DIFF is returning to Dublin from February 23rd to March 4th with a packed programme launched by Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys. 

We are so so excited to welcome a host of onscreen talents including Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Jane Seymour, Aidan Gillen alongside filmmakers and creatives Jim Sheridan, Artavazd Peleshyan and Robbie Ryan to mention but a few. We are also delighted to announce that this year’s Volta awardee is Emily Watson. 

Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys said “Since the start Dublin International Film Festival has been an audience festival and a product of the environment it lives and breathes in and the community it is built on. Part of our job is to explore and reflect where that city and community is today. As our city and our film community has changed over recent years, we felt it was also important that we change as a festival. Previous iterations have had a title sponsor, and we’ve always been incredibly grateful to them for their partnerships and support which have helped the festival become what it is. But now, for the first time, we felt it was important to work with a broader community of supporters, industry partners, artists and film-makers, and to reimagine what Dublin International Film Festival could be. I am particularly delighted to premiere the superb line up of new Irish films and show these new works alongside their international counterparts. It’s a festival programme which I am extremely proud of, packed with discoveries and gems. I’m thankful as ever to all our partners and friends for their support in helping us to realise a physical festival and to my colleagues for their commitment to making this the best festival possible.” 

Following the international success of 2022’s Oscar nominated opening Irish film An Cailín Ciúin, we are presenting hugely anticipated Irish feature God’s Creatures and look forward to welcoming the luminous Emily Watson and our own hugely talented Oscar nominee Paul Mescal to Dublin for the Gala Screening.  

Film lovers across Ireland and internationally have the opportunity to see select programme highlights digitally and in person around the country. A selection of features and shorts will be available online that will have screened in cinemas in the festival as well as online only exclusives including interviews with best-selling authors Neil Gaiman and Leïla Slimani; as part of  this year’s outreach programme, in partnership with access>CINEMA and supported by the Arts Council, Sophie Linnenbaum’s debut, the idiosyncratic German tragicomedy The Ordinaries, travels to 8 venues nationwide; while First Frame Film Student Day in association with Warner Bros. Studio’s 100th anniversary will showcase two programmes of short films submitted by students in TUS Limerick and The Light House Cinema, Dublin. 

In celebration of our 21st birthday we are taking film into communities with two new initiatives Dublin on Screen and DIFF & Beyond. Dublin on Screen will present a range of shorts by older, established and younger filmmakers showcasing Dublin including a new short film from Damien O’Donnell(East is East) and the short film ‘Heart of Dublin’ devised, shot and performed by an enthusiastic cohort of older people in the Screen8 outreach project working with The Digital Hub filmmaker in residence Laura O’ Shea. If you'd like to find out more about the Screen8 project, follow us on socials to see the group as they create, edit and star in the 'Heart of Dublin'!

In DIFF & Beyond, we are celebrating commitment to the film culture of Dublin bringing the programme and a series of public events to new audiences with five partner venues across the city: a first time initiative of DIFF, the Young Programmers team from Sphere17 have curated a programme of their own to be screened in Kilbarrack and Bonnybrook; The Circular, Rialto will feature screenings of Desperate Souls, Dark City & The Legend of the Midnight Cowboy; a selection of Glasgow International Film Festival’s best Shorts can be seen at TU Grangegorman whilst UCD Film Society with DIFF present Evgine Afuneevsky’s eye-opening documentary Freedom on Fire-Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom with the director in attendance.

With a whole host of events, exclusive screenings and distinguished guests, DIFF 2023 is definitely not one to be missed! Our full programme is live and available on our website. Click below to view the full programme!

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