Clare Island Film Festival 2026: An unmissable event off the West Coast

Clare Island Film Festival 2026 is back once again and better than ever, offering an unmissable event off the West Coast of Ireland.

Founded in 2013, this is the 10th festival to take place (It took a break due to COVID) and is run primarily by a committee of islanders. The screenings are pay what you can, there will be donation buckets by the doors.

This year's festival will take place from 11th-13th of September in the community centre and will show 33 short films (live action, documentaries and animation) throughout the weekend, a curated experimental analogue screening, 1 feature documentary (Friday evening) and one live action feature film (Saturday evening).

Details are below:

Friday 11th

7pm - Handmade Future

Our opening feature film on Friday evening will be Handmade Future (2026). Directed by Kirsten Dickerson, Handmade Future follows artisans in six countries preserving heritage, navigating the complex role of middlemen, and advancing responsible trade—pushing back against fast, cheap production to quietly restore a frayed world through beauty and human connection.

9pm - The Weaver

This will be followed by a special screening of The Weaver, a short film made on the island about our very own master handweaver Beth Moran. It was directed by Barry Donnellan (Tiny Big Films) as part of RTE’s 2026 series Masters: Keepers of Tradition, a documentary series focusing on Irish practitioners of rare, traditional, and remarkable crafts and skills.

Saturday 12th

Short Film Block 1 - Across the Shimmering Sea - 11:30 - 13:00

On Saturday morning we are delighted to welcome internationally exhibited artist and experimental film makers Helena Gouveia Monteiro (Dubh Film Lab, Dublin) and Sébastien Ronceray (Braquage, Paris). as they present ‘Across the Shimmering Sea’ A screening of 16mm experimental films.

We are also looking forward to screening our youngest director’s experimental films, following Helena and Sébastian’s Direct Animation on 16mm Film workshop that will happen in the local school on the island as part of the festival prior to the weekend.

Short Film Block 2 - 14:00 - 15:10 - KIN - Documentary Short - Mexico | US - 5.19 (Dir. Ana Baer)

A site-specific screendance that explores the relationship between humanity and nature, raising awareness of ecological challenges and seeking—if only partially—to remediate damaged environments.

Where do we all belong? - Documentary Short - Ireland - 16.43 (Dir. Peter Martin, Ronan Dillon)

‘Where do we all belong?’ is a socially-engaged visual art project addressing loneliness in rural Ireland. Drawing on the tradition of mobile rural services, such as travelling shops and libraries, we travelled the countryside in a mobile research unit gathering anonymous surveys and reflections on loneliness. From these quiet exchanges grew a visual art project about connection.

Euro-Children - Student / Documentary Short - Ireland - 13:48 (Dir. Áindréas Fallon Verbruggen)

During 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland, a charity helped children escape the sectarian violence during the Summer via holidays to Germany and Belgium.

40 years later, the children revisit their host families and the impact the holidays had on their childhood.

Lily’s House - Live Action Short - UK - 12:40 (Dir. Matthew Howell)

As her father’s mental health spirals, 7 year old Lily uses her favourite game to try and bring back the dad she knows.

Sofiane - Live Action Short - France - 19:58 (Dir. Fabien ARA)

On July 1, 2005, Zoléra received a call in the middle of the night—her son Sofiane had been in a scooter accident. The doctors informed her that he had collided with an ambulance and did not survive. Sofiane's blood type, "A-," indicated that he was intoxicated. The young delinquent caused the accident, and the firefighters were not at fault. However, a doubt remains: Sofiane's blood type was actually "A+."

Short Film Block 3 - 16:00 - 17:10 - Stutterbug - Irish Short - Ireland - 14:00 - (Dir. Matthew Tallon)

A stutterer’s attempt to conceal his disability backfires when he bumps into his college crush and her also-stammering brother.

Babysitter - Irish Short - Ireland - 11:11 (Dir. Clare Monnelly)

Ray’s a single Mam legging it between work, crèche runs and whatever’s left of herself. Tonight’s the night she swears she’ll make it out - no excuses, no cancellations. Babysitter is a sharp, tender look at Motherhood, where hope hides between work deadlines and bedtime routines and where love and exhaustion are not mutually exclusive.

That’s So Feis - Live Action Short - Ireland - 16:00 (Dir. Eileen Tracey)

GEMMA (30s) is getting married. The ring is secured, bridesmaids dresses ordered, date is set - it’s all going perfectly. Until, out of the blue, NOEL dumps her. But at her lowest moment, inspiration strikes.

Horseback - Irish Short - Ireland - 12:07 (Dir. Mark McAuley)

Ali, a 10-year-old non-verbal refugee boy seeking asylum in rural Ireland finds unexpected hope and healing when he forms a life-changing bond with a piebald pony.

The Death Notice of Eamon McCarty - Irish Short - Ireland (Dir. Aaron Chalke)

With just one day left to live, a man scrambles to fulfil his life’s ambitions while stuck on the phone to customer care.

7pm - The Island

On Saturday night, events will kick off by ‘travelling back in time’ with the short documentary ‘The Island’ which was filmed on Clare Island sixty years ago by acclaimed filmmaker and friend of the

island, Bob Quinn. We are delighted to be screening such an important and fascinating document of a moment of time in our history that means so much to local people. The first film festival featured a retrospective of Bob Quinn’s work, so it feels right to mark our 10th festival with a nod to the pioneering film makers and original film festival organisers who have walked the path before us.

9pm - Rose of Nevada

We will keep on the theme of Coastal time travelling with our feature Film is Rose of Nevada (2026).

When a fishing boat, the Rose of Nevada, lost with all hands 30 years ago, mysteriously reappears in the old harbour of a forgotten Cornish village. The boat must go out to sea again and maybe then the luck of the devastated village will turn.

Young father Nick (George MacKay) and enigmatic newcomer Liam (Callum Turner) join Captain Murgey (Francis Magee), and they head to sea. But something is amiss when they return.

Sunday 13th

Short Film Block 4 - 16:00 - 17:10

On Belonging - Student Short - Ireland - 14:32 (Dir. Areeba Naveed)

A struggling young Tamil immigrant and a lonely Irish widow clash over a stolen bicycle, only to discover in their shared loss a quiet chance at human connection and belonging.

A Blanket Made of Stone - Irish Short - Ireland - 12:00 (Dir. Liam Raymond)

Avoiding troubles at home, Charlotte goes to spend the week at her grandmother's house and quickly finds herself smothered by her love.

Memoryhole - Irish Short - Ireland - 11:19 (Dir. Daragh Goan)

A lonely library security guard, spends his spare time using MEMORYHOLE, new technology that allows users to relive "memories" with loved ones. When the truth behind Memoryhole is revealed, he must choose between a nostalgic past, or an uncertain future.

BEAN - Irish Short - Ireland - 11:26 (Dir. Hiram Harrington)

A young woman spirals as a single baked bean fractures her relationship with her best friend, and herself.

Fragmented - Student Short Film - Ireland - 14:15 (Dir. George Lynch)

After the First World War, Lilly’s father returns home a different man than the one that left for war.

Macha - Live Action Short - Ireland - 17:00 (Dir. Shane Robinson)

Dismissed after surgery for endometriosis and left without answers, Ana draws on the strength of Macha to reclaim her voice and confront the system ignoring her pain, while her father grapples with the helplessness of loving someone he cannot heal.

Short Film Block 5 (ANIMATION BLOCK) - 16:00 - 17:10

Timosha - Animated Short - Germany - 11:20 (Dir. Elena Malenkina)

In the happy and peaceful world of the hedgehog Timosha, trouble suddenly comes. His life will never be the same again, and he will have to leave his cozy home.

Anam - Animated Short | Student Short - Ireland - 4.20 (Dir. Ailbhe Fearon & Muireann Mulvihill)

As Fionn patiently awaits his inevitable end on a lonely island, an innocent voice disrupts his peace and leads him back to the beginning.

Until we meet again - Animated Short - China - 3:30 (Dir. Zirui Wang)

This animation reflects on those memories, highlighting the importance of cherishing the present and valuing what’s close to us.

Uisneach: The Hearth of Ireland - Animated Short - Ireland - 5:18 (Dir. Anna Dottle)

An archaeological find on a hill in the centre of Ireland in 1925 stokes the fires of the imaginations of two eminent academics at the dawning of the Irish Free State.

Lipstick - Animated Short | Student Short - Ireland - 3:53 (Dir. Éilis O'Neill)

Explores the lives of three generations of women within one family as they deal with ageing, sickness and interdependence.

REM - Animated Short | Student Short - Ireland - 7:28 (Dir. Laura Masterson)

When a strange substance threatens to disturb our protagonist's sheltered comfort she must travel through her own subconscious to answer the question: is growing up really that bad?

No Worries! - Animated Short - Ireland - 2:00 (Dir. Chris Dicker)

With the new school year looming, 10 year old PJ's anxiety manifests as a 300-pound gorilla only he can see! Now he has to face his fears, a smelly schoolbag and last year's lunch.

Lullaby - Animated Short - Ireland - 4:23 (Dir. Helena Melin)

A young girl and her cat come to confront grief as a haunting lullaby lures them into the depths of a night-time Victorian mansion.

Bótharín - Animated Short - Ireland - 5:54 (Dir. Niall MacGiolla Chomhgaill)

With his beloved sister on her deathbed, an old Donegal man pieces together an uncertain truth which leads him to question their entire relationship.

Abhaile - Animated Short - Ireland - 5:09 (Dir. Olga Zhernovkova)

After fleeing their home country, Kitten and her mother must find where they belong in their new land.

Na Daoine Eile - Animated Short - Ireland - 5:58 (Dir. Ciara Walsh)

Sent to the Connemara Gaeltacht against his will, Liam tries to escape, only to find himself trapped in an old fairy fort.

Happy Hauntings - Animated Short - Ireland - 8:25 (Dir. Ruth Harbison)

Spirit must pay up with screams to keep their haunting privledges, and Ghost is in arrears. To a Flame - Animated Short - Ireland - 5:21 (Dir. Ro Martin)

An elderly couple experiences their relationship breakdown when one of them becomes devoted to a paranormal fire that demands to be fed.

Kova's Courage - Animated Short - Ireland - 5:40 (Dir. Aisling Wallace & Anika O'Hagan-Ploug)

In the treacherous Artic landscape, two Inuit teenagers orbit each other on small, floating icebergs, their love for each other just beyond reach.

4pm - Closing Awards Presentation

The concluding event of the festival is our awards presentation. There are 5 categories: Documentary Short, Student Short, Irish Short, Animated Short and Live Action short.

Check out www.clareislandfilmfestival.com for more information or follow us on social media: Facebook | Instagram

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