Celtic Utopia tells the story of a new Ireland and its vibrant music scene, but also that of a post-colonial society wrestling with its heritage. A society where folk music carries both the oppression of the past and the dream of a bright future.
The Irish folk music renaissance sees artists coming from punk, hip-hop, and beyond, rediscovering an ancient tradition and taking it in unexpected directions. In Celtic Utopia, they take us on a ballad tour around the island, telling stories and singing songs to try to understand their past and to heal their colonial wounds. Archive footage ties the present moment to Ireland’s troubled past, and creates a rich portrait of an island coming to terms with its first 100 years of partial independence.
Dennis Harvey is a filmmaker from Ireland. He is best known for his short documentary The Building and Burning of a Refugee Camp (2024), which won the Swedish Academy Award (Guldbagge) for Best Short Film, was selected by the French Academy of Cinema (Les César) as one of the world’s best short films of 2024, and received many other awards. His first feature, I Must Away (2023), was a kaleidoscopic essay about movement filmed over seven years in six countries. Celtic Utopia (2025) is his second feature.
Lars Lovén is a documentary filmmaker, journalist and documentary producer for radio. Directed the feature documentary Fonko (2016) which captures the contemporary music scene in a number of cities across the African continent, tracing its roots to the fight against colonialism and contextualising it is against rapid social change. The film had cinema distribution and festival screenings in more than 40 countries worldwide. Celtic Utopia (2025) is his second feature.
Celtic Utopia (2025), Fonko (2016)
