ESB Short Film Award 2027

ESB Short Film Award 2026

See the next generation of filmmakers pitch their films

In 2027, ESB will celebrate its 100th anniversary, while Dublin International Film Festival celebrates its 25th. To mark these milestones, ESB has partnered with DIFF to give young filmmakers aged 18 to 28 the opportunity to pitch an original short film to an international panel of industry professionals, alongside an audience of film industry peers and the general public.

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The shortlisted filmmakers will pitch their projects live in Dublin in October, giving audiences the chance to get behind the scenes of the filmmaking process and hear the ideas, stories and creative thinking behind each project.

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It is an opportunity to discover some of the exciting emerging talent in Irish cinema and see how a film begins to take shape, before it is even made.

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The Live Pitch

Ten shortlisted filmmakers will take to the stage to pitch their short film ideas to a panel of international and national industry professionals. Each project will also be presented to an audience of industry peers and the general public.

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The panel will consider each project’s narrative potential, engagement with the theme and the filmmaker’s vision for completing the project within the available timeframe. Each shortlisted project will also present a budget proposal showing how the €18,000 award would be used to make the film.

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One project will be selected to receive €18,000 to turn their script into a finished short film, with the completed film going on to World Premiere at DIFF 2027.

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The winning filmmaker will also receive up to three mentoring sessions with an experienced industry professional to help bring their project from script to screen.

📅 6pm, Thursday 8 October 2026
📍 Light House Cinema, Dublin
🎟️ GET YOUR TICKETS NOW

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The Theme: Powering Possibility

The shortlisted films will respond to the theme:

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“Powering Possibility: exploring how electricity, energy and innovation enable everyday life, connection, creativity and greater future opportunity, not just through infrastructure, but through people, ideas and communities.”

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From Pitch to Premiere

Following the Live Pitch, the successful filmmaker will be announced by mid-October 2026.

They will then have 14 weeks to deliver a rough cut by Friday 15 January 2027, followed by a further two weeks to complete production. The final film will be delivered to DIFF by Friday 29 January 2027.

The finished film will receive its World Premiere at the 25th Dublin International Film Festival, taking place from 18 to 28 February 2027, as part of an ESB showcase event.

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Key Dates

Submission deadline: Friday 31 July 2026 at 17:30
Shortlist announced: Wednesday 2 September 2026
Online pitch training: Monday 15 September 2026
Live Pitch: October 2026, Dublin
Winner announced: Mid-October 2026
Rough cut deadline: Friday 15 January 2027
Final film deadline: Friday 29 January 2027
DIFF 2027: 18–28 February 2027