Magilligan

Northern Ireland, USA, Ireland | 75mins | 4K | 2026

Imprisoned as a teenager for a violent offence, Ryan finds purpose working with sheep on the prison farm. But the order of the inside is a stark contrast to the chaos he finds upon release as his past refuses to go quietly. Magilligan is an intimate portrait of a man caught between two worlds, with more than just his freedom at stake.

Director & Cinematographer Ross McClean
Producers & Writers Bronte Stahl & Ross McClean
Co-Producer Roisín Geraghty
Edited by Dragoș Apetri & Ross McClean
Story Editor Phil Harrison
Supervising Sound Editor Tamás Varga
Sound Designer Tadhg O'Sullivan
Sound Re-Recording Mixer Gilles Bernardeau
Original Score Irene Buckley

Production Companies Here & Elsewhere, Nightstaff & Little Rose

The project is supported by BFI Doc Society, ARTE, LEF Foundation, Screen Ireland & Northern Ireland Screen.

Articles & Reviews

Variety - Former Inmate Struggling to Navigate Life After Prison
Cineuropa - Review: Magilligan
Caligari - Magilligan (2026), by Ross McClean 
Screen Daily - Empathetic Northern Irish doc explores the reality of life after prison
Le Polyester - Festival VdR | Critique : Magilligan
Business Doc Europe - VdR Int’l Comp review: Magilligan 

Festivals

Visions Du Réel - International Competition (April 2026)
Biografilm - International Competition (June 2026)
DOK.Fest Munich - International Selection (May 2026)
Docs Ireland - Pull Focus Competition (June 2026)
Galway Film Fleadh - Irish Documentary Competition (July 2026)

Development

Best Pitch Award in Edinburgh Pitch 2020
Tënk Post-production Award in Visions Du Réel 2024

Visions Du Réel Work-In-Progress 2024
IDFA Project Space 2022
ASSEMBLY Development Lab 2020
Dok Leipzig Co-Pro Market 2020
IGNITE Development Program 2020
Sheffield Meet Market 2021