July is right around the corner and that means the preparations for the annual Film Fleadh in Galway are in full swing! If you’re putting together your itinerary for the festival or just need some recommendations for where to start, here’s our top 10 must-see films for the Galway Film Fleadh 2025 to help you out.
Dragonfly
Director: Paul Andrew Williams
Where: Pálás screen 1
When: Sunday 13 July —15:30
Tickets available here
Dragonfly is the story of two neighbours who strike up an unlikely friendship, not always to the approval of others around them. Dragonfly is a heartbreaking, tense, and atmospheric feature that will unsettle and make you challenge your preconceptions on issues like social care, and caring for the elderly and marginalised.
Spare my bones, Coyote!
Director: Jonah Malak
Where: Pálás screen 2
When: Sunday 13 July — 13:30
Tickets available here
For the last 12 years, Marisela and Ely, along with the volunteer group The Águilas del Desierto, have roamed the US-Mexico desert. Their goal: to seek, find and return to their families the bodies of migrants who died while crossing on foot. Spare My Bones, Coyote! follows their work, dedication, and the difficult lives they have chosen to live, and is as topical as ever.
Winter in Sokcho
Director: Koya Kamura
Where: Pálás screen 3
When: Saturday 12 July — 17:30
Tickets available here
In Sokcho, a small seaside village in South Korea, Soo-Ha lives in a bit of a rut, rhythmed by visits to her mother, a fishmonger, and her relationship with her boyfriend, Jun-Ho. When a French man named Yan Kerrand arrives in the boarding house where Soo-Ha works, it awakens questions within her about her own identity, and that of her French father, of whom she knows almost nothing.
The Cowboy
Director: Emma Rozanski
Where: Pálás screen 2
When: Thursday 10 July — 19:30
Tickets available here
Bernicia works in the ticket kiosk of a national park, doing odd jobs and loyally contributing to her family. One day, she finds a lost horse, and her life becomes profoundly connected to the animal. An uplifting story about accepting who you are, El Vaquero is a touching reminder to embrace the simple things in life and follow your happiness.
Life of Chuck
Director: Mike Flanagan
Where: Town Hall Theatre
When: Sunday 13 July — 19:30
Tickets available here
The Life of Chuck is a life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King’s novella, adapted for the screen and directed by Mike Flanagan. It stars Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillian and Mark Hamill, alongside an ensemble cast including Jacob Tremblay, Matthew Lillard, Mia Sara and Nick Offerman.
Eel
Director: Chun-Teng Chu
Where: Pálás screen 3
When: Thursday 10 July — 15:30
Tickets available here
On the outskirts of Taipei lies an isolated island, a place where time and memory dissolve into mist. Here, a mysterious young woman appears. Her presence is as fluid and transient as the waters that merge into rivers – a silent guardian of their forgotten stories. When a young man arrives, their lives intertwine, unravelling mysteries of longing, belonging, and transformation.
The Captain
Director: Jamie Patterson
Where: Pálás screen 3
When: Wednesday 9 July — 15:30
Tickets available here
Fergus, a retired sea captain, is placed under house arrest after robbing his local newsagents on a mobility scooter. While confined to his home, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with his Greek caregiver, Leni, sparking a journey of self-discovery for them both. A quiet story of hope, friendship, and the importance of inter-generational relationships.
Ag Lorg Hy-Brasil
Director: Martin Daneels
Where: Pálás screen 1
When: Wednesday 9 July — 13:00
Tickets available here
Ag Lorg Hy-Brasil/In Search of Hy-Brasil contemplates the textures and rhythms of island life. It brings to the fore the symbiotic relationship that exists between islanders and their elemental surroundings, and how their existences are formed and shaped by raw materials. The film considers the work of architects Peter Carroll, Mary Laheen, Peter Cody, Elizabeth Hatz and Joseph Mackey, documenting the creative process itself, and the resourceful people who participated in it.
Girls on Wire
Director: Vivian Qu
Where: Pálás screen 3
When: Wednesday 9 July — 11:00
Tickets available here
Cousins Tian Tian and Fang Di were raised like sisters, until family struggles pushed them apart. Fang Di moves away to work as a stuntwoman in China’s largest film studios to clear her family’s debts. Tian Tian remains behind, forced to deal with her father’s addiction, and falls prey to the local mafia. Forced to escape to the big city, Tian Tian seeks out her cousin.
The Wolf, the Fox and the Leopard
Director: David Verbeek
Where: Town Hall Theatre
When: Saturday 12 July — 21:15
Tickets available here
A feral young woman raised by wolves is captured and thrust into modern society, only to be rescued by a radical couple who isolate her on an abandoned oil rig. As she uncovers the lies of her new “parents”, she is forced to stand on her own two feet, and ultimately has to decide whether to integrate into society, or return to the wild.
All photos courtesy of Galway Film Fleadh
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