EU & MEDIA Film News September 2025
News about European films supported by the EU funding and highlighting independent cinemas and cinema clubs that are part of the Europa Cinemas network in Ireland. Includes films made thanks to EU initiatives such as Eurimages Cinema Fund, European Film Promotion as well as events such as the European Film Awards, European Cinema Month, A Season of Classic Films, and the LUX Audience Award.
- IFI, Dublin and IFI@Home
- Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
- Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin
- Access Cinema Network of regional cinema clubs
- MyCinema.ie is an EU-supported platform, operated by access>CINEMA Ireland, on which you can you can rent a curated selection of the best world cinema.
Sanatorium | Opens 5th September in IFI Dublin, Triskel Cork, Lighthouse Dublin
Directed by Gar O’Rourke, Sanatorium is a feature documentary from Irish company Venom Films in co-production with Ukrainian company, 2332. It was supported in development by Creative Europe MEDIA's Slate Development funding strand.Shot on location in Ukraine, Sanatorium takes viewers inside Kuyalnik Sanatorium on the outskirts of Odesa, a vast Soviet-era health retreat where visitors undergo traditional treatments, find community, and navigate a summer like no other - despite the war unfolding around them. Despite a war close by, mud treatments and electro-therapies continue at Kuyalnik Sanatorium near Odesa in southern Ukraine, where a small group searches for love, healing and happiness.
This Irish-made, Ukrainian-language film Sanatorium has been selected to represent Ireland in the Oscar® International Feature Film category. Sanatorium was supported in development by Creative Europe MEDIA.
The screening of Sanatorium on Friday 5th at 6.20pm in the Irish Film Institute will be followed by Q&A with Director Gar O’Rourke hosted by journalist Aoife Barry.
IFI Documentary Festival 2025 | 10th to 14th September
Bringing together bold voices, urgent topics, and inventive forms, the festival presents a cutting edge mix of screenings, panel discussions, and public interviews. It acts as a window for audiences into stories and contemporary realities both internationally and in Ireland, bringing the best new documentaries to Dublin, with 14 feature documentaries which include 7 Irish premieres, 2 shorts programmes, and a public-facing industry panel illuminating the landscape of documentary making in Ireland today under the umbrella of IFI Spotlight.
The 2025 festival will open with the Irish premiere of How To Build A Library, an inspirational triumph over adversity from Kenya in which the filmmakers document the quest to transform the formerly whites-only, colonial-era McMillan Memorial Library into a vibrant cultural hub for a new generation of Africans.
Booking Information
- Cinema tickets cost €15.00 each, except for the opening film which includes a post-screening reception and costs €17.00.
- Packages: €30.00 for 3 films. €60.00 for 5 films. Both packages exclude the opening film.
- These packages can only be booked in-person or by calling the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477.
Young Mothers (France, Belgium 2025) | IFI Dublin
Directed by Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Young Mothers (Jeunes mères) explores the hopes and vulnerabilities of five young mothers at a shelter. Jessica craves the acceptance of her mother while Perla hopes that a baby will draw her delinquent boyfriend closer. Recovering addict Julie sees a brighter future for herself as a mother alongside her caring fiancé, but Ariane feels desperately unprepared for the challenges ahead. Single mother Naïma, meanwhile, is newly employed and hopes to repair relations with her disapproving family. Supported by Eurimages funding.
Oslo Stories Trilogy | access>CINEMA Film Clubs, Triskel Cork and Lighthouse Dublin
access CINEMA release Norwegian filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud’s acclaimed ‘Oslo Stories Trilogy’ – Dreams, Love and Sex – in Irish cinemas in August and September with the support of Creative Europe MEDIA.
All three films operate as standalone stories, exploring the characters’ often messy feelings and actions in a refreshingly frank, open-minded and honest way. Taken together, they offer a deep and compelling examination of the way people navigate the complexities of modern relationships, sexuality and identity.
The Irish Film Institute in Dublin screened all three films across the month of August. The three films will screen in Light House Cinema Dublin in August and September, with screenings in Triskel Cork to take place in September. The films will also screen across the access>CINEMA network of film clubs and arts centres in the coming months.
- Oslo Stories Trilogy: Sex | Light House Cinema, Dublin 7th and 9th September
- Oslo Stories Trilogy | Triskel Arts Centre, Cork | Dreams, 15th September; Oslo Stories Trilogy: Love, 16th September 16th; Oslo Stories Trilogy: Sex, 17th September.
- Additional screenings coming soon to access>CINEMA Film Clubs nationwide.
Along Came Love (2023, France, Belgium) | IFI@Home
In Normandy in 1947, single mother Madeleine (Anaïs Demoustier) is making ends meet by working as a waitress in a hotel restaurant. One day on the beach, she meets François (Vincent Lacoste), a student from a wealthy family; despite their contrasting social backgrounds, they embark on a passionate relationship. Madeleine harbours a secret: her son Daniel was conceived during a brief liaison with a German soldier, leading to her being ostracised as a collaborator. François, in turn, conceals his bisexuality and a past relationship with a man. The film explores their complex love story over two decades, delving into themes of deception, shame, and love. Writer-director Katell Quillévéré’s complex, post-war tale was inspired by her grandmother, who had a child with a German officer during WWII – a secret she kept all her life. Supported by Creative Europe MEDIA.