The Kerry International Film Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary in style at the weekend in various venues in Killarney.
It 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.
Guests included producer Rebecca O’Flanagan, actor Eileen Walsh, director Ciaran Cassidy and the past winners of the iconic competition Housewife of Year.
The weekend also featured collaborations with West End House School of Arts, Fresh Film and National Talent Academies, which provided plenty of industry options for budding filmmakers.
This year, the festival 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.
This year’s Maureen O’Hara Award 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, the festival team was delighted to welcome Rebecca to Killarney and celebrate her work.
The presentation was followed by a sold-out opening night screening and 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 and the Arts Council of Ireland,
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 questions and answers sessiom after the film
Another highlight of the festival was the festival’s 25th birthday celebration which featured speeches from Grace O’Donnell, chairperson of the board, Ailbhe Keogan, board member and Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer and 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.
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