Newport Beach: Fidil Ghorm, Calf, and Housewife of the Year named among winners of 25th edition (2025)

The 25^th edition took place in Los Angeles from October 17^th – 24^th, and feature a showcase of over 300 films from across the globe.

Irish language feature film Fidil Ghorm was among the Audience Award recipients with Anne McCabe’s film picking up the Best Irish Feature award. Written by Patricia Forde and produced by BrídSeoigheand Pierce Boyce ofAbúMedia,FidilGhormfollows 10-year-old Molly, who believes that learning to play the fiddle like her comatose father might awaken him. Her journey leads her to an unlikely mentor – a grumpy but talented fiddler in a rehab center – and together, they embark on a hopeful journey of healing and transformation.

Speaking about the award Producer BrídSeoighe, said:“It was such a fulfilling and valuable cultural experience for us as producers to present our film for the first time outside of Ireland in Newport Beach and to answer questions in California that the audience asked about our story, our Irish Language, our musical heritage and a real delight to see that they picked up on all its nuances.”

Máire NíChonláin, Commissioning Editor at TG4, added: “Molly’s journey inFidilGhormresonates deeply, capturing the magic and resilience of the human spirit through the lens of Irish language and culture. We’re honored by the audience's recognition at Newport Beach and proud to bring this unique story to screens as part of the Cine4 initiative, which continues to champion powerful Irish-language storytelling. Congratulations to Abú Media and all the Fidil Ghorm crew on their big win at Newport Beach Film Festival.”

In the Jury Awards, Ciaran Cassidy’s Housewife of the Year picked up the Best Documentary award. The award-winning film tells the story of Ireland’s treatment of women through the prism of a unique, surreal, live televised competition that has to be seen to be believed. A generation of Irish women competed in front of a live audience for the title of ‘Housewife of the Year’. The former contestants share their direct experiences of marriage bars, lack of contraception, magdalene laundries, financial vulnerability, boredom and shame and of course, of being contestants in the competition.

Jamie O’Rourke’s short film Calf won Best Narrative Short. Starring Isabelle Connolly, Kate Nic Chonaonaigh and Stephen Hogan, Calf is an IFTA winning film that focuses on a sinister farm accident that leaves Cáit with a terrible decision to make.

DoP Frank van den Eeden also picked up the Best Feature narrative Cinematography for Cillian Murphy’s Irish drama Small Things Like These. Read our interview with director Tim Mielants and writer Enda Walsh.

Newport Beach Film Festival has become a strong promoter of Irish cinema in the US and this year’s programme was no different, featured a strong line-up of Irish film. Belfast-shot Old Guy starring Christoph Waltz opened this year’s festival, which also featured Out of Orbit’s Northern Irish comedy drama The Wise Guy, Darren Thorton’s Four Mothers, Tom Waller’s Kiss of the Con Queen, and John Farrelly’s An Taibhse.

You can read our interviews with three of the Irish filmmakers that made their North American premiere included Mark O’Connor’s Amongst The Wolves, Eva Birthistle’s directorial debut Kathleen Is Here starring Hazel Doupe, and .

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