So folks, all you KIFF fans and film lovers out there, just to update you on where we are with KIFF this year.
We would normally have been open for submissions at this stage, but the current COVID pandemic has stuttered our normal timelines.
But don’t panic, we are working away and liaising with stakeholders and partners and taking direction from government advice on how (and when) we might be able to open up KIFF 2020 officially.
We had an amazing 20th anniversary year in 2019 and the calibre of short submissions was as strong as ever- some really worthy winners.
We also raised the bar in features with some strong inclusions in the program including SXSW winner The Peanut Butter Falcon, Polish nomination for Academy Award Corpus Christi, the world premiere of Terry McMahons The Prizefighter (including Q&A with cast and Terry), Billie Piper’s directorial debut Rare Beasts and numerous other Irish premieres.
An IFI screening of This Crazy Heart saw strong engagement from local schools and was just one example of KIFFs strategy to bring world and international cinema to the region.
Local screenings of Kerry Film Bursary winner Cailín Álainn, the world premiere of Kilimanjaro Mama and a strong Kerry Connections short strand was well received and attended. As was Tralee director Seanie Sugrue’s homecoming and European premier of Misty Buttons.
The festival featured a number of new initiatives and developments including the further development of our international strands, the new rebrand and a restructured KIFF team. We intend to build on these developments in 2020 for our 21st birthday and will let you know all about these developments shortly
We are aiming to be ‘business as usual’ at the end of May and will keep you updated on our new and shiny website, and across our social media channels too.