Dublin International Film Festival programme announced

The programme for this year’s Dublin International Film Festival has been released. Starting on February 20, the festival will screen 80 films across 11 days, ending on March 2.

DIFF will open with screenings of Uberto Pasolini’s The Return at the Lighthouse cinema. The film is an adaptation of the Homeric poem The Odyssey, starring Ralph Fiennes- who will also be in attendance at the opening event.

Gráinne Humphreys, the Festival Director, said, “Following the success of last year’s festival, we are delighted to present what we believe is an equally exciting programme of films and guests to the audiences of Dublin and beyond.”

“Our Volta Awards will be presented to two of my favourite actors,” Humphreys continued. “Jessica Lange and Ed Harris, while our country in focus will be Morocco, and we present a tribute to the 25th anniversary of Gilmore Girls. What more can you ask for?”

Ten of the films lined up for a world premiere will be Irish productions. Among them will be the debut of Fran the Man, Stephen Bradley's football comedy starring Darragh Humphreys, Ardal O’Hanlon, and Amy Huberman.

Irish documentaries to be shown at the Festival include Aoife Kelleher’s Testimony, Eamon Little’s Born That Way, and John Connor’s Where The Road Meets The Sky.

DIFF is set to close on March 2 with Darren Thornton’s Four Mothers. The film follows Edward, played by James McArdle, who is a full-time career to his disabled mother, played by Fionnula Flanagan, and a part time queer romance novelist.

View the full DIFF programme here.