The announcement comes ahead of preparations for its milestone 25th edition.
Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF) is thrilled to announce that Amy-Louise O’Callaghan has been appointed Programming Director for KIFF 2024. She will curate a special programme to celebrate 25 years of the festival, which takes place from 17 – 20 October 2024, across a variety of venues in Killarney. As part of its commitment to reach as many people as possible, KIFF also hosts county-wide film events throughout the year. In this capacity, Amy-Louise was thrilled to present a selection of award-winning KIFF films to a full house in Dingle as part of the brilliant Feile Na Bealtaine festival. Another outreach event sees Amy-Louise host a KIFF/ Cruinniú na nÓg collaboration in Killarney on June 15th. This event offers a free programme of short animations from Ireland and beyond, followed by an interactive stop-motion workshop.
Amy Louise is a film programmer and illustrator who has spent the last few years working in the Irish Film Institute on its annual schools programme, delivering an extensive selection of Irish and international films to young people throughout Ireland. On her appointment, Amy Louise said ‘I’m delighted to be appointed the Festival Programming Director for 2024. Coming from North Cork, access to arts and culture in rural areas has always been very important to me. Local film festivals like KIFF offer the opportunity to experience a huge variety of cultures and experiences, and everyone of all ages should feel welcome to come in and enjoy what’s on offer. I’m very excited to join such a great team to deliver a dynamic programme next October.’
Speaking about the appointment, KIFF chair, Grace O’ Donnell, said: ‘We are so delighted to welcome Amy-Louise to our KIFF 2024 team. Her passion and enthusiasm for the arts are exactly what KIFF celebrates. She is a perfect fit to head up our silver jubilee year.’
KIFF is immensely grateful to their title sponsors, Kerry Airport, as well as their key partners, including Kerry County Council, Screen Ireland, the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA), Tower Records Ireland, RTÉ Supporting the Arts, Randles Hotel, the Plaza Hotel, the Great Southern Hotel Killarney, Fáilte Ireland and Kerry Broadband as well as a wealth of local businesses, individuals and supporters.