KERRY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (KIFF) OPENS SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 21ST EDITION, OCTOBER 2020.
KIFF are delighted to announce that the festival is planning to go ahead this year, 15 – 18 October 2020 and are now open for submissions.
Despite the ongoing challenges of COVID 19, the KIFF Board have liaised directly with various stakeholders, partners and government officials and they have made a positive decision to
proceed with this dynamic film festival and to continue to provide a platform to showcase new and emerging talent in the film industry both nationally and internationally.
In these uncertain times, it is impossible to predict exactly how the KIFF festival will be rolled out but a unanimous decision was made by the KIFF Board that KIFF 2020 will be taking place this October, with modifications being made in accordance with government protocol and guidelines. Depending on Government criteria and direction, KIFF 2020 will be presented either in the current format, if people are permitted to gather as normal, or alternatively as an online event.
Chair of KIFF, Grace O’ Donnell said: ‘The Board and key stakeholders of KIFF have made the decision to go ahead with KIFF 2020 this October. In spite of the ongoing uncertainty in the
current climate, we felt that it is important to proceed with the festival this year in order to remain positive and to showcase our support of film and the arts whilst also keeping the spirit of our festival alive’.
The newly rebranded KIFF has launched a new website to coincide with their 2020 submissions opening. Now celebrating its 21st year, KIFF is a much-beloved festival that celebrates shorts, features, documentaries, live film scores and other industry events. It is listed as one of the Top 100 festivals in the world on Film Freeway where it currently holds a five-star rating.
KIFF 2020 will see Eibh Collins resume her position as Head of Programming. Formally the manager of IndieCork and Irish Film London, Eibh, as well as being Head of Programming for KIFF, is the short film programmer for the Oscar-qualifying Galway Film Fleadh and the Deputy Director for Irish Screen America. As Eibh outlines “KIFF aims to provide a programme of exciting, inclusive and diverse event cinema, by bringing a showcase of fantastic Irish and international films to the people of Kerry.”
When asked what they are looking for, KIFF stated. ‘Here at KIFF, we admire gutsy, original film-making. We look for brave talent that puts itself out there so that the audience are pulled in. It’s this exciting dynamic that we are aiming to nurture with our KIFF selections.