Category Archives: Irish Film

Brendan Gleeson June 2026 interview

Brendan Gleeson June 2026 interview

Irish Film

Brendan Gleeson June 2026 interview

Very few actors command the screen quite like Brendan Gleeson. Over the course of an acclaimed career spanning film, television, and theatre, Gleeson has built an extraordinary body of work that includes some of the most memorable performances of his generation — from THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN and IN BRUGES to GANGS OF NEW YORK and the HARRY POTTER franchise. Now, the iconic Irish actor makes a bold entrance into the Marvel universe, taking on the role of notorious crime boss Silvermane in the Prime Video series SPIDER-NOIR.

Starring Nicolas Cage alongside Gleeson and Lamorne Morris, SPIDER-NOIR reimagines the Spider-Man mythology through the lens of classic noir storytelling, blending superhero spectacle with the brooding, atmospheric grit of 1930s New York. The series marks Cage’s first leading role in a television series and delivers a visually stunning world unlike anything Marvel has offered audiences before.

In a recent conversation with Awards Buzz, Gleeson opened up about attending the show’s New York premiere, what it was like collaborating with Cage on set, how he approached the complex figure of Silvermane through a noir perspective, and why SPIDER-NOIR represents something genuinely new and exciting within the Marvel landscape.

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Irish Film

PRESSURE now on Prime

PRESSURE now on prime

Irish Film

PRESSURE now on prime

The sleeper hit of 2026 has officially made the leap from cinema to your living room, and it wasted no time making an impression. PRESSURE, the gripping WWII drama-thriller directed by Anthony Maras, arrived on PVOD on June 16th and almost immediately emerged as one of the most popular titles on home video. The film hit theatres in the United States on May 29th, and while it never quite secured the kind of wide nationwide release enjoyed by tentpole titles, it made every screen count. It grossed over $15 million at the box office, surpassing the domestic runs of older WWII titles such as NUREMBERG and LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, and generating the kind of genuine word-of-mouth awareness that money simply cannot buy.

The film stars Andrew Scott as RAF Group Captain James Stagg and Brendan Fraser as General Dwight D. Eisenhower, unfolding across the tense 72 hours before D-Day as the two men face an impossible decision — launch the largest seaborne invasion in history, or risk losing the war altogether. The ensemble is rounded out by Kerry Condon, Damian Lewis, and Chris Messina, but it is Scott’s performance that has drawn the most attention, and rightly so. PRESSURE holds an 86% critics score and a remarkable 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s consensus noting that the film finds a fresh angle on one of the most dramatised days in military history, with Scott’s simmering performance at its thrilling core. 

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Irish Film

AFTERSUN now on Netflix

AFTERSUN now on Netflix

Irish Film

AFTERSUN now on Netflix

Paul Mescal’s rise from sausage adverts to Oscar nominee is one of the most remarkable stories in recent cinema, and right now one of his most beloved films is available to stream on Netflix. Born in Dublin, Mescal burst onto screens in 2020 with his breakthrough role in the BBC drama NORMAL PEOPLE, a pandemic-era sensation that saw audiences fall helplessly in love with his and Daisy Edgar-Jones’ devastating romance, adapted from Sally Rooney’s novel. But it’s his work in AFTERSUN that has left viewers shattered in the best possible way, with fans consistently calling it one of the saddest films ever made.

Directed by Charlotte Wells in a stunning feature debut, AFTERSUN casts Mescal alongside the remarkable Frankie Corio as a young father and his eleven-year-old daughter on a sun-soaked holiday at a Turkish resort, the trip falling on the eve of his character Calum’s 31st birthday. Loosely drawn from Wells’ own childhood, the film is told largely through the daughter’s eyes — and through a child’s gaze, there is warmth, laughter and the particular magic of a rare holiday abroad. Yet from the very first frame, something is quietly, unmistakably wrong with Calum. A child may not fully see it, but the audience does.

What makes AFTERSUN so extraordinary is how much it holds back. It is quiet, patient and restrained, building with an almost unbearable tenderness toward an ending that stays with you long after the screen goes dark. Mescal and Corio share a chemistry that feels completely lived-in and real, the love between their characters radiating through every scene. Slow-burn films can test your patience, but AFTERSUN earns every second of its stillness — and the payoff is the kind that leaves audiences stunned, devastated and desperate to talk about it with anyone who will listen. If you haven’t seen it yet, now is the time.

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Irish Film

THE LOST CHILDREN OF TUAM preview

THE LOST CHILDREN OF TUAM preview

Irish Film

THE LOST CHILDREN OF TUAM preview

THE LOST CHILDREN OF TUAM, one of the most anticipated Irish films of the year, is set to make its World Premiere at the 2026 Galway Film Fleadh on Saturday 11th July, with key cast and creatives expected to attend. The film marks a powerful convergence of remarkable talent both in front of and behind the camera, brought together to tell one of the most haunting and consequential stories in recent Irish history.

Directed by Frank Berry, whose previous work includes AISHA and MICHAEL INSIDE, and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the acclaimed screenwriter behind THE SALT PATH and SHE SAID, the film draws its source material from a landmark piece of journalism — Dan Barry’s 2017 New York Times article of the same name. It is a story rooted in truth, in grief, and in the quiet, determined courage of one woman who refused to let the past remain buried.

At the heart of the film is Monica Dolan, the award-winning actress known for SHERWOOD and MR BATES VS THE POST OFFICE, who takes on the role of Catherine Corless — the local history enthusiast whose painstaking research into the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, County Galway, led to one of the most devastating discoveries in Irish social history. While compiling records for a local historical society, Corless uncovered evidence suggesting that as many as 796 children may have been buried in unmarked graves on the property. What followed was a campaign for justice — for the victims, for the survivors, and for a truth that Ireland could no longer avoid. Joining Dolan on screen are Andrew Bennett, whose credits include GOD’S CREATURES and THE QUIET GIRL, and Ian McElhinney, familiar to audiences from GAME OF THRONES and DERRY GIRLS.

The production brings together an exceptional team of producers, with Liam Neeson, who optioned the rights to the original New York Times article, producing for El Paso Films alongside Jules Daly for Big Red Films, Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Oscar-winning Element Pictures, and Martina Niland for Port Pictures. It is a project clearly assembled with both ambition and care, and its Galway premiere feels entirely fitting — a film about Ireland, premiering in Ireland, with the story of Tuam finally receiving the full and unflinching attention it deserves.

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Irish Film

Meaney in REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

Meaney in REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

Irish Film

Meaney in REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES

Colm Meaney steals hearts as Ethan Mack in Olivia Newman’s hit Netflix adaptation of REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES. The beloved Irish actor brings a distinct, grounded warmth to the cinematic version of Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel. Known to sci-fi fans as Chief O’Brien from Star Trek, Meaney shifts gears perfectly into this gentle, small-town drama to deliver a performance rooted in pure empathy.

In the film, Meaney portrays the Grateful Dead–obsessed general store owner of Sowell Bay. While the plot revolves around Tova, a grieving widow played by Sally Field, and a brilliant Pacific octopus, Meaney acts as the film’s emotional anchor. He beautifully balances a quirky Scottish accent with a quiet devotion to Tova, offering her space to heal while gently nudging her to let love back into her life. He also acts as a crucial bridge for Cameron, the young drifter, by providing him with shelter and a vital job recommendation.

Reviewers have highlighted Meaney’s ability to elevate a standard romantic subplot into something genuinely sweet and unpretentious. He provides the exact type of comfort-food acting required for this warm blanket of a movie. Ultimately, his scene-stealing charm serves as a beautiful reminder that humans can be remarkably bright creatures, too.

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Irish Film

Caitríona Balfe’s busy 2026

Caitríona Balfe's busy 2026

Irish Film

Caitríona Balfe's busy 2026

Caitríona Balfe is one of the busiest actresses working today, with an impressive slate of projects either already available to watch or heading our way in the coming months.

Her film THE CUT is currently streaming on Paramount+, in which she plays a woman who co-owns a boxing gym alongside Orlando Bloom’s character, a former champion fighting his way back from a career-ending defeat. It is a compelling showcase for Balfe in a grittier, more contemporary setting than many of her recent roles.

Looking ahead, the most anticipated project on her schedule is a new adaptation of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY for Focus Features, directed by Georgia Oakley from a screenplay by Diana Reid. Balfe plays Mrs. Dashwood, mother to Elinor and Marianne, played respectively by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, with George MacKay and Fiona Shaw also among the cast. The film is set for release in the UK on September 25th and in the US on October 16th, and by all accounts it looks set to be something special.

She has also recently begun production on THE HOUSEKEEPER, a romantic drama set in the 1930s shooting in and around London, and has joined the cast of A LONG WINTER alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach. With projects this varied and this promising in the pipeline, Caitríona Balfe is clearly entering one of the most exciting chapters of her career.

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Irish Film

Hewson’s DISCLOSURE DAY Oscar buzz

Eve Hewson's Oscar buzz

Irish Film

Eve Hewson's Oscar buzz

Eve Hewson is quietly becoming one of the most exciting names in awards season conversation. The Dublin-born actress has set the film world abuzz with her performance in DISCLOSURE DAY, the hotly anticipated new sci-fi venture from Steven Spielberg, and early whispers have rapidly grown into something far more serious. Advance screenings have drawn glowing reviews from critics, and bookmaker Ladbrokes has taken notice, placing the 34-year-old at 10/1 odds to land an Academy Award nomination — a figure that will no doubt have Irish fans daring to dream.

That Hewson holds her own in a cast featuring Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo speaks volumes about the calibre of her work in the film. These are not names that allow for passengers, and yet it is the Irish actress who is generating the kind of quiet, persistent buzz that tends to matter most when awards bodies begin deliberating. Ladbrokes entering her into early Oscar contention is not a casual gesture — it is a signal that something genuinely special may be unfolding on screen.

For Ireland, a nomination would carry a weight beyond the personal. The country’s footprint at the Academy Awards has grown meaningfully in recent years, and that momentum was felt as recently as this past March, when Kerry’s Jessie Buckley claimed Best Actress for her remarkable turn in HAMNET. Should Hewson follow in those footsteps, it would further affirm that Irish talent is no longer a pleasant surprise at the Oscars — it is an expectation.

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Irish Film

Reynor in POWER BALLAD

Jack Reynor in POWER BALLAD

Irish Film

Jack Reynor in POWER BALLAD

There’s a pleasing circularity in Jack Reynor’s involvement in POWER BALLAD. The Irish-American actor first worked with John Carney in Sing Street, the 2016 Dublin-set coming-of-age musical in which he played the older brother whose own failed musical ambitions shadow the film’s young protagonist — a role that won him an IFTA for Best Supporting Actor. A decade on, Reynor is back in Carney’s orbit, this time as Mac, the slick LA-based music manager whose instinct to protect a client’s commercial interests sets the film’s second-act conflict in motion. It’s a neat bit of casting for anyone paying attention, and Reynor — who has spent the intervening years building a genuinely varied career across Ari Aster’s folk-horror MIDSOMAR, Amazon’s sci-fi series The PERIPHERAL, and the Netflix murder mystery THE PERFECT COUPLE — brings real sharpness to a role that could easily have been thankless villainy. Mac isn’t the villain exactly, just the most pragmatic person in the room, and that’s a more interesting thing to play.

Power Ballad is, in many ways, the most commercially minded film Carney has made. The director has carved out something close to a unique niche — intimate, music-driven stories shot through with Dublin feeling and a faith in the redemptive properties of a good song. ONCE remains the high watermark, a near-perfect small film that somehow felt like both a demo reel and a masterpiece. SING STREET and BEGIN AGAIN found their audiences too, the former especially earning a devoted following for its infectious exuberance. POWER BALLAD widens the lens considerably: this is a transatlantic production built around two charismatic, bankable leads in Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, and it has the feel of a film that wants to be liked by as many people as possible.

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Irish Film