Louis Paxton’s debut feature THE INCOMER arrives at Sundance 2026 as a welcome palate cleanser, blending Scottish folklore with gentle comedy in a story about isolation, grief, and the collision between old and new worlds. On a remote Scottish island, siblings Isla and Sandy live according to their late father’s teachings, fishing and honoring seagull rituals in blissful disconnection from modern life. Their solitude shatters when Daniel, a mainland bureaucrat played by Domhnall Gleeson, arrives with eviction papers from the Northeastern Scottish Council. Isla’s response? She knocks him out cold with a rock.
What follows is a tender, funny exploration of fear and change. Isla clings to her father’s warnings about the mythical Fin Man lurking in the waters, using folklore to justify her resistance to leaving. Her terror masks deeper wounds from losing both parents, while her brother Sandy grows increasingly curious about Daniel’s tales of Wi-Fi and supermarkets. The film finds its sweetness in these exchanges, as Daniel becomes an accidental hostage to siblings torn between honoring the past and embracing possibility.
Paxton keeps the tone light despite weighty themes of grief and anxiety. Gleeson excels as the bewildered city dweller navigating bizarre customs, while Grant O’Rourke’s Sandy radiates childlike wonder and Gayle Rankin makes Isla’s stubbornness both frustrating and heartbreaking. Their chemistry transforms what could feel contrived into something genuinely warm. When Daniel eventually dons a homemade seagull costume for a ritual ceremony, the film earns its emotional payoffs through absurdity rather than sentiment.
THE INCOMER works because it trusts its performances and never overexplains its metaphors. It’s a cozy, eccentric character study that understands how mythology can both comfort and imprison us.
Monaghan`s own @ardalohanlon is a busy man these days!
Ardal’s new novel A PLOT TO DIE FOR is almost here and Ardal is taking it on the road. Join him live at bookshops and festivals across the UK this May and September.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
THE MUMMY is coming to theaters Fri Apr 17.
Lee Cronin—the visionary behind THE HOLE IN THE GROUND and EVIL DEAD RISE—is back with an audacious, twisted retelling that`s already getting rave reviews. A young girl vanishes for eight years. When she finally returns, what should be a joyful reunion becomes a living nightmare.
Watch trailer now at irishfilmtv.com.
SNL UK IS BACK AND WE`RE LIVING FOR IT 🚨✨
Nicola Coughlan (yes, THAT Nicola Coughlan) is hosting on April 25th with the absolute legends that are @foofighters taking the stage 🎸
DERRY GIRLS fans, BRIDGERTON obsessives, this is your moment!
More Nicola at irishfilmtv.com.
Graham Norton is stepping into uncharted territory with THE NEIGHBOURHOOD—an ITV gameshow that`s about to flip the reality TV script entirely.
What happens when you put everyday people in extraordinary circumstances and ask them to compete against their neighbors for serious money?
More at irishfilmtv.com.
17 years old. A trip to Holland. Two Irish lads with big dreams and zero idea what was coming.
That`s where Ciarán Hinds and Liam Neeson bonded—and it changed everything. 🎬
In a beautiful moment on the Late Late Show, Hinds reflected on the power of those formative years—and why family, not accolades, is what truly matters. 💫
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
72 hours. One decision. Everything on the line.
Andrew Scott is stepping into one of WWII`s most untold stories in the upcoming film PRESSURE—where a meteorologist`s weather forecast became the most consequential prediction in history.
Watch new trailer at irishfilmtv.com.
🎬 THE YEAR OF ÉANNA HARDWICKE 🎬
From SAIPAN to THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD to NO ORDINARY HEIST—this is the actor`s defining moment. An IFTA winner. A West End star. Now a desperate man caught in a heist like no other.
In cinemas THIS WEEK: a gripping true story of the infamous Northern Bank robbery. £26.5 million. Two families held hostage. No way out.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
BELFAST`s Jamie Dornan will host SNL UK this weekend.
Dornan, known for his role in FIFTY SHADES OF GREY and THE TOURIST, will front the program alongside Brit-award winning band Wolf Alice.
The show marks the first British incarnation of the sketch series, which was created by Lorne Michaels and first launched in the US in 1975.
Watch now at irishfilmtv.com.
In a brand-new interview, OUTLANDER star/executive producer, Caitríona Balfe, discusses THAT pivotal Season 8, Episode 3 scene where Claire saves a baby.
A must-watch for OUTLANDER fans!
More at irishfilmtv.com.
