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Béal was developed during the BAICC International Film Creation Residency, a collaboration between the S8 Mostra Internacional de Cinema Periférico, Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), and Liaison of Independent Filmmakers Toronto (LIFT). The residency supports the creation of new analogue, film-based works by creators born or living in Spain. Works developed in the residency premiere at the S8 Film Festival, with Béal set to debut in A Coruña, Spain.

Béal is a cinematic exploration of the intertwined histories, communities, and daily lives of Toronto’s Cabbagetown and Regent Park. Rooted in their shared history of Irish immigration and shaped by cycles of gentrification, social housing, and urban redevelopment, the film examines how these neighborhoods navigate contrasts of class, culture, and urban transformation.

Through intimate collaborations with residents and community workers—including Carol (Regent Park Health Centre), Dawn, Elsaida (The Dreamers Peace Garden), Ina, John (Cabbagetown Boxing Club), Kevin (Council Fire Native Cultural Centre), Rachel, Walied (Regent Park Neighbourhood Association)—Béal captures personal stories of resilience, displacement, and community ties. The project also touches on the Don Valley and River, historically significant sites for Indigenous peoples and contemporary spaces of informal habitation, connecting local histories with present realities.

With the support of

BAICC International Film Creation Residency

Liaison of Independent Filmmakers Toronto (LIFT)

Acción Cultural Española (AC/E)

- (S8) Mostra de Cine periférico, A Coruña, Spain, June 2026