Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF) celebrated its 25th Anniversary Edition this past weekend, Thursday, October 17th to Sunday, October 20th across various venues in Killarney, Co. Kerry. Now in its 25th year, KIFF delivered a packed programme of features and short films from Ireland and abroad, including sold-out presentations of Small Things Like These and Housewife of the Year, Irish and International shorts and features, and industry events.
Throughout the weekend, KIFF was delighted to welcome a variety of guests, including producer Rebecca O’Flanagan, actor Eileen Walsh, director Ciaran Cassidy and the marvellous past winners of the iconic competition Housewife of Year, as well as collaborations with West End House School of Arts, Fresh Film and National Talent Academies, which provided plenty of industry options for budding filmmakers. There was tremendous support from the local community, with a huge number of attendees across all events, including the inaugural KIFF Film Quiz on Saturday at Courtney’s Bar Killarney.
This year, KIFF received more submissions than ever, resulting in a diverse selection of Irish and International shorts, including an expanded family-friendly shorts selection, documentaries, narrative, animation and the ever-popular Kerry Connection programme, which celebrates the creativity and vision of Kerry filmmakers.
Speaking on the programme, Short Film Programmer Declan said “The standard of submissions this year made it easy to put together a robust programme, which we were delighted to see connected with both the local Kerry public and the visiting filmmaking community. We’re really looking forward to seeing the next round of submissions, which are due to open in January 2025.”
Each year, one of the highlights of KIFF is the presentation of the Maureen O’Hara Award. This year’s recipient was producer Rebecca O’Flanagan, who was honoured at a special presentation and ‘in conversation’ event in Randles Hotel Killarney on the opening night of the festival. An established producer within Irish film and television, with a diverse filmography that includes Kathleen is Here, Handsome Devil, Flora and Son, and Smother, KIFF was delighted to welcome Rebecca to Killarney and celebrate her work.
The presentation was followed by a sold-out Opening Night screening, which kicked off with the world premiere of Dance to Remember, directed by Dónal Dineen and winner of the 2023 Kerry Short Film Bursary, funded by Kerry County Council Arts Service and the Arts Council of Ireland and supported by Screen Kerry and Kerry ETB. The short was followed by feature-length documentary Housewife of the Year. Director Ciaran Cassidy and former winners of the competition were in attendance, and participated in a Q&A after the film.
Another highlight of the festival was KIFF’s 25th Birthday Celebration, sponsored by Killarney Plaza Hotel and Killarney Brewing and Distilling Co, which celebrated the journey of KIFF up until this point, and featured speeches from Grace O’Donnell, Chairperson of the Board, Ailbhe Keogan, KIFF Board Member, and Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer & Creative Ireland Coordinator for Kerry County Council. The event was followed by a sold-out Special Presentation of Small Things Like These, with lead Eileen Walsh in attendance.
There was a strong turn-out amongst children and young people at KIFF 2024, with screenings of French-language feature The Little Gang, held in association with IFI Education, as well as the Primary School Shorts programme. Another highlight was Fresh Starts, a careers in screen event for young people, hosted by Fresh Film and National Talent Academies, followed by a screening of films from Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year competition. KIFF was also delighted to welcome the Ukrainian community to a free screening of Puffin Rock і нові друзі, a Ukrainian dub of hit film Puffin Rock and the New Friends, voiced by members of the community living in Ireland.
The KIFF 2024 Awards Ceremony took place in Great Southern Hotel Killarney on Sunday October 20th. Hosted by Jessica Courtney Leen, Filmmaker and Artistic Director of West End House School of Arts, the ceremony celebrated the outstanding talent and creativity displayed throughout the weekend and awarded shorts and features in a range of categories.
The Taking Flight, Rising Talent award, sponsored by Kerry Airport, was presented to Siobhan Aislinn, who co-wrote, produced and starred in the closing film, Blurred Lines. Another staple of the festival is the Screenwriting Award, which was awarded to Eoin Joseph Duncum for the script Gentlemen, By Way of Jupiter.
The Trua Award, which recognises brave filmmakers who compassionately explore and highlight social issues, was awarded to The Building and Burning of a Refugee Camp, directed by Dennis Harvey. It was noted for giving a voice to immigrants Sami, Simon and Hasiballah, who have experienced far-right violence in Dublin.
Speaking at this year’s festival, Festival Programming Director Amy Louise O’Callaghan said “We’ve been privileged to screen an amazing variety of shorts and features this year, and to see such strong support and attendance across the events (despite multiple weather warnings) has made KIFF 2024 feel truly special. We couldn’t have done it without our brilliant team of staff and volunteers who kept everything running on the ground.”
Keep an eye on KIFF’s social media for additional announcements regarding KIFF 2025 films and events!
The Kerry International Film Festival is supported by many organisations including the continued generosity of their principal funders: Kerry County Council, Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann and Failte Ireland. KIFF is incredibly grateful to their title sponsor Kerry Airport, to RTE Supporting the Arts, the Irish Film and Television Academy, as well as their hospitality partners Randles Hotel, Killarney Plaza Hotel, and the Great Southern Killarney.
FULL LIST OF KIFF 2024 AWARD WINNERS
- MAUREEN O’HARA AWARD: Rebecca O’Flanagan
- BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE: We Were Dangerous
- BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Conor Walsh: Selected Piano Works
- BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Sponsored by Randles Hotel Ogham
- BEST OF KERRY: Medicinal
- TRUA AWARD: The Building and Burning of a Refugee Camp
- TAKING FLIGHT, RISING TALENT AWARD Sponsored by Kerry Airport: Siobhan Aislinn, Blurred Lines
- BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: We Beg to Differ
- BEST ANIMATION: Tennis, Oranges
- BEST STUDENT SHORT: A Fairytale Romance
- BEST INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT Sponsored by the Killarney Plaza Hotel: Red Sky At Night
- BEST IRISH NARRATIVE SHORT Sponsored by the Great Southern Hotel Killarney: All That’s Carried
- SCREENWRITING AWARD WINNER: Gentlemen, By Way of Jupiter by Eoin Joseph Duncum. Honorable Mentions: Ashes (Andrew Thomas) and You’ll Never Walk Again (Jake John McKone)
All the information on the above and more can be found on KIFF’s website. www.kerryfilmfestival.com