The Dublin International Film Festival opened with a star-studded red carpet for our opening film, 'God's Creatures' with Emily Watson and Paul Mescal in attendance. Many lucky fans got autographs signed, photos taken, and a chat with Emily and Paul! 

There was an undeniably electric atmosphere in the LightHouse Cinema,with excitement for our Opening Gala and the start of DIFF 2023. We were also lucky to have actors Toni O'Rourke and Aisling Franciosi walking the red carpet alongside the creative team of God's Creatures. 

Directors Saela Davis and Anna-Rose Holmer also walked the red carpet and earlier in the day spoke with students at our First Frame event about meeting each other, their creative process and what it is like to co-direct a film. 

“To screen God’s Creatures for you this evening and to bring our film home means the world to us,” said producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (Lady Macbeth, Ammonite), who co-wrote the story with scriptwriter Shane Crowley.

Watson, speaking ahead of the screening, expressed what a privilege it was for her, as an English woman, to be part of the film — set in a fishing community in the Irish county of Kerry — and at the festival in Dublin.

“It always feels like an incredibly creative experience being here,” she said. “I think this team represents something that’s very exciting about a very bold, wild, free generation of Irish storytellers. I felt so enlivened and invigorated to be part of it.”

DIFF 2023 most certainly opened with a bang...