The Kerry International Film Festival has announced that plans are in place for the festival to go ahead this year with a schedule date of October 15th – 18th, 2020 set and submissions now open.
Despite the ongoing challenges of COVID 19, the KIFF Board are said to have liaised directly with various stakeholders, partners, and government officials, and come to the decision to proceed with this dynamic film festival in an effort to continue providing a platform to showcase new and emerging talent in the film industry both nationally and internationally.
Due to the ongoing uncertainty, no definitive decisions have been made as to how the KIFF festival will be rolled out, but a unanimous decision has been made by the KIFF Board that KIFF 2020 will be taking place this October, with modifications being made in accordance with government protocol and guidelines. Depending on Government criteria and direction, KIFF 2020 will be presented either in its current format, if people are permitted to gather as normal, or alternatively as an online event.
“The Board and key stakeholders of KIFF have made the decision to go ahead with KIFF 2020 this October,” said Grace O’ Donnell, Chair of KIFF. “In spite of the ongoing uncertainty in the current climate, we felt that it is important to proceed with the festival this year in order to remain positive and to showcase our support of film and the arts whilst also keeping the spirit of our festival alive.”
The newly rebranded KIFF has launched a new website to coincide with their 2020 submissions opening. Now celebrating its 21st year, KIFF is a popular festival that celebrates shorts, features, documentaries, live film scores, and other industry events, and is listed as one of the Top 100 festivals in the world on Film Freeway where it currently holds a five-star rating.
“KIFF aims to provide a programme of exciting, inclusive, and diverse event cinema, by bringing a showcase of fantastic Irish and international films to the people of Kerry,” said Eibh Collins, who will resume her position as Head of Programming at this year’s festival.
For those interested in submitting to this year’s event, KIFF has stated that they “admire gutsy, original film-making. We look for brave talent that puts itself out there so that the audience is pulled in. It’s this exciting dynamic that we are aiming to nurture with our KIFF selections”.
All submission details and general information are available on: www.kerryfilmfestival.com & wwww.filmfreeway.com/KerryFilmFestival.