Award-Winning Irish Documentary Lesbian Lines Announces Nationwide Cinema Release

An award-winning documentary uncovering the remarkable story of Ireland’s underground lesbian helplines is heading to cinemas nationwide.

Lesbian Lines, written and directed by Cara Holmes, will be released in Irish cinemas on 9 October 2026, one day after International Lesbian Day.

The 77-minute documentary explores a network of telephone helplines established by a small community of Irish lesbians in 1979, at a time when homosexuality faced intense legal and social hostility in Ireland.

The women behind the helplines offered support and friendship to callers experiencing isolation, discrimination, abuse and loneliness. Their conversations were recorded through handwritten notes which survived through decades of social and constitutional change.

Holmes brings that history to the screen using original helpline volunteers alongside actors, combining archival material with dramatised sequences to preserve stories that could otherwise have been lost.

Lesbian Lines later won both Best Feature and the Audience Award at the GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival in Dublin. It has also been nominated for a GALAS Arts and Entertainment award and was selected for the International Competition at Sheffield DocFest.

Watch the official trailer here:

More than four decades after those telephone lines first offered women somewhere to turn, Lesbian Lines brings their experiences to a much wider audience. Its cinema release ensures an important part of lesbian and Irish history is not only preserved, but given space on the big screen for a new generation to discover.

Follow director Cara Holmes on Instagram at @cara_holmes_editor_director and distributor Wildcard Film at @wildcard_film for trailers, screening updates and the latest news on the documentary.

For more LGBTQ+ film, culture and entertainment coverage, follow SoapLandTV.

Image credits: Wildcard Film / Lesbian Lines official trailer / Cara Holmes.