Disney+ Acquires Irish Short Film "Brown Bread" for European Streaming

Discover the heartfelt narrative inspired by director Shaunagh Connaire’s personal experiences.
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Disney+ has acquired a short film from Ireland, Brown Bread, following a successful festival run.

What's Happening:

  • Variety reports that Disney+ has acquired the Irish short film Brown Bread following a successful festival run that began with its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2025.
  • The film is already available to stream on Disney+ in Europe.
  • Inspired by writer and director Shaunagh Connaire’s own experience of being unable to travel to Ireland from the U.S. to attend her godmother’s funeral, the story follows Áine (Katie McGrath), a woman whose return to Ireland from New York to attend her godmother’s memorial mass stirs up old tensions, grief, and unspoken affection in her rural family home.
  • Fionnula Flanagan stars as Betty, a proud but emotionally restrained mother struggling with her daughter’s return, while Dermot Crowley plays Áine’s father Seamus.
  • Connaire is a two-time Emmy-nominated Irish journalist who has produced documentaries for the BBC and PBS Frontline and has served as communication director for George and Amal Clooney‘s Foundation for Justice.

What They're Saying:

  • Writer/director Shaunagh Connaire: “Having my first scripted film acquired by Disney so early in its life is so wonderful. I wanted to tell a story rooted in Irish life but expansive enough to travel. To see that belief reflected in a global acquisition like this is incredibly affirming, and a reminder that small, specific stories can resonate far beyond where they begin.”

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