Writer, film addict and Dublin native Luke Dunne is the founder and head writer of website Film In Dublin. Since 2016 they’ve covered reviews, events and festivals all across Ireland. This is Lukes’ second year as judge for the student shorts category.

“You don’t always get to go and see bands play live. Seeing them on TV shows is not the same; you can’t define the image the way you can with a music video. Right now, it’s the way people remember an artist and the way they perform.”

Dawn Shadforth is a British director whose career spans award-winning music videos, short films, and television drama. She made her name with visually inventive, era-defining music videos for artists such as Kylie Minogue (Can’t Get You Out of My Head), Goldfrapp, Björk, Oasis, Florence + The Machine, The Streets, Primal Scream, and Hurts. Her short film The Big Day (2001) won a BAFTA, and she went on to direct high-profile television drama, including TRUST, HIS DARK MATERIALS, MOOD, I HATE SUZIE, ADULT MATERIAL and APPLES NEVER FALL. Shadforth’s latest series,TRESPASSES, is adapted from Louise Kennedy’s acclaimed novel.

Alma is an award-winning composer, sound designer and musician. She works with dance, theatre, film, music, circus and live art, always blurring the lines between music and sound design in her work. Alma has composed for numerous short films including NAKED LIGHTS (Jeda De Brí), THE ISLAND (Two Sparks), THE PAINTED MAN (Dan Colley), I AM ROGER CASEMENT (Dearbhla Walsh and Fearghus Ó Conchúir). She composed the music for the RTE Doc on One series, PIRATE PREDATOR. She is a company artist with THISISPOPBABY, and created the music for their smash hit shows RIOT and WAKE.

Favourite projects for stage include THE CASEMENT PROJECT (Fearghus Ó Conchúir), VERY OLD MAN WITH ENORMOUS WINGS (Dan Colley), RIVERRUN (Olwen Fouéré – Irish Times Theatre Award winner Best Sound Design), and THE ELEPHANTOM (National Theatre UK and West End). She is an accomplished session musician, working with many of Ireland’s major acts including Lisa Hannigan, Bell X 1, The Coronas, and Moncrieff.

She releases solo music as electro-folk act Lux Alma. This will be her second year as a judge at KIFF.

Amanda Posey is a double Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning producer who founded her London-based independent film and television company Wildgaze Films over 30 years ago.

Amanda is Executive Producer on Wildgaze Films’ first TV series, the BAFTA-winning TRESPASSES, a four-part adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s award-winning and bestselling debut novel about a forbidden love affair set in 1970s Northern Ireland, against the backdrop of the Troubles. Starring Lola Petticrew, Tom Cullen and Gillian Anderson, adapted by Ailbhe Keogan and directed by Dawn Shadforth, the series premiered on Channel 4 in November 2025. Co-financed by All 3 Media and Northern Ireland Screen,
Trespasses received outstanding reviews, featuring in a number of ‘Best of Year’ roundups. It has been multi-award nominated and has won three IFTAs (including Best Actress and Best Script), one BAFTA Craft award for Cinematography, an Ivor Novello award for Best Television Score, a New York Festivals TV & Film Awards Silver Tower for Direction, and the Seriencamp 2026 Critics Choice award.

Amanda also recently produced Wildgaze Films’ JOY, alongside her former producing partner Finola Dwyer, for Netflix/Pathe. The film launched at the 2024 London Film Festival, and tells the story of the pioneers behind the world’s first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, starring Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton & Bill Nighy, written by Jack Thorne, from a story by Rachel Mason & Jack, and directed by Ben Taylor.

Amanda is producer on a number of distinctive feature films from the past few years, including BROOKLYN, adapted by Nick Hornby from Colm Toibin’s acclaimed novel, directed by John Crowley and starring Saoirse Ronan, which was nominated for three Oscars (including Best Picture) and six BAFTAs, winning Outstanding British Film BAFTA; THEIR FINEST, a co-production with Stephen Woolley/Number 9 Films, written by Gaby Chiappe, directed by Lone Scherfig and starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy; and the award-winning feature documentary for Storyville, MY NAZI LEGACY featuring Philippe Sands, directed by David Evans. 

Earlier producing credits include AN EDUCATION, directed by Lone Scherfig, written by Nick Hornby and starring Carey Mulligan in her breakout role, alongside Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike and Emma Thompson, which was nominated for three Oscars (including Best Picture) and nine BAFTAs; FEVER PITCH, which Nick Hornby adapted based on his memoir, starring Colin Firth, directed by David Evans; and the US remake for Fox 2000, A PERFECT CATCH, set against the backdrop of the Boston Red Sox, adapted by Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel, directed by the Farrelly Brothers, starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon.

Amanda is a member of AMPAS and BAFTA.

Barry Ward is an award-winning actor with an impressive array of credits spanning both stage and screen. He will next be seen on screen in a lead role opposite Sarah Greene, Aisling Bea and Robert Sheehan, in the highly anticipated upcoming series for Netflix, GROWN UPS, based on the work of Marian Keyes. He is also currently shooting an upcoming feature film from director Nicolas Steiner, THE FLYING MOUNTAIN, in which he plays the co-lead opposite Moe Dunford. 

Barry’s recent Film and TV roles include Harry Evans Jnr in EVERYBODY DIGS BILL EVANS, the Golden Berlin Bear award-nominated feature which premiered at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival and won its director, Grant Gee, the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Director; and the role of Victor McIntyre in the 2026 BAFTA-nominated limited series, TRESPASSES, from Channel 4, alongside Lola Petticrew and Tom Cullen; and ON THE SEA from director Helen Walsh for Red Union Films.

Barry’s most notable roles include the lead of Jimmy Graltonm in Ken Loach’s JIMMY’S HALL, which premiered at Cannes in 2014 and was nominated for the Palme D’Or; the role of Fergal Loftus in Sharon Horgan’s TV series BAD SISTERS for Apple TV; Joe Rutledge in THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SON, from director Pat Collins, for which he was nominated for an IFTA for Best Actor in a Lead Role in 2024; Ian in DATING AMBER from director David Freyne, for which he won the IFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2021; and Martin Martin in EXTRAORDINARY from directors Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman, for which he was again nominated for the IFTA for Best Actor in a Lead Role in 2020. 

Barry’s further Film and TV credits include roles in productions including UNGRATEFUL BEINGS (Endorfilm), SALVABLE (Lowkey Films), PROTECTION (ITV), RESTLESS (HAUS Pictures), PROSPECT HOUSE (An Pointe Productions), CLEAN SWEEP (BBC), SUNLIGHT (Keeper Pictures), BURIAL (Stigma Films), THE ULYSSES PROJECT (Ten Thousand Hours), PISTOL (FX Network), FEEL GOOD (Netflix), ANNE BOLEYN (AMC+), DES (ITV), WHITE LINES (Netflix), SAVE ME (Peacock), BRITANNIA (Amazon Studios), THE CAPTURE (Peacock), GOMORRAH (HBO), TWICE UPON A TIME (Netflix), TAKEN DOWN (RTÉ), THE END OF THE F***ING

WORLD (Netflix), MAZE (Mammoth Films), THE FALL (BBC), THE JOURNEY (Greenroom Entertainment), REALIVE (Arcadia Motion Pictures), THE TRUTH COMMISSIONER (Big Fish Films), REBELLION (RTÉ), and PURSUIT (Toonz Media Group).

Barry’s Theatre credits include Jack Clitheroe in a critically acclaimed and record-breaking production of THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS at The Abbey Theatre directed by Wayne Jordan; Dean in LAY ME DOWN SOFTLY at the Peacock Theatre directed by Wilson Milam; Azore in the same theatre in LA DISPUTE, directed by Wayne Jordan; and David in LOVE AND MONEY directed by Annabelle Comyn at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin. He also appeared in Caryl Churchill’s MAD FOREST at the Battersea Arts Centre, directed by 2009 JMK Award winner, Caroline Steinbeis.

Dennis is a filmmaker from Dublin. His work has received numerous accolades, including an IFTA nomination, a Swedish Academy Award, and a Grand Prix Semaine de la Critique in Locarno. He is a member of Noncitizen, a film collective which works to hand over the means of making films to migrants.

Frank Blake is an actor and writer from Co. Clare. His screen credits include BLUE LIGHTS, SAY NOTHING, NORMAL PEOPLE and TRESPASSES. He has also worked extensively on stage with companies including Druid, Landmark Productions, Rough Magic, the Gate Theatre and the Abbey Theatre.

As a writer, his first short film, THE PASSION, received an IFTA nomination, and his first feature, COVENANT, is due to go into production later this year.

John Kelly is a filmmaker specialising in animation. He studied at the Royal College of Art in London, and lives and works in Dublin, Ireland. His film RETIREMENT PLAN won both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards in the Animated Short Competition at SXSW 2025 and was nominated for an Oscar® at the 2026 Academy Awards. He’s currently developing an animated docu-series, alongside too many other things.

Kim Bartley is an Irish filmmaker whose work spans documentary and narrative filmmaking. Raised in Paris, she moved to Dublin to study Arts before beginning a career behind the camera. Over the past 25 years, she has directed award-winning documentaries acclaimed for their intimate exploration of human stories, social justice and contemporary issues.

LEMONADE marks Kim’s debut narrative feature as both writer and director. Starring Barry Keoghan and Lewis Brophy, the film will have its world premiere at TIFF 2026. Alongside her filmmaking practice, Kim facilitates creative workshops for young people in conflict with the law at the Oberstown Youth Detention Campus. She is also a board member of the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland.

Malcolm is an award-winning screenwriter from Mansfield. He created and wrote C4’s hit TV drama series ACKLEY BRIDGE, now in its 5th and final series, and he has written for some of the UK’s most popular dramas, including SHAMELESS and SKINS. 

Malcolm’s ​screenplay for WHAT RICHARD DID, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and produced by Element Pictures, won numerous awards including The Evening Standard British Film Award’s Best Screenplay, The Writers’ Guild’s Best Screenplay and the Irish Film and TV Award’s Best Film Script. 

Malcolm co-wrote the film HERSELF with its star Clare Dunne. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, reviews for the film were outstanding, and it was released globally across 2021, winning Best Script at the IFTAs that year. 

He is developing adaptations and original ideas for both film and television. 

His latest film, 500 MILES, starring Bill Nighy, recently premiered at DIFF and will be released in 2026.

Kate Dolan is an Irish writer and director known for her debut feature You Are Not My Mother, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her directing work spans major television series like Kin and The Tourist, alongside her recent Blumhouse horror feature SOULM8TE and acclaimed short Catcalls.

Roisín Geraghty is an independent producer based in County Mayo, in the North West of Ireland, who has been working in the film industry for fifteen years.

In early 2020, she established the production company Little Rose Films. The company’s first release was the multi-award-winning short film THE PASSION, based on the Donal Ryan short story and directed by Mia Mullarkey, which premiered in the summer of 2021, and was nominated for an IFTA award for best short film, amongst many other award nominations and wins.

Roisín is the producer of SUNLIGHT, directed by Claire Dix, a feature film funded under the Screen Ireland POV Female Creative Talent Scheme, produced with Keeper Pictures in association with Little Rose Films. The film has screened at film festivals including Sydney Film Festival, Glasgow Film Festival and Dublin International Film Festival, and had its cinema release in the UK & Ireland in 2023.

Roisín is a producer on the feature documentary co-production A WANT IN HER, directed by Myrid Carten, funded by Screen Ireland, Doc Society, the New Dawn Fund and the Netherlands Film Fund. The film premiered at IDFA in late 2024, and has gone on to be nominated for Outstanding Debut at the 2026 BAFTA Awards, as well as winning numerous awards, including three major awards at the British Independent Film Awards (Best Documentary, Raindance Maverick Award, Best Debut Director – Documentary), the jury award at Docpoint Helsinki, Best Documentary and the Audience Award at Dublin International Film Festival 2025, and the Pull Focus Award at Docs Ireland.

In addition to this, she is the co-producer of the feature documentary MAGILLIGAN, directed by Ross McClean, which premiered in international competition at Visions du Réel in 2026, and AMANDA, directed by José Miguel Jimenez, funded by the Arts Council of Ireland, which premiered at Dublin International Film Festival in 2025, and was the runner-up for the festival’s audience award.

She has worked on many Irish indigenous productions and co-productions; as Production Coordinator on successful feature documentaries including AFTER THE DANCE (2014) and BEING AP (2015), as well as Production Manager on Ireland’s 2018 entry for the Foreign Language Oscar SONG OF GRANITE (2017). 

She produced the Reel Art-funded feature documentary WE ARE MOVING – MEMORIES OF MISS MORIARTY (2016) and the Screen Ireland-funded short TAKE ME SWIMMING (2018) with director Claire Dix, and the Irish Arts Council-funded, multi-award-winning short film FIVE LETTERS TO THE STRANGER WHO WILL DISSECT MY BRAIN (2018) with director Oonagh Kearney. 

Roisín is an alumni of the Rotterdam Producers Lab (2020), and is currently participating in the prestigious Dok Ji.hlava Emerging Producers Programme.

She has also worked with various film organisations in Ireland, the UK and the US, including Edinburgh International Film Festival, Belfast Film Festival, GAZE LGBT Film Festival, the Galway Film Fleadh, Guth Gafa, PLASTIK Festival of Artists’ Moving Image, the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and Tribeca Film Festival. She currently works as the Head of Industry and Marketplace for Docs Ireland in Belfast, serves as Industry Manager and Programmer for Cork International Film Festival, as well as founding and project managing the IGNITE-Docs Cross-Border Documentary Talent Development Programme.

Cara Holmes is a queer activist, musician, and filmmaker with a distinctive voice in contemporary documentary. She directed the IFTA-winning WELCOME TO A BRIGHT WHITE LIMBO, which received a Special Jury Mention at Tribeca Film Festival in 2020 and screened at Hot Docs, Sheffield DocFest, and Aesthetica.

Her debut feature documentary, NOTES FROM SHEEPLAND, premiered internationally at Telluride Film Festival in 2023 to critical acclaim. The film won Best Documentary at Dublin International Film Festival and the Pull Focus Award for Best Irish Feature Documentary at Docs Ireland in 2023 and was nominated for an IFTA in 2024.

Cara recently directed LESBIAN LINES, a hybrid feature documentary slated for release in 2026. LESBIAN LINES world premiered in the International Competition at Sheffield DocFest, and won the Pull Focus Award for Best Irish Feature Documentary at Docs Ireland. 

As an editor, her credits include the feature documentaries HOUSEWIFE OF THE YEAR, PIANO DREAMS, FATHER OF THE CYBORGS, and LOST IN FRANCE. She has collaborated with Screen Ireland, TG4, RTÉ, BBC, and the Arts Council of Ireland on projects that push the boundaries of contemporary documentary form.

Ruán Magan’s work as a drama and documentary producer, director and writer has reached audiences of millions around the world.

Projects include the feature film, Báite and documentaries, Children of the Middle Passage, narrated by Lashana Lynch, Daniel O’Connell – The Emancipator, narrated by Domhnall Gleeson, Our Blue World narrated by Liam Neeson, The Cable that Changed the World, narrated by Jessie Buckley, Steps of Freedom, 100 Years of Ulysses, The Irish Civil War narrated by Brendan Gleeson and The Hunger, narrated by Liam Neeson. 

Magan’s work has won many awards including the Galway International Film Festival, the Milan International Film Festival, several IFTAs, the New York International Film Festival, the Celtic Media Festival, the International Black and Diversity Film Festival, and DOC LA. 

Frank Berry’s route to award-winning feature filmmaking began with ten years of community filmmaking and teaching. This work led to the feature documentary Ballymun Lullaby (2011), which won the Directors Guild of America’s Directors Finders Award and marked the beginning of Berry’s career directing socially engaged feature films.

His subsequent dramas, I Used to Live Here, Michael Inside and Aisha, starring Letitia Wright and Josh O’Connor, have received widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards in Ireland and internationally.

Berry’s latest feature, The Lost Children of Tuam won the Best Irish Film Award at the Galway Film Fleadh. The film will have its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2026.

Andrew directed and co-wrote BREAKABLE YOU, starring Holly Hunter, Tony Shalhoub, Alfred Molina, Cristin Milioti and Omar Metwally. The film had its World Premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and was released by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and premiered on Hulu.

Previously, Andrew directed and co-wrote STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING, starring Frank Langella, Lili Taylor, Lauren Ambrose and Adrian Lester, which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically by Roadside Attractions. Frank Langella received numerous Best Actor accolades from critics associations and the movie was named one of the Top 10 Independent Films by the National Board of Review, made over 30 critics’ Best Films of the Year lists, and was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards: Best Male Lead and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Andrew’s first feature film, THE TALENT GIVEN US, was an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival. It also won the Jury Prize at the CineVegas Film Festival and Best First Feature at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival. It went on to play theatrically in over 30 cities and made the New York Times’ and other critics’ Best Films of the Year lists. Andrew was a Gotham Awards Breakthrough Director nominee.

Andrew was a Creative Writing major at Brown University and earned his MFA in Directing at The American Film Institute, where his thesis film, THE LAST DAYS OF HOPE AND TIME, won the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellowship for Excellence in Directing. Andrew continues his affiliation with AFI today as a Senior Lecturer & Faculty Lead, Directing.