Báite, a powerful Irish-language film produced under the Cine4 scheme, premiered at the 37th Galway Film Fleadh on Tuesday, July 9 at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway.
Among the attendees was Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, who had visited TG4 headquarters in Conamara earlier that evening.
The film was celebrated at a special event hosted earlier at the Corrib House Tea Rooms in Galway City. Produced by Danú Media, Báite is part of the Cine4 scheme, a co-funded initiative between Fís Éireann, TG4, and Coimisiún na Meán.
Set in a rural village during All-Ireland weekend in 1975, Báite blends murder mystery and family drama as Peggy Casey’s life begins to unravel after a body surfaces from the local manmade lake.
Directed by Ruán Magan in his feature debut and written by Sheena Lambert, the screenplay is based on her novel The Lake, published by HarperCollins.
The film stars Eleanor O’Brien, Moe Dunford, Oisín Mistéil, Fionnuala Gygax, and Mark Mac Gearailt, and was filmed in Conamara in summer 2023.
Produced by Siobhán Ní Ghadhra and John Brady of Danú Media, the film was supported by TG4, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Section 481, and Coimisiún na Meán.
Deirdre Ní Choistín, Director General of TG4, said, “The vision Alan Esslemont had for Cine4 was that an Irish language film would one day win an Oscar, and that Irish language films in cinema would normalise the language in Irish society.”
“I wish to congratulate Danú Media on the latest feature film ‘Báite’ from the Cine4 scheme. Báite and each of the eight Cine4 films to date have brought new Irish creative storytelling as well as awareness and appreciation of the Irish language.”
Siobhán Ní Ghadhra, Producer, Danú Media, added that, “Bringing Báite to the screen has been a true labour of love. The team worked tirelessly to honour the story’s heart and its powerful female lead, Peggy.”
“We’re delighted to premiere the film in Galway, where much of the energy and creativity behind it was born.”
Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said that the Cine4 initiative has been a source of “immense pride” for Screen Ireland, with a remarkable cultural impact.
“Screen Ireland’s commitment to developing Irish language cinema continues, with a range of investments and supports across both film and television.”
“We are delighted to have supported Báite alongside our partners TG4 and Coimisiún na Meán, and would like to congratulate the creative team behind the film on its World Premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh this year.”
This launch also marked the 20th anniversary of Coimisiún na Meán’s Sound & Vision Scheme, which continues to champion Irish-language and culturally significant audiovisual content.
Báite was cast by Mairéad Campbell of West Coast Casting and features key creative contributions from Ronan Fox (DOP), Gemma Keenan (Costume Design), Jennifer Bowman (Hair & Make-Up), Stephen Molloy (Sound), and Conor Dennison (Production Design). Post-production was completed at Outer Limits, Dublin.
