British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg Opens to Full House on High Note

On Saturday 19 September 2026, the British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg kicked off its 2026 Autumn Edition with a full house at Ciné Utopia in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg for its screening of TRAD, a 95-minute drama set in the world of traditional music.

Beforehand, for the official opening, festival organiser Geoff Thompson started things rolling by stating "The arts and culture play an increasingly important role in providing a window through which we can not only learn about different topics and understand what is happening elsewhere, but also escape into another world..., with cinema offering both education and entertainment". 

He confirmed that the festival, now in its 17th year with two editions held annually since the pandemic, "looks at various social issues, for example poverty, homelessness, loneliness, immigration, diversity and integration, as well as cultural misappropriation, debilitating illnesses, etc. We have a varied programme lined up this autumn, with films addressing traditional Irish music, grief and relationships, and also documentaries addressing the environment and nature, the ballroom dance phenomenon of 1960s Irish showbands, the precarious business of operating cinemas, and over tourism".

The Deputy Mayor of Luxembourg City, Maurice Bauer, talked about the diversity of the City of Luxembourg which he said is delighted to be supporting such a long-running festival, and thanked Geoff Thompson for organising it with the team of volunteers. He also touched on recent election results in Germany, as well as upcoming elections in other parts of Germany and in France, saying that we should be afraid of potential right-wing threats to immigration and cultural diversity.

The Ambassador of Ireland to Luxembourg, Jean McDonald, referenced the culture sector in Ireland and its role in the economy where it employs thousands of people both directly and indirectly. She talked about cinema exploring horizons and also thanked the organisers.

Geoff Thompson then thanked all those supporting the festival, including the Irish and British embassies, those organisations providing grants, the sponsors, advertisers and partners, as well as the growing list of Community Partners and the Luxembourg branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann who performed a set of traditional Irish music before the opening speeches and opening screening. He also talked about the festival "aligning with two worthwhile causes": firstly, the festival is an Ask for Angela event, explaining "if at any point you feel unsafe, harassed or overwhelmed, find a volunteer wearing a pink Ask for Angela lanyard or badge and ask to speak to Angela. They’ll take you somewhere safe and ask what you need"; and secondly, the festival "will be collaborating with Think Pink Luxembourg to screen a short film called “Mama” just before the Closing Film, in the run-up to Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October".

Attended by the Ambassadors of Ireland, Britain and China, the packed screening room was treated to one of the first public screenings of TRAD outside Ireland - it has been screened in London and Prague, and will shortly be screened in Dinard in France, at the British & Irish Film Festival there, as well as at a number of festivals in the United States and elsewhere. 

Geoff Thompson introduced the Opening Sceening by stating "we are absolutely delighted to screen TRAD which showcases Irish family dynamics against the backdrop of traditional music which is one of the strongest parts of Ireland’s cultural heritage, its indigenous culture, that ties the country and its people together, not only back home but also throughout the world".

Afterwards, the film director, Lance Daly, and the lead actor, Megan Nic Fhionnghaile (McGinley), participated in a Q&A session which offered the audience a glimpse into the making of the film. This was Lance Daly's second time at the festival, having had his Ireland-Luxembourg co-production BLACK 47 - a drama set during the famine in the late 1840s - screened at the Cinémathèque. He talked about the challenges of attracting funding, as well as re-editing the film after its world premier at the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2025, and also the "genius" audition tape received from young Dallán Woods who played Megan's character's brother in the film.

Megan McGinley recounted how she became involved and revealed that she had to be encouraged to take the part; she is a musician and had not acted before (and confided that she would probably not do so again). She then performed a fune on her fiddle to the delight of the audiences before the audience emptied the screening room and retired for a networking reception.

The festival continues until Sunday 27 September 2026, with screenings at the Ciné Utopia and Cinémathèque @ Cercle Cité (above the Luxembourg city library). For full details, see https://festivalevents.lu/filmfestival/current-screenings.