The RTÉ Kids short film your family needs to watch this Sunday

There are certain moments when you’re scrolling through what the kids are going to watch at the weekend and you stumble across something that actually looks, well, good. Not just “fine for the background while I make dinner” good, but genuinely worth sitting down for. This Sunday, RTÉ KIDS is giving us one of those moments.

The Note, a brand-new short film commissioned for RTÉ KIDS, will premiere on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Sunday 30 August at 5:10pm, and from everything we’ve heard about it, it sounds like the kind of children’s television that stays with you long after the credits roll.

What’s it about?

Set in a noisy Dublin estate, the film centres on two best friends, Bree and Bella, whose prank goes further than intended when it lands on Tala, a new girl who won’t speak. Where Bella leans into the social kudos the incident brings her, Bree is consumed by guilt. What follows is a quietly powerful story of one girl deciding to do the right thing, even when it isn’t easy, and watching that small act of courage ripple outward into something bigger.

If you’ve ever found yourself trying to explain peer pressure to a child, or talked to them about what real friendship looks like when things get complicated, this is the kind of story that does a lot of that heavy lifting for you. Sometimes a film can open up a conversation that’s been sitting on the tip of your tongue for weeks.

Homegrown talent, international stage

Directed by Viko Nikci and starring Lucy Smith, Francesca Europa and Neoenhle Nkoloti, The Note was commissioned as part of the EBU Kids’ Drama Exchange, an international initiative dedicated to producing high-quality original drama for children across Europe. The fact that this is an Irish story, told by Irish and Ireland-based talent, landing on an international stage is something worth celebrating.

Producer Eimear O’Mahony called it “a gorgeous original contemporary Irish film showcasing the best of local and new and emerging talent,” and director Viko Nikci was full of praise for his young cast: “Lucy, Francesca and Neo brought an energy and authenticity to the characters that inspired the entire cast and crew to fire on all cylinders.”

He also couldn’t resist mentioning the Irish weather: “We all knew that it would be a charmed shoot when the rain stopped just long enough to get our shots!” Some things never change.

Why it’s worth tuning in this Sunday

With the bank holiday weekend in full swing and the back-to-school countdown ticking louder by the hour, Sunday evening television can be a rare moment of calm before the chaos of the new term kicks in. The Note is the kind of thing you can watch with your kids, actually enjoy, and maybe use as a jumping-off point for a chat about kindness, courage and standing up for someone who’s being left out.

The film will also be screened at Irish and international film festivals throughout 2026, so this Sunday’s premiere on RTÉ Player is very much the first chance to catch it. Set a reminder now before the weekend gets away from you.

The Note premieres on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player this Sunday 30 August at 5:10pm.