Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF) returns this Spring with a programme of new cinema from Ireland and around the world, as well as a host of events planned across the ten-day event.
DIFF 2024 will spotlight African Cinema featuring seven diverse movies including Oscar favourite Four Daughters, as well as Sundance award winner Mami Wata. The latter film along with French film Toni and a season of international short films will tour to venues outside Dublin during the Festival, in association with access>Cinema, and with the support of the Arts Council.
The film festival will also showcase a line-up of over 40 shorts from Ireland and across the world. There will be six shorts programmes: three DIFF curated screenings of 24 short films, two Screen Ireland curated programmes of 13 shorts from Screen funding schemes, and Virgin Media Discovers Shorts, in partnership with Screen Ireland.
African Season
The line-up features films from emerging talent from a number of countries including Sudan, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia. Among the titles making their Irish premieres are Four Daughters, Goodbye Julia and the Sundance winning Mami Wata.
Other highlights include rapper Baloji’s directorial debut Omen, Cannes Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner Hounds, Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s Banel & Adama and coming of age drama Àma Gloria.
“In 2021, we presented a DIFF focus on Black Women Filmmakers in recognition of the important contribution these filmmakers have made to the contemporary film canon,” said Festival Director Gráinne Humphreys speaking about the season. “Each subsequent year we have been building out our support and celebration of filmmakers of colour. It’s a real honour to share our exciting African Film Season programme with festival audiences this year, and we would like to acknowledge the support of the Arts Council and Dept of Foreign Affairs in bringing this season to audiences around the country.”
DIFF Film Tour
From the African season, Mami Wata will feature as one of the three film strands of festival titles in the annual DIFF Film Tour, alongside French comedy drama Toni starring Camille Cottin (Call My Agent), and a season of DIFF 2024 curated international short films. The tour will visit film societies and arts venues nationwide with many screenings being accompanied by their filmmakers. The tour will travel to:
- Club Scannán Sailearna, Inverin, Co Galway
- Galway Film Society @ Palas, Galway City
- Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford
- Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co Wicklow
- Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge and Solstice Arts Centre, Navan
Shorts Programmes
DIFF’S season of shorts will showcase international and Irish emerging talent with six curated screening programmes of short films being shown during the Festival.
The three DIFF curated screenings of 24 short films were selected from 756 submissions from 16 countries stretching from Japan to the USA, from Norway to Uruguay.
Screen Ireland has two curated programmes of 13 shorts through Screen Ireland's Focus and Framework funding schemes. Included in these programmes are Oscar longlisted Two For The Road, Derek Ugochukwu’s Pediment and Grace Dyas’ Waiting Day.
Themes of the programme explore subjects such as Love, Family, Coming of Age, Surrealism, Mental Health, Trauma, Immigration, Motherhood, Loss and Grief, and Social Issues.
Irish programme highlights include Lost & Found from Ellius Grace, known for his work photographing the likes of Graham Norton, Sinead O'Connor and more. Grace sits in the director's chair with his debut short film premiering at DIFF. Delivering another fiction directorial debut is Meghan O'Shaugnessy with How to Skin a Cheetah. Dan Holmwood's Scrumpy debuted at the Galway Film Fleadh and has screened internationally at festivals such as LA Shorts International Film Festival and PÖFF Shorts.
Among the international highlights of the programme are the Egyptian film I Promise You Paradise by Morad Mostafa, winner of the Golden Rail Audience Award at Cannes Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest ‘Best of Fest’ winning documentary The Old Young Crow from Liam LoPinto, and Tommy Gillard's Slow Burn starring Jacob Anderson from the UK.
“We can't wait to share these films with our audiences, witnessing the transformation of images on a screen into windows that open to the hearts and minds of the viewers,” said DIFF Shorts programmers Aisha Bolaji and Mohamed Tarek. “Laugh, cry, and contemplate the intricacies of life with us as we present a film programme that transcends borders, connecting us all through the universal language of cinema. Welcome to an unforgettable celebration of the seventh art! Welcome to DIFF 24!”
“The short film format has always been a vital part of the festival, acting as both a showcase for future talent and as an exciting and dynamic art form. Join us and celebrate the wealth and diversity on offer,” added Gráinne Humphreys, director of Dublin International Film Festival.
Tickets are now on sale for the African season, the shorts programmes and DIFF Film Tour at www.diff.ie
As announced previously, Isabelle Huppert will receive the DIFF Volta Award, and the festival closing night gala screening is Pat Collins’ adaptation of John McGahern’s That They May Face The Rising Sun.
The full festival programme will be revealed on 22nd January with tickets to go on sale from 1pm that day.
