BÁITE to premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival

BÁITE, the winner of Best Irish Feature Film at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh, will have its US festival premiere at the 26th Newport Beach Film Festival on Sunday, October 19.

The US premiere of the Irish-language film comes ahead of its wide Irish release, due for early 2026.

Set in September 1975, BÁITE (“The Drowned”) is a mystery that begins with the discovery of a body in the receding waters of a lake. “For 23-year-old Peggy Casey,” the official logline reads, “who runs the local pub, the revelation threatens to upend not just her life, but an entire community built on secrets long submerged.”

“We are thrilled to bring BÁITE to Newport Beach as part of its international festival journey. This film speaks to the power of Irish-language storytelling and the universal resonance of secrets, loss and resilience. It’s a privilege to share it with US audiences ahead of our Irish release” said producer Siobhán Ní Ghadhra.

The film was directed by Ruán Magan, marking his narrative feature debut. The screenplay is by Sheena Lambert, adapted from her acclaimed 2015 novel The Lake.

It featured an ensemble cast led by Eleanor O’Brien as Peggy Casey, with Moe Dunford as Detective Sergeant Frank Ryan, alongside Juliette Crosbie, Pádraig Ó Lolinsigh, and Denis Conway as Father Mahon.