Ready to reel at Boyne International Film Festival
The 2025 festival will feature a packed weekend of Irish and international short films, documentaries, animations, filmmaker workshops, panel discussions, and awards. With season tickets priced at just €35, audiences will have access to all shorts screening programmes throughout the weekend.
A standout event this year is the Gala Screening of Four Mothers, the latest feature from Drogheda's own Darren Thornton, co-written with his brother Colin. The screening, taking place on Saturday 9 August, will be followed by a Q&A hosted by broadcaster Sinéad Brassil. The film tells the story of a novelist grappling with family and fame across a chaotic weekend and has already won critical acclaim.
Local filmmaking takes centre stage at the Made in the Boyne Valley opening night screening, featuring projects such as Medicinal by Eoghan Timothy Hand and starring Peter Coonan, as well as works from directors based in Louth and Meath.
Festival Co-Director Collette Farrell said: 'The Boyne Valley region is rich in history, creativity, and community. This festival allows us to bring that spirit to the screen while supporting Irish talent at all stages of their careers.'
Workshops throughout the weekend offer valuable insight for emerging creatives, including sessions led by Dundalk-born casting director Luci Lenox, Droichead Artist in Residence Baz Black (Kin), and actress Orla Fitzgerald. A panel on casting will also feature industry leaders Louise Kiely, Barry Coyle, and Mary-Ellen O'Hara.
This year's Filmmaker in Focus is TJ O'Grady-Peyton, with six of his short films screening, including Room Taken, which was recently shortlisted for an Oscar and executive produced by Colin Farrell.
BVIFF 2025 is also proud to announce two new patrons: acclaimed actress Helen Behan from Laytown, and award-winning casting director Louise Kiely. Both have supported the festival since its early days and now formally join the team.
The festival is made possible through support from The Arts Council, Louth County Council Festival Fund, Meath County Council, and local sponsors including The Clinch Family, Boann Distillery, Anglo Printers, and The Marcy.
'We're incredibly proud to bring this festival back to Drogheda, and to showcase the depth of talent we have in Louth, Meath, and across the country,' said Frank W. Kelly.
With a combination of screenings, networking, and education, BVIFF offers both audiences and aspiring filmmakers a unique cultural experience in the heart of the Boyne Valley.
Tickets and the full festival programme are available at www.droichead.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
'Bím i gcónaí ag iarraidh teorainneacha a bhrú' Róis
Labhair muid leis an amhránaí RÓIS faoina saothar cruthaitheach agus a cuid pleananna don todhchaí Many of us know you best for the powerful, award-winning, Caoine. How did you come upon the tradition of lament? Ba ar DDR (Dublin Digital Radio) a chuala mé an taifead sin d'Áine Uí Laoi ag déanamh an caoineadh den chéad uair agus táim chomh buíoch sin gur tháinig mé air... Ar an drochuair, is traidisiún é an caoineadh nach gcleachtar níos mó. Tá suim ollmhór agam i bhfuaimeanna agus i stíleanna nua ceoil. I dtaca leis an cheol a dhéanaim féin de, bím i gcónaí ag iarraidh teorainneacha a bhrú, nósanna a bhriseadh agus rudaí úra a thriail. Rud amháin a thaitin go mór liom agus mé ag foghlaim faoi na mná caointe, nó an nós a bhí acu sa sean-am suí in aice leis an chónra agus iad ag dul don chaoineadh. Creidim gur bealach a bhí ann don phobal déileáil leis an bhás agus leis an bhrón. Tá go leor daoine ag tiontú i dtreo na Gaeilge agus ag smaoineamh faoin gcultúr atá fréamhaithe sa tír seo le tamall anuas. Cé/cad a spreag do spéis san amhránaíocht i nGaeilge? // Many people have been turning to the Irish language and thinking about the culture that is rooted in this country for some time now. Who/what sparked your interest in singing in Irish? Ó mo chairde is mó a fuair mé an spreagadh. Tá cairde agam a dhéanann cumarsáid liom i nGaeilge agus mhothaigh mé riamh gur mhaith liom iarracht a dhéanamh ár dteanga a fhoghlaim. Tá do chuid ceoil lán le brí agus anam. An bhfaigheann tú faoiseamh ó bhuairimh an tsaoil tríd an gceol? Your music is full of soul and meaning, do you get a respite from the worries of life through music? Go cinnte. Cuidíonn an ceol liom mo chuid mothúcháin a chur in iúl. Tógann an ceol in airde mé go riocht ardaithe, áit a mbím in ann mo chuid mothúcháin a phróiseáil, bíodh siad lúcháireach nó brónach. Slí atá ann chun féachaint taobh istigh duit féin agus comhbhá a bheith agat do thrioblóidí daoine eile. Cá bhfeiceann tú do chuid ceoil i dtimpeallacht an cheoil in Éirinn atá faoi bhláth i láthair na huaire? // Where do you see your music in the currently thriving music scene in Ireland? (Answer in Irish) 4. Hmm... áit éigin idir Richie Kavanagh, traid-phorn agus amhráin glóracha catairseacha an ghrá! What else have you planned for the remainder of the year? Where can we see you next? I have written another piece of work along with Crash Ensemble and my love, Harry Hennessy. We've written a conceptual piece about the degradation of rural Ireland, taking inspiration from John Healy's 1967 book No One Shouted Stop. This will be at "Sounds from a Safe Harbour" in Cork and hopefully more. Doing more Irish Wake Tour gigs across the sea and one grand finale of The Irish Wake Tour in The Button Factory 18th November. I'm also really excited to be part of the Seán Corcoran Series in Drogheda in early September. I'll be undertaking a concert and residency there along with great friends of mine Muireann Ní Shé and Macdara Yeates. I'm looking forward to getting to know the local lore and stories and incorporating my findings into a piece of work. I think it's important to highlight the richness of Ireland and this local Louth community in particular, with its stories and people.
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Dáithí Ó Sé & Kathryn Thomas launch the 2025 Rose of Tralee International Festival
Presenters Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas made waves in the capital as they officially welcomed the 2025 Roses aboard the MV Cill Airne boat to launch the 65 th Rose of Tralee International Festival. The Rose of Tralee remains one of Ireland's most enduring and beloved cultural events, bringing together people from across the country and around the world to celebrate Irish identity, heritage and ambition. The five-day Festival will culminate in the selection of the 2025 International Rose of Tralee. The televised event will take place on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 August from 8pm - with a break for the Nine O'Clock News and resuming at 9.35pm - live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. As this year's Roses cruise towards Tralee, the MV Cill Airne was buoyant with excitement. The 32 women from all corners of the globe gathered together in the capital to meet Dáithí and Kathryn who are on board once again and ready to steer the course throughout the festivities. Dáithí said: 'Every year, the Rose of Tralee brings something new - new faces, new stories and a renewed sense of pride in the achievements of Irish women across the globe. I've been part of the Festival for 15 years now, and I still get that buzz when the Dome lights up and the Roses take to the stage. I can't wait to do it all over again this year- it's going to be something special.' Kathryn added: ' I'm absolutely thrilled to be returning to Tralee for this year's Festival. Over the past two years, I've found it incredibly energising to be surrounded by accomplished, inspiring women who are all part of the same tribe. What I love most is that it's not all about gowns or glitter — it's about grit, grace and the powerful stories behind each Rose. I can't wait to meet this year's group and be part of the magic all over again.' The Rose of Tralee will be available to watch for free, live and on-demand by audiences in Ireland and around the world on RTÉ Player. Features, archive footage, behind-the-scenes content and more will also be available across RTÉ.ie and RTÉ social media platforms over the coming days. James Patrice returns with backstage antics as the official Rose Reporter. Follow all the action at home on @rteone channels across Facebook, Instagram, X and Tik Tok. The official hashtag is #roseoftralee. RTÉ Communications Contact: Caoilinn Putti, RTÉ Communications Lead
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
In the frame: RINN features work by six Japanese and six Irish makers
WOOD, stone and clay are the materials predominantly showcased in RINN, the new exhibition at the Glucksman Gallery in UCC. The word 'rinn' has various meanings, in Gaelic and Japanese, most of which relate to place, circularity, and the sharing of ideas between cultures. It sums up perfectly the spirit of the exhibition, which features work by six Japanese and six Irish makers, including the Fartha, Co Cork-based designer and sculptor, Joseph Walsh. Walsh has curated the exhibition with Wahei Aoyama, of the A Lighthouse called Kanata gallery in Tokyo. 'The primary focus is on work that's crafted,' says Walsh. 'It's about making, the process of making, and the celebration of making.' The RINN exhibition first ran in April, at the Government's new Ireland House in Tokyo. 'The Ireland House is designed by Henry J Lyons, practicing in Ireland with a Japanese partner architect. It's a very substantial undertaking, located beautifully in the centre of Tokyo. It's a new approach in that it has cultural spaces and is kind of open and inviting as opposed to the more guarded image we have of embassies. Ireland House wanted an exhibition for the opening, and that led to a conversation with Wahei, who I've known since 2012. We got talking about the possibility of a dialogue between artists and makers in Ireland and Japan, and then that naturally led to the idea of bringing the exhibition back to Ireland.' Walsh employs a number of Japanese craftspeople at his workshop in Fartha, County Cork, and several more have participated in Making In, the gathering of international makers he has hosted every year since 2017. 'Three of the Japanese artists in the exhibition have spoken at Making In,' he says. 'And most of the Irish and Japanese artists met at the opening in Ireland House in April. I suppose ordinarily, if you talked about a dialogue between Ireland and Japan as represented in the exhibition, you'd be referring to a dialogue between the objects. And that's true, there's a definite conversation between the objects and the process, but there is also quite literally a dialogue between the people. And hopefully the project will have longevity, and there will be consequences into the future.' Frances Lambe, artist pictured at the launch of RINN – Ireland and Japan. When Walsh and Aoyama began planning the exhibition, both brought ideas to the table. 'I would have known maybe half the Irish artists, and half the Japanese. They're a very individual group of people with very different paths, but there's a shared focus on the material and making. Kan Yasuda, for instance, is 80 years of age, and is long established as a sculptor. His obsession with carving brought him to Italy in pursuit of perfect white blocks of marble. He realised that it wasn't good enough to just go and buy a block, he needed to be living in close proximity to the quarry. So he moved to Italy, and for the past 50 years, he's spent half of the year there, and half in Japan.' 'Sueharu Fukami is known for his porcelain, and particularly his use of a qingbai glaze that was developed under imperial patronage in China maybe a thousand years ago. Today in China, you can't find anyone doing qingbai glaze to this standard. It's interesting that Fukami is not alone preserving a Chinese technique, he's pushing it further.' Deirdre McLoughlin, artist pictured at the launch of RINN – Ireland and Japan. RINN includes one of Walsh's sculptures in wood and stone, along with examples of Irish artist Frances Lambe's stoneware, Sara Flynn's exquisite vessels, and Deirdre McLoughlin's abstract black and white sculptural forms. 'Deirdre's an amazing lady,' says Walsh. 'She's been a big figure in Ireland for years. But what I didn't know until we were in Japan together is that she'd lived and practiced in Kyoto early on, and that's where she found the style that's informed the rest of her career.' Also featured are two of Joe Hogan's woven 'nests': 'I've known Joe for a long time, and what I love is the fact that he became renowned for his mastery of basket making and impeccable crafting. But as the years go on, it's almost like he's got so competent that he doesn't need to prove that he can do a complex weave. He's got looser and looser, and you get these exquisite objects emerging that just look so natural, they could be found nests, albeit very large ones.' The best-known of the Irish artists is Seán Scully, represented by a tapestry he produced in collaboration with Mourne Textiles in County Down. 'That was something we brought about specifically for the exhibition,' says Walsh. 'We showed three prototypes in Japan, but the piece in the Glucksman is the first 'final' work, as it were. It's one of the things I'm very excited about. Scully absolutely loves the tapestry pieces. He's decided to do a show with Mourne Textiles for the Kerlin Gallery in Dublin, and they hope to send that exhibition to Japan.' Joseph Walsh. Picture: Andrew Bradley RINN also features a work called Bridge by the architectural partners O'Donnell Twomey: 'One of the unique things about bringing the exhibition back to the Glucksman was, of course, that the building was designed by O'Donnell and Tuomey and completed 21 years ago. John Tuomey and Sheila O'Donnell have featured prominently at Making In over the years. They've been very active and supportive, and that led to us collaborating on the building of three experimental pavilions at Fartha. 'The Sisk Gallery, downstairs at the Glucksman, features an installation about the process of constructing the pavilions, rooted in what the traditional farmhouses around Fartha were built of; stone, timber, and thatch.' Walsh is busy preparing for this year's Making In seminar, which runs from September 5-6 and features makers such as Tarlach de Blácam of Inis Meáin Knitting Company, the Dutch designer Hella Jongerius, and Frére Paolo, a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint-Benoit d'En Calcat in France: 'Pat Collins, the filmmaker, has made a documentary on the last few seminars called Making II. That will be screened on RTÉ 1 a few days earlier, on Monday September 1.' Walsh's own work continues as his primary focus. He employs a team of 20, including designers, makers and administrators. 'We're working on projects in about 25 countries,' he says, 'in the US, Europe, and Asia and some other far-flung places. I'm also working on a solo exhibition in Paris next year. It's always interesting.' RINN runs at the Glucksman Gallery, UCC until November 2.
