IRISH FILM INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES IFI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2026

The Irish Film Institute (IFI), Dublin is proud to announce the programme for the 2026 IFI Documentary Festival, taking place from Wednesday 23rd to Sunday 27th September. A keystone event in the IFI’s annual programme, the festival celebrates Irish and international documentary filmmaking that goes behind the headlines, champions bold new voices and world class artistry, and honours the trailblazing works of pioneering directors. It offers unprecedented access to the filmmakers and their subjects, with a comprehensive lineup of guests for screenings, panel discussions, and public interviews. The festival will present 13 features, including 11 post-screening discussions, 7 Irish premieres and a new digitisation of Anne Crilly’s landmark 1988 documentary Mother Ireland, alongside two shorts programmes, and a public-facing industry panel which will look at the economic barriers documentary filmmakers face today.

The festival will open with the Irish Premiere and Gala Screening of Pete Muller’s Bucks Harbor, which offers a breathtaking reflection on masculinity against the spectacular backdrop of a rural fishing community in Maine. The screening, on Wednesday, September 23rd at 19.30, will be followed by a Q&A with Muller.  

Speaking at the announcement of this year’s programme, IFI Director Ross Keane said: “The IFI is delighted to present once again the very best of new Irish and international documentary filmmaking this September. From the thrilling to the thoughtful, from the historical to the topical, this brilliant selection of films showcases a diverse range of topics told with candour, artistry and a profound humanity. Documentary, as a form, has never been more popular or vital, and the often-untold stories that form part of this festival will both entertain and inform audiences, as will the numerous Q&As and panel discussions that will deepen our audiences’ engagement with the films and the artists who create them.” 

Stories of Resilience 

The festival will present stories of resilience in the face of conflict and grief, with two powerful documentaries following courageous women campaigning for change. Traces (Thursday, September 24th, 18.15) offers an insight into the lives of Ukrainian survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and torture during Russia’s war. Through the work of activist Iryna Dovhan, who documents testimonies of affected women, the film weaves a collective portrait of trauma while opening space for hope. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dovhan and director Alisa Kovalenko.

At the other end of the festival, closing film Coco’s Law (Sunday, September 27th, 19.50) tells the story of Jackie Fox’s campaign to change Irish and EU law to make online bullying a crime, following the suicide of her beloved daughter. The screening will be followed by Q&A with Fox, director Gerard Walsh, and host Maria Walsh MEP.

Alongside these new works, the festival will present a new digitisation of Anne Crilly’s Mother Ireland (Sunday, September 27th, 14.00). Charting the relationship between feminism and nationalism in Ireland, Anne Crilly’s controversial 1988 documentary interweaves archival material and interviews with Margaret MacCurtain, Bernadette McAliskey, Sighle Humphries, Nell McCafferty, Pat Murphy and Mairead Farrell. Farrell was killed in Gibraltar by the SAS soon after the film was completed and its broadcast on Channel 4 (part-funder of the film) was delayed by several years. Digitised as part of the Coimisiún na Meán-funded Three Female Filmmakers project, which has focused on the work of Anne Crilly, Margo Harkin and Trish McAdam, we’re delighted to host a post-screening panel discussion with these three pioneering filmmakers, hosted by Sara Greavu.

The Power of Community 

This year’s programme also explores the power of community and the nuances of collective identity. Looking first at the relationship between teamwork and belonging, Try! (Thursday, September 24th, 18.10) centres on a wholly inclusive rugby league, played by people with and without disabilities. A warm and funny celebration of sport, and the winner of Best Irish Feature Documentary at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh, the screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Oisín Mistéil.

Two films look at communities shoring up against environmental threats: Jeanie Finlay’s deep dive into ecological dangers on England’s north-east coast All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea (Thursday, September 24th, 20.40) offers a thematic counterpoint to Gar O’Rourke’s The Siege of Paradise (Saturday, September 26th, 20.20), which explores the impact of mass tourism on a small fishing village in Italy’s northern Riviera. Both filmmakers will join the festival for post-screening discussions of their respective films.

Artistic Explorations 

Explorations of the artistic process and creative freedom play out across the programme. Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney’s much-anticipated Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie (Friday, September 25th, 18.15) follows the author after his life-threatening 2022 attack, reaffirming the power of literature in the face of hatred and violence.

Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Friday, September 25th, 20.45), offers a multi-faceted exploration of how culture is passed on from one generation to the next. The film gives an incredible insight into the Harlem Renaissance, with footage shot by William Greaves at a 1972 party in Duke Ellington’s apartment in which the living artistic luminaries gathered to reflect on the impact of their work. The documentary itself has been posthumously finished by Greaves’ son David and grandchild Liani, weaving ideas of creative legacy into the film’s fabric.

Looking closely at the creative journey, renowned theatre company Cheek by Jowl join forces with filmmaker Sophie Fiennes for Acting (Sunday, September 27th, 16.10), which follows contrasting approaches in the rehearsal of Macbeth with thrilling results. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Fiennes.

Profound Portraits 

A selection of films in the programme offer profound portraits of individuals across key moments in their lives. Ross McClean’s Magilligan (Saturday, September 26th, 14.20)  follows a young man drifting in and out of prison in Northern Ireland, finding fleeting purpose working with sheep on the prison farm, but contending with cycles of chaos inside and outside of the system. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with McClean.

Adam’s Apple (Saturday, September 26th, 14.45) is a moving portrait of transgender youth, charting milestones of gender transition with the growing pains of adolescence. The film’s subject and writer, Adam Sieswerda, will join for a post-screening Q&A.

Highly-acclaimed Irish documentarian Sinéad O’Shea joins the festival following the screening of her new film All About the Money (Saturday, September 26th, 17.40). The documentary focuses on Fergie Chambers, heir to one of the biggest fortunes in America, over the course of several years. His wealth sees him take up and abandon causes, courting controversy across the globe as O’Shea follows in his wake.

Irish Shorts 

Documentary audiences will be able to enjoy two shorts programmes during the festival, taking them on journeys across a wide variety of subjects and locations. Explore the work of emerging filmmakers at IFI & DCU: Masters of Documentary (Saturday, September 26th, 12.00) or explore a selection of exciting new work at IFI & Galway Film Fleadh: Small Corners, Whole Worlds (Sunday, September 27th, 13.00).

Industry Insights 

Delve into the heart of some of the key issues facing the sector today at IFI Spotlight: Rich and/or Famous – The Viability of Documentary Making Today (Friday, September 25th, 11.30). Acclaimed director Jeanie Finlay, DCU’s Tom Burke, and panel moderator and producer Daniel Hegarty examine the economics of documentary today, asking who gets funded, what gets left behind, and whether independent documentary can still be a viable career. The event is kindly supported by DCU and will be followed by refreshments and networking opportunities on the IFI Café Bar Mezzanine.

IFI@Home Offering 

Three of the festival titles will be available to stream throughout the Republic of Ireland via IFI@Home from Monday, September 28th to Monday, October 5th. Online audiences will be able to watch Traces, Adam’s Apple and Acting by renting them via www.ifihome.ie.

See individual event pages for more information on each of the titles.

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FESTIVAL SUPPORT 

IFI Documentary Festival is supported by DCU.

The Irish Times is the official media partner of the IFI Documentary Festival. 

The IFI Documentary Festival Audience Award is supported by Screen Scene.

IFI is principally funded by the Arts Council.