Academy, UCD, Hugo Hamilton, Frank Harte, Pauline Scanlon, Frank Tate, William Matthews, Hideko Itami, Sola Itami, Angela Singleton; DOP Colm Hogan; SCORE John Brennan, Matthew Thompson. Ireland, 2025, b&w, 95 min. In English. NOT RATED
GERRY ADAMS: A BALLYMURPHY MAN | 2:30 p.m. | T1
DIR/SCR Trisha Ziff; PROD Trisha Ziff; Ross McDonnell; CAST Gerry Adams; DOP Jeronimo Goded; Seamus McGarvey; SCORE Jacobo Lieberman. Ireland, 2025, color and b&w, 117 min. In English. NOT RATED
BÁITE | 5:00 p.m. | T1 | The screening will be followed by a special guest Q&A with director Ruán Magan, writer Sheena Lambert, and actor Eleanor O'Brien moderated by Patrick Meskell, Solas Nua Board Chair Emeritus.
DIR Ruán Magan; SCR Sheena Lambert; PROD Siobhán Ní Ghadhra, John Brady; CAST Eleanor O’Brien, Moe Dunford, Pádraig Ó Loingsigh, Denis Conway, Oisín Mistéil, Fionnuala Gygax, Gearóid Kavanagh, Mark Mac Gearailt, Juliette Crosbie; DOP Ronan Fox; SCORE Eimear Noone, Craig Stuart Garfinkle. Ireland, 2025, color, 94 min. In Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
HORSESHOE | 7:30 p.m. | T1
DIR Edwin Mullane, Adam O’Keeffe; SCR Adam O’Keeffe; PROD Edwin Mullane, Adam O’Keeffe, Maureen O'Connell; CAST Carolyn Bracken, Lalor Roddy, John Connors, Mary Murray, Jed Murray, Neill Fleming, Eric O’Brien and Caroline Harvey; DOP Jass Foley; SCORE Anna Mullarkey. Ireland, 2025, color, 88 min. In English. RATED 15A
CELTIC UTOPIA (UTÓIPE CHEILTEACH) | 9:30 p.m. | T1 | The screening will be followed by a special guest Q&A with director Dennis Harvey moderated by Maedhbh Mc Cullagh, Capital Irish Film Festival Director.
DIR Dennis Harvey, Lars Lovén; PROD Elin Lilleman Eriksson; CAST The Mary Wallopers, Negro Impacto, The Deadlians, Jinx Lennon, Poor Creature, Branwen, Lankum, Naoise Mac Cathmhaoil, Rising Damp, Young Spencer, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Róis, Post Punk Podge, Susan Hughes, Tadhg Mulligan, Alfie Mulligan, Múlú, Niamh Moriarty, Cathail O’Mhaoil, Summer Newman, Eimear Níc Ionnrachtaigh, and Eoghan Ó Garmaile; DOP Tuva Björk & Jamie Goldrick; SCORE Thomas Jansson. Ireland, 2025, color, 90 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
DAY 4 | Sunday, March 1, 2026
CIFF2026 SHORTS PROGRAM 3 | 10:00 a.m. | T2
NO MEAN CITY
DIR/SCR Ross McClean; PROD Conal Clapper, Heidi Fleisher & Mike Paterson; DOP Ronnie McQuillan. Northern Ireland, 2025, color, 14 min. In English. NOT RATED
METEORIC
DIR/SCR Paul Ó Muiris; PROD Anne-Flore Aussant; SCORE Leo Pearson. Ireland, 2025, color, 7 min. No dialogue. NOT RATED
THE ASSASSINATION OF MICHAEL D. HIGGINS
DIR/SCR Dave Minogue; SCR John Doran; PROD Natalie Britton. Ireland, 2025, color, 13 min. In English. NOT RATED
BOOBS
DIR/SCR Nicola Leddy; PROD Zlata Filipovic, Anna Rodgers; DOP Alba Fernandez; SCORE Eimear MacCarrick. Ireland, 2025, color, 16 min. In English. NOT RATED
PULSE
DIR Sam Nutt; SCR Dan Pringle; PROD Joan Burney-Keatings. UK & Ireland, 2025, color, 16 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
NAKED LIGHTS
DIR/SCR Jeda de Brí; PROD Gregory Burrowes. Ireland, 2025, color, 14 min. In English. NOT RATED
LISTEN TO THE LAND SPEAK | 11:50 a.m. | T2 | The screening will include a special guest introduction by Ruán Magan.
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
DANIEL O'CONNELL: THE EMPANCIPATOR | 1:45 p.m. | T1 | Followed by a panel discussion with director Ruán Magan; Dr. Jay Roszman, Historian and Lecturer at the School of History, University College Cork; and Dr. Chanté Mouton-Kinyon, Assistant Professor of English at University of Notre Dame moderated by Christopher Morash, Author & Diplomat.
DIR Ruán Magan; PROD Ruán Magan; CAST Domhnall Gleeson, Mary McAleese, Declan Kiberd, Jay Roszman, Patrick Geoghegan, Niamh Gallagher and Chanté Mouton-Kinyon; DOP Oliver Hegarty, Colm Hogan, Brian O’Leary; SCORE Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Ireland, 2025, color, 55 min. In English and Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
SANATORIUM | 3:40 p.m. | T2 | The screening will be followed by a special guest Q&A with director Gar O’Rourke, moderated by Sky Sitney, Professor of Film and Media Studies Program at Georgetown University, and Co-Founder & Festival Director of DC/DOX.
DIR Gar O’Rourke; PROD Andrew Freedman, Ken Wardrop, Samantha Corr; CAST Dmitriy, Olena, Elena, Natalia, Andriy, Volodymyr, Valeria, Oleksiy, Inna, and Special thanks to the Management and Staff of the Kuyalnik Sanatorium; DOP Denys Melnyk; SCORE Denis Kilty. Ireland & Ukraine, 2025, color, 90 min. In Ukrainian and Russian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AONTAS | 6:00 p.m. | T1
DIR Damian McCann; SCR Sarah Gordon, Damian McCann; PROD Órfhlaith Ní Chearnaigh, Christopher Myers; CAST Carrie Crowley, Bríd Brennan, Eva-Jane Gaffney, Seán T Ó Meallaigh, Marcus Lamb, Art Parkinson, Naseen Morgan, Niall Mac Eachmharcaigh, Bríd Ní Chumhaill, Mary Ryan, Christopher Grant, Frankie McCafferty, Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhrighde; DOP Damien Elliott; SCORE Daithí Ó Drónaí. Northern Ireland, 2025, color, 91 min. In Irish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Closing Night: CHRISTY | 8:00 p.m. | T1 | Exclusive post-screening closing night festival reception for all ticket and festival pass holders.
DIR Brendan Canty; SCR Brendan Canty, Alan O'Gorman; PROD Marina Brackenbury, Meredith Duff; Rory Gilmartin; CAST Danny Power; Diarmuid Noyes; Emma Willis; Cara Cullen; Helen Behan; Lewis Brophy; Chris Walley; Alison Oliver; Jamie Forde; Darren Stewart; Ian Tabone; Sophie McNamara; Rúaidhrí Conroy; DOP Colm Hogan; SCORE Daithí O’Dronai. Ireland, 2025, color, 94 min. In English. NOT RATED
The Capital Irish Film Festival is supported by the Government of Ireland’s 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.
The Capital Irish Film Festival partners, sponsors and supporters include: Blessinger Legal PLLC, Caddie Tours, DC Environmental Film Festival, GAA DC Gaels, Georgetown University Global Irish Studies Initiative, Happy Medium Productions, Irish Network DC, Mc Ginty's Public House, Queens University Belfast, Silver Spring Town Center, Shift - The Irish Cultural Network, University College Cork, The Irish Stew Podcast, University College Dublin Creative Futures Academy, and the University of Notre Dame.
ABOUT SOLAS NUA
Solas Nua — meaning “new light” in Irish — was founded in 2005 to bring the best of contemporary Irish arts to Washington, D.C. Solas Nua acts as an ambassador and advocate for Irish arts in the U.S., promoting contemporary Irish culture, multi-disciplinary arts and creativity, and making it accessible and affordable to enjoy. With 100+ nominations and multiple awards, Solas Nua has presented the work of over 1,000 Irish artists across art forms. Solas Nua commissions, produces and presents thought-provoking and groundbreaking work across genres, work that is cross-cultural, representing today’s Ireland—a contemporary, globally diverse society—and reflecting how Irish culture is shared across borders, ethnicity, and economic lines.
ABOUT THE AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER
The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is one of the nation’s premier film theatres, building an appreciation of the art and artists through exploring and celebrating new and classic films and filmmakers from around the globe. AFI Silver offers a year-round program of the best in American and international cinema, featuring a dynamic mix of retrospectives, special events, tributes, on-stage guest appearances, specialty first-run movies, festivals, premieres and education and community-based programs in a theatrical setting of the highest standards. Anchored by the stunningly restored 1938 Silver Theatre, the three-screen AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a state-of-the-art film and digital media exhibition venue that serves as a national model for preserving and honoring our shared film and film-going heritage. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com/Silver, and follow us on social media at Facebook and Instagram.
Capital Irish Film Festival
February 26 – March 1, 2026
AFI Silver Theatre & Cultural Center
8633 Colesville Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20910
