Joseph, a young boy from an unnamed African country, arrives for his first day at a rural Irish primary school. As the teacher introduces him and the other children size him up with curiosity and suspicion, Joseph navigates the universal anxieties of being the new kid — while carrying memories of a past far heavier than any of his classmates can imagine.
Editorial Perspective
Steph Green’s New Boy, adapted from a Roddy Doyle short story, does something quietly brilliant: it tells a refugee story entirely from the child’s perspective without ever using the word “refugee.” The Irish classroom becomes a microcosm where Joseph’s charm and resilience shine, even as brief flashbacks hint at the trauma he’s left behind. The film trusts its young actor — and its audience — enough to leave the heaviest things unsaid.
Where to Watch
Available through the Irish Film Institute and select educational streaming platforms.
Historical data reconstructed from archive.org snapshots of the Manhattan Short Film Festival website.
