The Board of Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) today [Weds 6th July] announced the appointment of Yvan Cebenka as Managing Director. Yvan Cebenka has an accomplished track record of professional excellence across an array of industries, with a wealth of eclectic market experience which he will apply to the film and cinema industry in Dublin.

Cebenka’s career has included roles in international sport, media & communications as well as the drinks industries. He has held lead roles in the development of a number of globally renowned sports competitions including as Tournaments Director of Six Nations Rugby, developing the prestigious Women’s 6 Nations; Operations Director for international Sports Rights Holders ERC (now European Professional Club Rugby), as well as being a former Board Member of Rugby League Ireland.

Commenting about his appointment, Yvan commented “I am delighted to join the Dublin International Film Festival as Managing Director and have the opportunity to develop the organisation. Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival has a very talented team, and I am looking forward to complementing it and helping with the future development of its events.”

Chairperson Aidan Greene added “I congratulate Yvan on his appointment and wish him every success in his new role. He has come through a rigorous recruitment process where he demonstrated the development skills to enable Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival to move to the next level as an organisation. We will rely on him to lead the company in the next phase of its business development in an ever-changing environment.”

Dublin International Film Festival also announced the appointment of three Board members to help steer and grow the Festival into the future. Content strategist and journalist Laurence Mackin, Content Lead at The Dock, Accenture’s global R&D and flagship innovation centre. Previous to this he was Arts Editor at The Irish Times. Broadcaster and journalist Ola Majekodunmi. Co-founder of Beyond Representation, Majekodunmi is also currently on the Board of Directors of Foras na Gaeilge; and law academic and public educator Dr. Bashir Otukoya. Specialising in the areas of equality, diversity, and inclusion, Otukoya provides expert advice in politico-socio-economic integration matters.

Ola Majekodunmi

Dr. Bashir Otukoya

Laurence Mackin

About Dublin International Film Festival

Over the past 19 years, Dublin International Film Festival has screened more than 1,600 international films from over 52 countries. Each year, the festival also showcases the work of Ireland’s talented producers, directors, screenwriters and actors. The Festival has hosted over 600 high profile guests, including Al Pacino, Angela Lansbury, Brendan Gleeson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Danny DeVito, Ennio Morricone, Joss Whedon, Julie Andrews, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stanley Tucci, and Stellan Skarsgård.

The Dublin International Film Festival is sponsored by Virgin Media, with principal funding from The Arts Council. Key partners and funders include Screen Ireland, Discovery Sponsors Aer Lingus, hotel partner The Merrion Hotel, media partners TheJournal.ie and 98fm, print transport partner Wells Cargo, post-production partner Outer Limits and OOH partner Wide Eye Media.

About Virgin Media

Virgin Media is the leading connected entertainment cable and broadcast business in Ireland. Every day we deliver connections that really matter for thousands of people, with multi award-winning services including superfast broadband, TV, mobile and home phone. Our Virgin Media Business division provides the fastest broadband speeds and connectivity solutions for entrepreneurs, businesses, and the public sector.

Virgin Media Television, our broadcast division, is Ireland’s number one commercial public service broadcaster offering three free-to-air channels: Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two, Virgin Media Three, as well as the Virgin Media Player. We are a significant investor in home produced content, including news, current affairs, and drama, as well as offering the best in international programming. Virgin Media Sport offers an extensive range of sports coverage including soccer, rugby, the best of UK horse racing, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Our advertising sales agency, Virgin Media Solutions, creates unique, innovative campaigns for our business and for third party clients across the UK and Ireland.

Virgin Media is part of Liberty Global, one of the world’s leading converged broadband, video, and mobile communications companies with operations in six European countries. Liberty Global is a founding member of the European Green Digital Coalition and is included in the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. Following the challenges brought about by the global pandemic, the power of connectivity to deliver positive, meaningful change to people’s lives has never been clearer. Our inclusion in these prestigious indices for the ninth year running attests to our long-standing commitment to the importance of sustainability and ensuring that we are strong corporate citizens as well as responsible stewards of the environment across the markets in which we operate.

For further information please visit: www.virginmedia.ie