26th annual Newport Beach Film Festival announces Irish Showcase Premieres
Posted: 7th October 2025
On Sunday, October 19th, the 26th annual Newport Beach Film Festival will present its Irish Spotlight, an evening celebration of Irish cinema and culture. The event will feature a wide range of North American Premieres of new Irish films, including a variety of Screen Ireland supported films. In addition to the Irish Showcase selections, the Festival will screen several feature narratives, documentaries, and short films representing the best in contemporary Irish cinema.
The Newport Beach Film Festival is proud to screen Báite, directed by Ruán Magan. This touching movie boasts a talented cast including Eleanor O’Brien, Moe Dunford, Oisín Mistéil, Padraig O’Loinsigh, Mark MacGearailt, and Fionnuala Gygax. Báite follows Peggy Casey as she attempts to leave for a fishing trip but is foiled when a body is found in a nearby lake. Detective Sergeant Frank Ryan is sent over from Dublin and what he discovers sheds a disturbing insight into the history of the valley and the difficult relationships that bind Peggy and the members of her family.
Directed by Brendan Canty, Christy features a stellar cast including Danny Power, Diarmuid Noyes and Emma Willis. The film tells the story of two estranged brothers, with a chequered background in the care system, grappling with their past and resolve to unite over one summer in Cork city.
A Quiet Love, directed by Garry Keane and produced by a Deaf and hearing team, is a cinematic celebration of resilience and enduring love. From a decades-long forbidden romance to an LGBT+ couple navigating parenthood with Deaf and hearing children, and a Deaf boxer and his hearing partner facing a life-altering choice. A Quiet Love will be shown on Monday, October 20th at 4:00 p.m. at The Lot.
Retirement Plan, an animated short directed by John Kelly, tells the story of Ray (Domhnall Gleeson), who in the throes of his overstimulated, energy poor midlife, fantasizes about everything he’d love to do in retirement once he finally has the “time.” Retirement Plan will screen before each of the Irish Spotlights.
Other Premieres at the Festival include The Unsinkable Entrepreneur, A Sip of Irish, From That Small Island, I Hope We Can Still Be Friends and The Negotiator. Newport Beach Film Festival will also present two curated programmes of Irish shorts, including the Screen Ireland supproted Naked Lights, the Screen Ireland and RTÉ supported The Cloud Herder and the Virgin Media Discovers shorts Night Driver and Kiki.
Gregg Schwenk, CEO of the Newport Beach Film Festival, said:
The Festival is proud to showcase outstanding Irish Cinema and honored to host one of North America’s most comprehensive collections of Irish films. Our close partnership with Screen Ireland, Culture Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the Consulate General of Ireland in Los Angeles have allowed us to build an incredible platform for both established and up and coming creatives.”
The Newport Beach Film Festival Irish Showcase is supported by Culture Ireland, Screen Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Consulate General of Ireland - Los Angeles, The Joseph A. Lynch Trust in partnership with the, Aer Lingus, Irish Arts & Entertainment, Irish Film & Television Academy, Irish Film Institute, Galway Film Fleadh, Irish American Magazine, Contemporary Irish Arts Center Los Angeles, Ireland Week, Irish Fair Foundation, and Muldoon’s Irish Pub and Guinness. The 26th Newport Beach Film Festival takes place from October 16th-23rd 2025.