In the emerald shadows of Ireland’s postcolonial landscape, a revolution is brewing—not in the streets, but in the songs. CELTIC UTOPIA (ÚTÓIPE CHEILTEACH), the striking new documentary from Stockholm-based filmmakers Dennis Harvey and Lars Lovén, captures something extraordinary happening in Irish folk music today: a generation of artists wielding traditional melodies like weapons against complacency, creating music designed, in their own words, “to scare priests and politicians.”
World premiering in Locarno’s Critics’ Week, this isn’t your grandmother’s Celtic music. The film follows an audacious collection of musicians—The Mary Wallopers, Young Spencer, Negro Impacto, Chi-chi Enyoazu, The Deadlians, Jinx Lennon, Poor Creature, Naoise Mac Cathmhaoil, Rising Damp, Susan Hughes, and Post Punk Podge—who are reimagining what it means to be Irish in the 21st century. These artists carry both the weight of historical oppression and the electric possibility of transformation, their songs serving as both archaeological dig and battle cry.
What makes CELTIC UTOPIA particularly compelling is its refusal to romanticize Irish identity. Instead, Harvey and Lovén present a society still wrestling with its colonial wounds, where folk traditions become vessels for radical healing. The musicians featured don’t just perform; they excavate, using ancient forms to process contemporary realities and challenge existing policies with calls for more liberal attitudes.
The film’s most powerful moment might come through Young Spencer, a loyalist rapper whose complex identity embodies Ireland’s evolving sense of self. Harvey describes watching Spencer—wearing a Union Jack and Protestant regalia—touch his heart while looking at a mural of Bobby Sands, the famous hunger striker who died protesting Margaret Thatcher’s policies. “He’s a fucking legend,” Spencer says, and in that moment, the documentary captures something profound about how identity boundaries are dissolving and reforming across the island.
This isn’t nostalgia masquerading as progress. Harvey’s generation, he notes, has endured “humiliation” under the weight of postcolonial heritage, and these musicians are responding with unflinching honesty. They’re telling stories and singing songs not to preserve the past unchanged, but to understand it fully enough to transcend it. Their ballads carry the DNA of centuries-old traditions while pulsing with urgent contemporary energy.
CELTIC UTOPIA reveals how folk music has become a space for processing trauma and imagining futures. In a society where the old certainties—religious authority, political deference, cultural homogeneity—are crumbling, these artists are creating new mythologies. Their rebellion isn’t just aesthetic; it’s existential, challenging audiences to reconsider what Irish identity can become when freed from both external oppression and internal limitations.
The documentary serves as both cultural document and manifesto, proving that the most vital folk music has always been revolutionary. These artists aren’t preserving tradition; they’re liberating it, creating a soundtrack for a new Ireland that refuses to be defined by either its colonial past or its postcolonial present. In their hands, ancient melodies become vehicles for radical imagination, and the very concept of “Celtic” expands to encompass all who call this island home.
📺 NEW TRAILER ALERT 📺
Premiering Aug 28, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB follows four retirees who spend their time solving cold case murders for fun - based on @misterosman’s bestselling novel.
Visit irishfilmtv.com for more!
🎭 LEGEND RETURNS TO THE STAGE 🎭
From Mad-Eye Moody to Uncle Pastuzo, Brendan Gleeson has captivated us on screen for decades. Now he`s making his WEST END DEBUT in THE WEIR! Dublin first (Aug 8-Sep 6) then London`s Harold Pinter Theatre (Sep 12-Dec 6).
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🎭 From beloved DERRY GIRL to Chekhov star!
Saoirse-Monica Jackson is trading the screen for the stage in Kabosh`s bold new adaptation of THREE SISTERS at @gaiety_theatre.
Visit irishfilmtv.com for ticket links!
Liam Neeson just crushed it as Frank Drebin Jr. in THE NAKED GUN and now he`s diving headfirst into horror comedy with COLD STORAGE.
At 72, Neeson is still choosing the wildest projects and we`re absolutely here for it. COLD STORAGE hits theaters next year!
Watch the crazy trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
NEW trailer alert! 🎬 From STAR WARS galaxies to Ohio newsrooms!
Domhnall Gleeson is trading his General Hux uniform for editor-in-chief duties in THE PAPER - @peacock!`s brilliant new spin on THE OFFICE universe.
Premiering Sep 4, watch trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
From the Scottish Highlands to the boxing ring 🥊✨
Caitriona Balfe trades tartan for training gloves in THE CUT, Sean Ellis` brutal psychological boxing drama.
Our OUTLANDER queen steps WAY outside her comfort zone as Caitlin - wife, trainer, and witness to Orlando Bloom`s obsessed fighter spiraling toward self-destruction.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🎵 "Music to scare priests and politicians" 🎵
@celtic_utopia is shaking up everything you thought you knew about Irish folk music. This isn`t your typical Celtic sound— it`s raw, rebellious, and revolutionary.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
DERRY GIRLS and GAME OF THRONES star Ian McElhinney hits the stage at @theeverymancork!
Running until Aug 10th - STONES IN HIS POCKETS has heart, humor, and a Hollywood ending that`ll leave you grinning! 🎭
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Hollywood heavyweights Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as... otherworldly beings? 👀
Na Hong-jin is BACK! After 10 years since THE WAILING left us speechless, the master of psychological horror returns with HOPE - hitting theaters next summer!
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🎬 From "I will find you" to "I will make you laugh" - Liam Neeson is trading his particular set of skills for punchlines in THE NAKED GUN!
Is this Neeson`s Leslie Nielsen moment? Could we be witnessing the birth of comedy`s newest unlikely hero?
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Andrew Scott`s BLUE MOON trailer released!
Shot in Ireland, this Richard Linklater gem pairs Scott with Ethan Hawke for a 1943 Broadway drama that`s already being called a masterpiece. Scott plays composer Richard Rodgers in what critics are calling his most nuanced performance yet 🎵
Watch trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
🎩✨ Daryl McCormack is trading modern drama for Regency romance! The GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE star has officially joined Netflix`s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE adaptation as the charming Mr. Bingley 💕
From intimate character studies to Jane Austen`s ballrooms - this Irish talent continues to prove his incredible range! He`ll be swooning alongside Emma Corrin, Jack Lowden, and Olivia Colman in what promises to be THE period drama event of 2025 👑
More at irishfilmtv.com.
🔥 @sarahbolger is bringing Irish fire to Hell`s Kitchen! 🔥
The MAYANS MC star just landed a killer role in MGM+`s THE WESTIES - a gritty crime series about NYC`s most notorious Irish gang.
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🌊 WOKEN: When you wake up on a remote Irish island with no memory, surrounded by "loved ones" you don`t recognize... and that`s just the beginning 😱
@mr_friel `s atmospheric thriller serves up classic ingredients: windswept Irish cliffs, flickering candlelight, and Maxine Peake being suspiciously kind.
Stream now on @mubi.
🎬 Paul Mescal is about to make us all cry again... and we`re here for it 😭
From NORMAL PEOPLE to gladiator to heartbreaking folk song collector – is there anything this man can`t do?
THE HISTORY OF SOUND hits theaters September 19. Consider this your tissue warning ⚠️
Trailer now at irishfilmtv.com.
