Frank Berry’s The Lost Children of Tuam wins Best Irish Film as record audiences celebrate the 38th Galway Film Fleadh

The awards brought the curtain down on a landmark edition of the Galway Film Fleadh, which welcomed record attendances across both the festival and the Galway Film Fair, reaffirming Galway’s position as the home of Irish cinema and one of Europe’s leading destinations for filmmakers, industry professionals and audiences.

Across six days, thousands of festivalgoers attended screenings, premieres, masterclasses, panel discussions and networking events, while the Galway Film Fair welcomed its largest-ever number of producers, financiers, sales agents, distributors, broadcasters and marketplace delegates from around the world. The Fair’s Marketplace once again proved a vital platform for financing and developing the next generation of Irish and international film.
Festival Director Miriam Allen said:

“The response to this year’s Galway Film Fleadh has been extraordinary. We experienced record attendances across both the festival and the Galway Film Fair, with audiences embracing Irish and international cinema in remarkable numbers. The calibre of filmmaking on display this year has been exceptional, and we’d like to congratulate all of our award winners and everyone who shared their work with audiences in Galway. The Fleadh continues to be a place where filmmakers launch careers, forge international partnerships and celebrate the very best in cinema.”

Among this year’s major feature awards were:

• Best Irish Film – The Lost Children of Tuam
  Director: Frank Berry
  Writer: Rebecca Lenkiewicz
  Producers: Liam Neeson, Jules Daly, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann, Andrew Lowe, Ed Guiney and Martina Niland
• Audience Award – Learning to Breathe Underwater
  Director: Rebekah Fortune
  Writer: Richard Brabin
  Producers: Jack Tarling, Patrick O’Neill, Heather Higgins and Ivan McMahon
• Best Irish First Feature (Element Pictures Award) – You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead
  Director/Writer: Dallan Shovlin
  Producers: Patrick O’Neill, Trevor Birney and Oliver Butler
• Best Irish Feature Documentary (Joint Winners)
  Try
  Director/Writer: Oisín Mistéil
  Producer: Claire McCabe
  The S.U
  Directors: Rob Dennis, Alan Bradley & Sarah Jones
  Producers: Rob Dennis, Alan Bradley & Sarah Jones
• Best Independent Irish Film – Hollow Trees
  Director/Writer/Producer: Cathal Fitzpatrick
• Best Irish Language Film – Cill Stiúifín
  Director/Writer: Kev L. Smith
  Producers: Kev L. Smith, Donncha Mac Con Iomaire and Deirdre Learmont
• Best International Film – Beautiful Evening Beautiful Day
  Director/Writer: Ivona Juka
  Producer: Anita Juka
• Best International Documentary – Brace for Oblivion
  Director/Writer: Xackery Irving
  Producers: Xackery Irving, Rick Santos and James Feeney
• Bingham Ray New Talent Award (Magnolia Pictures) – Peter Young for Our House

• Best Marketplace Project (Bankside Films) – Fat (Alice Productions)
• Best Marketplace Documentary Project (Impronta Films) – Dances with Whales (Oxytocin Productions)
• Audience Design Award (Síle Culley Audience Design) – Violent Delights
• Pitching Award (Wild Atlantic Pictures) – The Ruin of the Earth by Yannick Janey

The festival also celebrated excellence across Irish and international short filmmaking, presenting awards in drama, documentary, animation and cinematography, alongside honours recognising emerging talent and outstanding craft.

This year’s short film winners included The Lacey Way, Happy Hauntings, Daddy’s Girl, A Woman’s Place is Everywhere, Dobrina, A Knock at Your Door, My Friend, Kev, Voideden, and Lucky Liam, reflecting the exceptional breadth of emerging filmmaking talent showcased throughout the festival.

The Galway Film Fleadh once again demonstrated its unique role in championing Irish filmmaking while connecting Irish producers and filmmakers with the international industry. With record audiences, sold-out screenings, a thriving Film Fair and an exceptional standard of filmmaking, the 2026 edition has firmly established itself as one of the most successful festivals in the Fleadh’s history.

The Galway Film Fleadh is proudly supported by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann, whose continued investment enables the festival to champion Irish filmmakers, showcase world-class cinema and support the continued growth of Ireland’s screen industry.
The Galway Film Fleadh returns in 2027.