Docs Ireland

DOCS Ireland celebrates the best of new international documentary filmmaking and showcases the work of Ireland's indigenous non-fiction culture and creatives. This year, you can watch screenings from the festival in Ulster Museum's Lectures from Saturday 14th June to Sunday 29th June. See the Ulster Museum programme below; 

Saturday 14th June 

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Akihiko Okamura: The Memories of Others |  14:00 to 14:20  

A short documentary film uncovering Japanese photographer Akihiko Okamura’s extraordinary work in Ireland during the Troubles, and the artistic and emotional impact of its recent rediscovery. The film is screening to launch the opening of Akihiko Okamura: The Memories of Others in the Ulster Museum on Friday 13th June. 

Tuesday 24th June 

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ALIENS/ The Work in Progress |  17:00 to 18:00  

Following the remarkable success of The Flats, Alessandra Celesia returns to Docs Ireland with a ‘performed’ masterclass alongside Marta McIlduff. Mother and daughter invite you into their creative world — a personal approach to traveling, gathering, filming, transforming, and performing a story on stage. This hour-long masterclass blends conversation with live, performed excerpts from their new work, breaking boundaries between art forms.

ALIENS is a multilingual live documentary — a journey across borders, memory, and identity. A real-life road trip from Donegal to southern Italy, where a mother and daughter weave their personal histories with the stories of Italian immigrants in Northern Ireland, as well as present-day migrants, activists, and strangers met along the way. Through performance, video, and live music, ALIENS explores what it means to live between countries, generations, and identities — a meditation on inheritance, migration, and the in-between spaces occupied by the so-called “aliens.”

Saturday 28th June 

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Endurance | 10:45 to 11:15

On 17 August 1966, Ulster Television screened Endurance, a documentary about Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated mission to cross Antarctica. The film was one of a number of documentaries made by UTV in the 1960s, and one of the very few to physically survive in its entirety. Now it’s being screened to a public audience for the first time in 59 years- a testament to the work of Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive.

The film recounts the almost unbelievable story of Shackleton’s 1914 journey, using footage filmed by the crew and first-hand accounts from surviving members to bridge the past and present. Introduced by Belfast Film Festival Programmer, Rose Baker, whose PhD research into UTV led to the digitisation of the film.

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Born That Way | 11:30 to 13:15

DIR. COLM QUINN | 86 MINS | 2024

In October 2022, Charlie Bird, a legendary Irish journalist, was met with a devastating diagnosis: he was suffering from the early stages of Motor Neuron Disease (MND), a brutal degenerative condition that would severely curtail his life expectancy. Touching and thrilling in equal measure, Bird shows a remarkable driving force for his work as he is witness to his own degeneration.

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Northern Ireland Screen Pitch | 14:15 to 16:15

Docs Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen, in association with Yellowmoon Post Production, return for the seventh edition of the Northern Ireland Screen Pitch. This public pitch offers the opportunity for documentary makers, from established filmmakers to new and emerging talent, to receive an award of up to £9,000 towards a pilot for a documentary feature. Shortlisted projects will present their project at this public pitch at Docs Ireland where they will receive feedback from a panel of leading Irish and international documentary industry players. Previous winners of the pitch include A Want in Her (Formerly No Place Like Home) (Myrid Carten), The Last Balkan Cowboy (Dragana Jurisic), Asking for it (Grace Sweeney), They Say It Is Love (Roisin Agnew), The Unrest Collective (Lia Campbell), Shades of Blue (Katie McFadden).

Presented in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen & Yellowmoon Post Production

Sunday 29th June 

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Selection Shorts: Programme 1 | 11:00 to 12:15

Nostos | Stella Skiadopoulou | 11 Mins

Three migrants share precious memories of their homeland in this poetic rumination on the meaning of ‘home’, and the joy and pain found in remembering it.

Gael Force | Tara Hegarty | 8 Mins

This piece captures the fallout from RTÉ’s 1999 decision to replace its studied weather forecasters with attractive young presenters, provoking uproar across Ireland.

Outlasting | Lewis Doherty | 4 Mins

Queer activist Jeffrey Dudgeon reflects on his life of fighting for a progressive NI, celebrating the resilience and bravery of those who fought with him.

A Thread in Time | Emma Corrigan | 10 Mins

Irene MacWilliam’s poignant textile work Peace Quilt - Common Loss is the focal point of this exploration of collective grief and the role of art in times of conflict.

Anziety | David O'Carroll | 10 Mins

A frank yet inviting conversation with Ian, as he tells his story of overcoming darkness and embracing self-expression as drag artist Anziety.

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Selection Shorts: Programme 2 | 12:30 to 13:45 

After the Bomb | Heather Brumley | 19 Mins

The Troubles left tens of thousands of people with life-changing injuries and traumas. This urgent film documents their brave fight for recognition and restitution.

One by One, The Lights Go Out | Kathy Raftery | 6 Mins

A tender and meditative look at a farmland which has defined a family life, and the bittersweet sting of moving on.

The Hallaqueras | Michelle Sorriso | 12 Mins

The riches of a family history are conveyed through the annual preparation of the traditional Venezuelan dish ‘hallacas.’

Moved | Sarah Griffin | 13 Mins

Nine people forced into fleeing their home countries because of their LGBTQ+ identity share their experiences; not just the pain of the past, but their hope for the future.

Honeypot; Queer Nightlife in Dublin | Tara Murphy | 8 Mins

A glimpse into the queer nightlife scene through the lens of club night HONEYPOT, highlighting the role these spaces play in supporting marginalized communities and providing a platform for new voices.

Hold On | Cathy Dunne | 7 Mins

Dance artist Lucia prepares for the imminent birth of her child. Despite her trepidation, she arrives at a beautiful moment of catharsis and self-love through movement.

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Selection Shorts: Programme 3 | 14:30 to 15:45 

The Buurds | Martin Lennon | 10 Mins

A portrait of the seaside town of Fraserburgh and the people living there. As pretty as a picture postcard, if it weren’t for the seagulls terrorising everyday life.

The Reinvention of Marker | Rory Carroll | 13 mins

In his final years, legendary filmmaker Chris Marker became addicted to the Internet. In the virtual playground of Second Life, he tried to preserve his soul through a museum of his life and work. This film explores what is left standing today.

Hole in the Stone | Holly Márie Parnell | 23 Mins

An expressionistic portrait of farmers in crisis. Faced by an uncertain future, we hear the voices of a community trying to rally together and take action.

Turmoil | Daragh O'Shea | 5 Mins

A climate activist reflects on her alienation from our modern society, her decision to take action against it, and the events that led to her arrest. An urgent story delivered through a striking blend of animation styles.

The Peculiar Saga of Gubu Man | Renata Lima, Silvio Severino | 15 Mins

Gubu Man is a former writer with a severe sensitivity to LED light. In a world increasingly saturated by screens, he retreated into the shadows to express his art differently, through the eerie and unexpected world of Gubu dolls.