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01. KIFF Alternative Venues
JB and MOH
KIFF Filmmakers
KIFF Industry Day
KIFF Social Aspect
01. KIFF Alternative Venues
KIFF ME QUICK!

KIFF is a world-class film festival that takes place in the picturesque town of Killarney, Ireland every October. KIFF delivers unique film experiences county-wide by partnering with groups who understand how vital it is to get art and culture into the communities.

JB and MOH
KIFF THE GIRLS

Unique to KIFF is the Maureen O' Hara award for women that have excelled in film. At the time of its inception, it was one of the first film awards, anywhere in the world, offered exclusively to women.

KIFF Filmmakers
THE KIFF OF LIFE

KIFF loves nothing more than to reveal emerging and diverse talent from across the world whilst fostering a hub of film creativity, industry and appreciation in Kerry.

KIFF Industry Day
KIFF AND TELL

KIFF hosts an annual Industry Day in partnership with Screen Training Ireland, the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) and Film Network Ireland. This includes a Q&A session with industry leaders, filmmakers, fundraising experts and TV panellists.

KIFF Social Aspect
LATE NIGHT KIFF

KIFF's unique venues are located in the heart of vibrant Killarney town which means the social side of the Festival spills over into the nearby pubs and restaurants.

01. KIFF Alternative Venues
KIFF ME QUICK!

KIFF is a world-class film festival that takes place in the picturesque town of Killarney, Ireland every October. KIFF delivers unique film experiences county-wide by partnering with groups who understand how vital it is to get art and culture into the communities.

JB and MOH
KIFF THE GIRLS

Unique to KIFF is the Maureen O' Hara award for women that have excelled in film. At the time of its inception, it was one of the first film awards, anywhere in the world, offered exclusively to women.

KIFF Filmmakers
THE KIFF OF LIFE

KIFF loves nothing more than to reveal emerging and diverse talent from across the world whilst fostering a hub of film creativity, industry and appreciation in Kerry.

KIFF Industry Day
KIFF AND TELL

KIFF hosts an annual Industry Day in partnership with Screen Training Ireland, the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) and Film Network Ireland. This includes a Q&A session with industry leaders, filmmakers, fundraising experts and TV panellists.

KIFF Social Aspect
LATE NIGHT KIFF

KIFF's unique venues are located in the heart of vibrant Killarney town which means the social side of the Festival spills over into the nearby pubs and restaurants.

All patrons over the age of 18 must bring their EU COVID Certificate and photo ID to present upon entering the cinema screen.

Welcome to Kerry International Film Festival's 2021 Blended Festival
Screening Films Online & In-Person
Oct 14 - 17

Festival Programme & Tickets
Online Film Festival
Learn More
Festival Programme & Tickets
Online Film Festival
Learn More
KIFF NEWS
KIFF NEWS

Welcome to Kiff - Revealing tomorrow's talent today

Kerry International Film Festival takes place from Oct 14 – 17th.  After the success of our 2020 online festival, and with audience safety in mind, we opted for a blended Festival. We have in-person screenings taking place in our beloved Cinema Killarney and in Siamsa Tire, Tralee. We’ll take every care to comply with government COVID guidelines. We also have a great selection of films screening online. Last year, we reached over 17+ streams across our multiple platforms, including our streaming service, YouTube, Zoom and more. It opens KIFF up to a truly international audience and we hope to continue this trend in 2021.
 
Eibh Collins and her team have put together another full programme of shorts, select features, documentaries, music films and animations. We will also facilitate a diverse and relevant range of workshops and industry events. Full details of which are outlined in our online programme which you can download here.
 
We’re super proud to report that KIFF is listed as one of the Top 100 festivals in the world on Film Freeway where it currently holds a 5-star rating. We hope you can join us to find out why.
Play Video

KATHLEEN KENNEDY HONOURED WITH THE MAUREEN O'HARA AWARD 2021

Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF) is delighted to announce that American film producer and current president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, is the recipient of this year’s Maureen O’Hara award. The esteemed producer has participated in the making of over 70 films worldwide including five of the fifty highest-grossing films in motion picture history, and she also co-founded the production company Amblin Entertainment with Stephen Spielberg and Frank Marshall.

She has produced a wide range of films that have since become beloved by fans, such as the emotionally-endearing E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, the thrilling films of the Jurassic Park series, acclaimed historical dramas such as Munich, Lincoln, and Schindler’s List, and three of the four celebrated Indiana Jones adventures, among scores of others. She is currently producing several new Star Wars series and films, including the third season of the Emmy Award-winning The Mandalorian.

Watch the Kathleen Kennedy Interview on our streaming platform from Oct 11th.

Kathleen Kennedy

Winners 2020

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT – Leopard by James Arden

BEST STUDENT SHORT – My Other Suit Is Human by Andrew Paul Montague

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – The Yellow Dress by Natasa Paulberg

BEST OF KERRY – Bó by Mieke Vanmechelen

BEST OF KERRY – The West Kerry Cowboy by Cian O’Connor

BEST ANIMATION – GON, The Little Fox by Takeshi Yashiro

SCRIPT WRITING AWARD – Lambing by Katie McNeice

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – VIOLET GIBSON, The Irish Woman Who Shot Mussolini  by Barrie Dowdall & Kevin de la Isla O’Neill

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT – How to Fall in love in a Pandemic by Michael-David McKernan

BEST IRISH NARRATIVE SHORT – Rough by Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE – Follow the Dead by Adam William Cahill

Best International Narrative Short

Title: Leopard

Director: James Arden

Synopsis: Rocky, a London teenager, begins to question the strict routine set by her father - as well as deeper feelings about her own identity - after meeting a free-spirited girl in a local launderette.

Producers: James Arden & Poppy Ashton

Best Irish Narrative Short

Title: Rough
Directors: Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson.

Synopsis: “Rough” is a film about a dog sentenced to death by gangsters, but it’s also a film about those who have been forgotten by Northern Ireland’s peace process. For some, the conflict in Northern Ireland never really ended.
Producer: Louise Gallagher.

Best Animation

Title: GON, The Little Fox
Director: Takeshi Yashiro
Synopsis: Gon, a playful fox, finds Hyoju has lost his mother for his own earlier mischiefs and starts making amends by secretly bringing gifts to Hyojyu. Hyojyu doesn’t realize who brings the anonymous gifts, and the two are headed for a heartbreaking climax.
Producer: Masaaki Oikawa

Best Student Short

Title: My Other Suit Is Human
Director: Andrew Paul Montague
Synopsis: Zoe, grieving for her deceased son, has become distant from her emotionally unavailable husband who buries himself in work. Dealing with her grief alone, she seeks refuge in the form of a homemade robot suit. Slowly, she starts to rediscover herself and her marriage.  
Producer: Kira Fitzpatrick

Best Narrative Feature

Title: Follow the Dead
Director: Adam William Cahill
Synopsis: The remote town of Ferbane struggles to react when no one seems able to communicate with Dublin City anymore, and videos that have surfaced online suggest that the capital has succumb to an undead threat, and danger may be on its way!
Producer: Adam William Cahill

Best of Kerry

Title: Bó
Director: Mieke Vanmecheleny
Synopsis: The Kerry cow is the oldest cow in existence in Europe. Ireland’s special association with these animals goes back thousands of years. Currently endangered, a small number of individuals are doing their utmost to preserve the breed. Bó is an intimate account of the bonds that exist between the farmers and their animals.
Producer: Mieke Vanmechelen

Best of Kerry

Title: The West Kerry Cowboy
Director: Cian O'Connor
Synopsis: Big Mac and his dad Frank live a lonely life in the heart of West Kerry. After his mother's death, Big Mac falls into a secretive world. On the day of her anniversary, Big Mac has a confession to make. This film is a comedy drama about masculinity and grief.
Producers: Peter Kilmartin

Best Documentary

Title: VIOLET GIBSON, The Irish Woman Who Shot Mussolini
Directors: Barrie Dowdall
& Kevin de la Isla O'Neill
Synopsis: The true and forgotten story of Violet Gibson, daughter of the Lord Chancellor to Ireland, who shot fascist dictator Benito Mussolini at point-blank range as she faced a Fascist mob in Rome in 1926.
Producers: Siobhán Lynam & Barrie Dowdall

Best International Narrative Short

Title: Leopard

Director: James Arden

Synopsis: Rocky, a London teenager, begins to question the strict routine set by her father - as well as deeper feelings about her own identity - after meeting a free-spirited girl in a local launderette.

Producers: James Arden & Poppy Ashton

Best Irish Narrative Short

Title: Rough
Directors: Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson.

Synopsis: “Rough” is a film about a dog sentenced to death by gangsters, but it’s also a film about those who have been forgotten by Northern Ireland’s peace process. For some, the conflict in Northern Ireland never really ended.
Producer: Louise Gallagher.

Best Animation

Title: GON, The Little Fox
Director: Takeshi Yashiro
Synopsis: Gon, a playful fox, finds Hyoju has lost his mother for his own earlier mischiefs and starts making amends by secretly bringing gifts to Hyojyu. Hyojyu doesn’t realize who brings the anonymous gifts, and the two are headed for a heartbreaking climax.
Producer: Masaaki Oikawa

Best Student Short

Title: My Other Suit Is Human
Director: Andrew Paul Montague
Synopsis: Zoe, grieving for her deceased son, has become distant from her emotionally unavailable husband who buries himself in work. Dealing with her grief alone, she seeks refuge in the form of a homemade robot suit. Slowly, she starts to rediscover herself and her marriage.  
Producer: Kira Fitzpatrick

Best Narrative Feature

Title: Follow the Dead
Director: Adam William Cahill
Synopsis: The remote town of Ferbane struggles to react when no one seems able to communicate with Dublin City anymore, and videos that have surfaced online suggest that the capital has succumb to an undead threat, and danger may be on its way!
Producer: Adam William Cahill

Best of Kerry

Title: Bó
Director: Mieke Vanmecheleny
Synopsis: The Kerry cow is the oldest cow in existence in Europe. Ireland’s special association with these animals goes back thousands of years. Currently endangered, a small number of individuals are doing their utmost to preserve the breed. Bó is an intimate account of the bonds that exist between the farmers and their animals.
Producer: Mieke Vanmechelen

Best of Kerry

Title: The West Kerry Cowboy
Director: Cian O'Connor
Synopsis: Big Mac and his dad Frank live a lonely life in the heart of West Kerry. After his mother's death, Big Mac falls into a secretive world. On the day of her anniversary, Big Mac has a confession to make. This film is a comedy drama about masculinity and grief.
Producers: Peter Kilmartin

Best Documentary

Title: VIOLET GIBSON, The Irish Woman Who Shot Mussolini
Directors: Barrie Dowdall
& Kevin de la Isla O'Neill
Synopsis: The true and forgotten story of Violet Gibson, daughter of the Lord Chancellor to Ireland, who shot fascist dictator Benito Mussolini at point-blank range as she faced a Fascist mob in Rome in 1926.
Producers: Siobhán Lynam & Barrie Dowdall

Best International Narrative Short

Title: Leopard

Director: James Arden

Synopsis: Rocky, a London teenager, begins to question the strict routine set by her father - as well as deeper feelings about her own identity - after meeting a free-spirited girl in a local launderette.

Producers: James Arden & Poppy Ashton

Best Irish Narrative Short

Title: Rough
Directors: Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson.

Synopsis: “Rough” is a film about a dog sentenced to death by gangsters, but it’s also a film about those who have been forgotten by Northern Ireland’s peace process. For some, the conflict in Northern Ireland never really ended.
Producer: Louise Gallagher.

Best Animation

Title: GON, The Little Fox
Director: Takeshi Yashiro
Synopsis: Gon, a playful fox, finds Hyoju has lost his mother for his own earlier mischiefs and starts making amends by secretly bringing gifts to Hyojyu. Hyojyu doesn’t realize who brings the anonymous gifts, and the two are headed for a heartbreaking climax.
Producer: Masaaki Oikawa

Best Student Short

Title: My Other Suit Is Human
Director: Andrew Paul Montague
Synopsis: Zoe, grieving for her deceased son, has become distant from her emotionally unavailable husband who buries himself in work. Dealing with her grief alone, she seeks refuge in the form of a homemade robot suit. Slowly, she starts to rediscover herself and her marriage.  
Producer: Kira Fitzpatrick

Best Narrative Feature

Title: Follow the Dead
Director: Adam William Cahill
Synopsis: The remote town of Ferbane struggles to react when no one seems able to communicate with Dublin City anymore, and videos that have surfaced online suggest that the capital has succumb to an undead threat, and danger may be on its way!
Producer: Adam William Cahill

Best of Kerry

Title: Bó
Director: Mieke Vanmecheleny
Synopsis: The Kerry cow is the oldest cow in existence in Europe. Ireland’s special association with these animals goes back thousands of years. Currently endangered, a small number of individuals are doing their utmost to preserve the breed. Bó is an intimate account of the bonds that exist between the farmers and their animals.
Producer: Mieke Vanmechelen

Best of Kerry

Title: The West Kerry Cowboy
Director: Cian O'Connor
Synopsis: Big Mac and his dad Frank live a lonely life in the heart of West Kerry. After his mother's death, Big Mac falls into a secretive world. On the day of her anniversary, Big Mac has a confession to make. This film is a comedy drama about masculinity and grief.
Producers: Peter Kilmartin

Best Documentary

Title: VIOLET GIBSON, The Irish Woman Who Shot Mussolini
Directors: Barrie Dowdall
& Kevin de la Isla O'Neill
Synopsis: The true and forgotten story of Violet Gibson, daughter of the Lord Chancellor to Ireland, who shot fascist dictator Benito Mussolini at point-blank range as she faced a Fascist mob in Rome in 1926.
Producers: Siobhán Lynam & Barrie Dowdall

Best International Narrative Short

Title: Leopard

Director: James Arden

Synopsis: Rocky, a London teenager, begins to question the strict routine set by her father - as well as deeper feelings about her own identity - after meeting a free-spirited girl in a local launderette.

Producers: James Arden & Poppy Ashton

Best Irish Narrative Short

Title: Rough
Directors: Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson.

Synopsis: “Rough” is a film about a dog sentenced to death by gangsters, but it’s also a film about those who have been forgotten by Northern Ireland’s peace process. For some, the conflict in Northern Ireland never really ended.
Producer: Louise Gallagher.

Best Animation

Title: GON, The Little Fox
Director: Takeshi Yashiro
Synopsis: Gon, a playful fox, finds Hyoju has lost his mother for his own earlier mischiefs and starts making amends by secretly bringing gifts to Hyojyu. Hyojyu doesn’t realize who brings the anonymous gifts, and the two are headed for a heartbreaking climax.
Producer: Masaaki Oikawa

Best Student Short

Title: My Other Suit Is Human
Director: Andrew Paul Montague
Synopsis: Zoe, grieving for her deceased son, has become distant from her emotionally unavailable husband who buries himself in work. Dealing with her grief alone, she seeks refuge in the form of a homemade robot suit. Slowly, she starts to rediscover herself and her marriage.  
Producer: Kira Fitzpatrick

Best Narrative Feature

Title: Follow the Dead
Director: Adam William Cahill
Synopsis: The remote town of Ferbane struggles to react when no one seems able to communicate with Dublin City anymore, and videos that have surfaced online suggest that the capital has succumb to an undead threat, and danger may be on its way!
Producer: Adam William Cahill

Best of Kerry

Title: Bó
Director: Mieke Vanmecheleny
Synopsis: The Kerry cow is the oldest cow in existence in Europe. Ireland’s special association with these animals goes back thousands of years. Currently endangered, a small number of individuals are doing their utmost to preserve the breed. Bó is an intimate account of the bonds that exist between the farmers and their animals.
Producer: Mieke Vanmechelen

Best of Kerry

Title: The West Kerry Cowboy
Director: Cian O'Connor
Synopsis: Big Mac and his dad Frank live a lonely life in the heart of West Kerry. After his mother's death, Big Mac falls into a secretive world. On the day of her anniversary, Big Mac has a confession to make. This film is a comedy drama about masculinity and grief.
Producers: Peter Kilmartin

Best Documentary

Title: VIOLET GIBSON, The Irish Woman Who Shot Mussolini
Directors: Barrie Dowdall
& Kevin de la Isla O'Neill
Synopsis: The true and forgotten story of Violet Gibson, daughter of the Lord Chancellor to Ireland, who shot fascist dictator Benito Mussolini at point-blank range as she faced a Fascist mob in Rome in 1926.
Producers: Siobhán Lynam & Barrie Dowdall

Winners 2019

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT – The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Bailey
BEST ANIMATION – Mind My Mind by Floor Adams
BEST IRISH NARRATIVE – A White Horse by Shaun O’ Connor
BEST KERRY SHORT – The Space Between Us by Elaine Kennedy
BEST STUDENT SHORT– Starry Night by Emma Smith (Special mention for Ciúnas, for its subtle and nuanced directing.)
BEST FEATURE – Kilimanjaro Mama by Malcolm Willis
BEST DOCUMENTARY – Heyday – The Mic Christopher Story by Alan Leonard
SCREENWRITING AWARD: Two Bed Terrace by Cathriona Slammon.

Best International Short

Title:The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
Writer/Director: Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Synopsis: When a woman is bedridden by a mysterious pathogen, a forest snail unexpectedly takes up residence on her nightstand. Together, the woman and snail share an intimate journey of survival and resilience. Their captivating and graceful explorations expand the boundaries of the bedroom. An intimate and surprising live-action story. Adapted from the award-winning nonfiction memoir of the same title.

Best Animation

Title: Mind my Mind
Writer/ Director: Floor Adams
Synopsis: Chris, an autistic young man who camouflages his obsession with dive bombers, gets by with the help of Hans, the little guy who lives in his head and translates Chris’s social scripts for him. When zoologist Gwen invites Chris to meet her favourite chameleon, Chris and Hans move expeditiously ahead with a flirt script… but then the chameleon dies and Gwen needs Chris to go off-script.
Producers: Willem Thijssen, Tom Van Gestel, Floor Adams

Best Irish Short

Title: A White Horse
Director: Shaun O’ Connor
Writer: Paul Cahill
Synopsis: 1970s Ireland. A young female patient has escaped a psychiatric hospital and rings home from a telephone box… but her parents are waiting for the call.
Producer: Sinead Barry

Best Kerry Short

Title: The Space Between Us
Director: Elaine Kennedy
Writer: Emmet Kelly
Synopsis: A family drama between three estranged siblings who are forced to reconnect when a tragedy occurs in their family. The story explores the wide range of emotions they have toward each other, present and past, and what their relationships will look like moving forward.
Producers: Emmet Kelly, Elynia Betts

Best Student Short

Title: Starry Night
Director: Emma Smith
Writer: Rachel Moloney
Synopsis: Teenager CARA has just received a dream opportunity to study fashion in London – but there’s a hitch: her mother passed away a year ago, her dad is a drunk, and Cara is now the sole carer for her three younger sisters. JEANIE, Cara’s best friend, pushes her to put herself first and escape a lifetime in the flats. Cara desperately searches for somebody, anybody, to take in the kids – from her pompous aunt SHERYL, to junkie DAVIE.  
Producer: Caoilinn Handley

Best Feature

Title: Kilimanjaro Mama
Director: Malcolm Willis
Synopsis: The film follows Louise Quill from Tralee, as she shares her story of why she decided to set up Tir na nÓg orphanage in Africa, what drives her and the impact it has had on her own health and wellbeing. Documenting the journey from Ireland to Tanzania, this is the story of one woman’s dogged determination to give the children of Kilimanjaro the best possible chance to overcome the tough life they have been dealt.
Producer: Brian Hurley

Best Documentary

Title: Heyday – the Mic Christopher Story
Director: Alan Leonard
Synopsis: Celebrating the legacy of a prodigiously talented Irish singer-songwriter, Heyday charts Mic Christopher’s musical journey from Grafton Street busker to The Mary Janes and rock stardom to the near-fatal accident that radically changed his world view and ignited a drive to create a brighter, more uplifting body of work before his untimely death in 2001.
Producer: Niall Carver

Many thanks to our Current KIFF sponsors

Headline Sponsor

Premium Funders & Sponsors

The Arts Council Funding Festivals
IFTA
Randles Hotel
RTE Supporting the Arts
The Arts Council Funding Festivals
IFTA
Randles Hotel
RTE Supporting the Arts

Sponsors

Killarney Plaza Hotel
Tower Records
JM Reidys Killarney
Killarney Plaza Hotel
Tower Records
JM Reidys Killarney

KIFF Festival Friends

Glasson Lakehouse
Dingle Skellig
Hazels Nuts About Vintage
Croi
Glasson Lakehouse
Dingle Skellig
Hazels Nuts About Vintage
Croi

Festival Supporters