National Programme 4 | 6:30pm to 8:30pm (Includes 20m Q&A)

A selection of some of the best short films from around the country.

THE PARTING

Director: Marrissa Army. Writer: Libby McCormack. Producer: Elaine Walsh.

If nine-year-old Abbey can achieve perfect hair she just might rise above the turmoil of her disintegrating home life.

BABYSITTER

Director: Clare Monnelly. Writer: Aisling O'Mara. Producer: Niamh Ní Chonchubhair.

Single Mam, Ray, is determined to reclaim one night for herself as she juggles work, childcare and mounting obstacles, showing her exhaustion but revealing her quiet resilience and love.

SHUSH, NOW

Director/Writer: Craig Austin Reynolds. Producers: Hana Mohamed, Arianna Owens.

When a seven-year-old girl discovers her mother's secret, she is forced to consider the realities of adulthood.

FIELD QUEENS

Director/Writer: Áine Ryan. Producers: Áine Ryan, David Burler.

In rural Ireland, two teenage girls spend an unexpected day with an elderly woman after a drunken night out, testing the strength of their friendship in surprising ways.

DIVE

Director/Writer: Amy-Joyce Hastings. Producer: Michelle King.

High above the Atlantic, Jess stands at a precipice between memory and momentum–where the past and future crash like the waves below.

MINDING

Director: Emily Foran. Writer: Shannon Welby. Producer: Grace Pdumosu.

On a mother’s final drive to send her daughter back to college, love, control and generational echoes collide as they struggle to let go of the bond that has always defined them.

THE LAST WORD

Director: Rory Hanrahan. Writer: Clara FitzGerald.

A woman travels home for her Mothers funeral, unwillingly tasked with writing her eulogy. In the 24 hours from her arrival she struggles with the reality of their shared secret being buried forever.

SAMHAIN

Director: Sean Branigan. Writer: Amy De Bhrún . Producer: Michael Donnelly.

When her autistic son goes missing from his preschool, a worn-out mother must delve into his imagination to follow his tracks in the hope of finding him.

Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Boyne Valley, the Boyne Valley International Film Festival (BVIFF) returns from the 7-9 August for its fifth year in partnership with LOVE Drogheda BIDS. Creating an environment for filmmakers and audiences to connect and celebrate film in the historical medieval town of Drogheda, located in the heart of the Boyne Valley Region.

Funded by The Arts Council, Louth County Council Festival Fund, Love Drogheda BIDS, Meath County Council and The National Talent Academy for Animation. With sponsorship from Tom Clinch and Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, KMN Ltd, Scotch Hall, and support from Boann Distillery, Anglo Printers, Scholars and The Marcy Hotel.