Galway Film Fleadh Winner ‘CHRISTY’ in Cinemas Across Ireland On 29th of August
Wildcard and Altitude have launched the official trailer for CHRISTY – the joyous debut feature from Cork director Brendan Canty. Developed with BBC Film and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland the film is a heartwarming story of second chances, connection, and finding your place in the world and will be released in cinemas across Ireland on 29th August and Britain on 5th September.
17-year-old Christy is at a crossroads. Kicked out of his suburban foster home, he moves in with his estranged older brother Shane and his young family. As far as Shane is concerned this is a temporary arrangement, but Christy begins to feel at home on Cork’s working-class Northside. As he makes friends and begins to let the community in, he also reconnects with his past through his seemingly more corrupting extended family, despite Shane’s efforts to protect him. Shane wants something better for Christy at any cost – even if it means he has to push him away. As the brothers look to reconcile their turbulent past, their family and the community around them offer hope for Christy’s future.
Bursting with humour, soul, and raw authenticity, the film stars breakout talent Danny Power (The Young Offenders) and Diarmuid Noyes (Pure Mule, Five Minutes of Heaven), alongside a brilliant Irish ensemble including Emma Willis (Vikings, The Young Offenders, Dating Amber), Alison Oliver (Saltburn, Conversations With Friends), Chris Walley (Bodkin, The Young Offenders), and Helen Behan (The Virtues).
The film also features members of The Kabin Studio, a Cork-based community arts collective known for its work in hip-hop and spoken word. In 2024, The Kabin Crew’s viral hit The Spark, recorded in collaboration with Lisdoonvarna Crew, amassed over 1 billion views and was hailed as the “song of the summer” by The New York Times.
Following its Grand Prix win at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, CHRISTY will make its Irish premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh next month where its star Diarmuid Noyes has been nominated for the Bingham Ray New Talent Award for his role in the film.
CHRISTY is inspired by Canty’s acclaimed short film of the same name. His previous work includes the award-winning short For You, starring Barry Keoghan, and the groundbreaking music video for Hozier’s Take Me to Church, which has surpassed 1.4 billion views on YouTube.
The film is penned by Alan O’Gorman from a story by O’Gorman and Canty and was developed with BBC Film and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and also with the mentorship of celebrated director Yann Demange (Top Boy, ’71, Lovecraft Country), who also serves as executive producer. With a heartwarming and authentic portrayal of community, CHRISTY explores themes of identity, belonging, and the search for family, offering a hopeful and humorous glimpse into contemporary Irish youth culture.
Produced by Marina Brackenbury (Sing Street, Every Day, The Beast Must Die, Prime Target) with Meredith Duff of Wayward Films and Rory Gilmartin (Herself, Rosie, Calm with Horses) of Sleeper Films, CHRISTY was funded by BBC Film and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. Executive producers include Claudia Yusef (BBC Film), Niamh Fagan (Screen Ireland), Yann Demange, Thomas Benski (Wayward), Lee Magiday and Wilf Varvill (Sleeper Films).
CHRISTY opens in cinemas across Ireland on 29th August and Britain from 5th September.
