Playing Dead

Director: Sean Mathias

Year: 2026

When two older men cross paths whilst walking their dogs on Hampstead Heath, casual chat about the weather and bad hips slowly gives way to something deeper. As their friendship blossoms into an unexpected romance, they must decide whether to take a chance on love. With sharp humour and touching moments, FRANK AND PERCY is a heartfelt life affirming tale that proves it’s never too late to love again.

Director: Johannes Boesiger

Year: 2026

Judith, an American singer-songwriter struggling with addiction, flees her Jewish relatives' West Bank settlement and finds refuge in Ramallah with Leena, a British-Indian journalist, and Rafiq, a Palestinian photographer. Judith falls in love with Rafiq and reconnects with music through local DJ Amira, but when her grandfather threatens military intervention, Leena escorts Judith to London. Rafiq doesn't follow. Although Judith performs again, her freedom and artistic expression prove fragile.

Director: Yvonne McDevitt

Year: 2026

Structured as a psychogeographic voyage, the film explores place, memory, and sensation through the inner life of a poet whose sense of self gradually dissolves into cinematic reflection. Departing from conventional documentary forms, EVERY MOON IS ATROCIOUS invites audiences into a layered sensory environment where image, sound, and language operate associatively. At its core lies the poetry of the late Niall McDevitt (1967-2022), whose work forms the conceptual and emotional spine of the film, shaping a trance-like rhythm that mirrors the protagonist’s journey towards death and the unknown. Yvonne McDevitt’s filmmaking resists separating form from feeling. Dreamlike visuals, intense durational shots, and richly layered sound design prioritise emotional resonance over linear narrative. Fragmented imagery and superimpositions draw viewers into a meditative mode, presenting the film as a cinematic drift that charts inner terrains as much as physical ones. Movement through cities and coastlines becomes inseparable from movement through memory, grief, and desire. Official Selection Dublin International Film Festival 2026 - World premiere