The Kerry Film Festival is an annual

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

that takes place in County Kerry,

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

, during October / November. The Kerry Film Festival is funded by Kerry County Council,

Fáilte Ireland Fáilte Ireland is the operating name of the National Tourism Development Authority of the Republic of Ireland. This authority was established under the National Tourism Development Authority Act of 2003 and replaces and builds upon the functions ...

the Arts Council
as well as having corporate sponsorship.

History

Kerry Film Festival was established in 2000 but remained a small regional festival throughout its first years, with 1,700 attendees at the 2006 festival. Then, in 2007, under new management the festival exploded becoming the fastest growing festival in all of Ireland, with audiences numbers increasing by nearly 600% over the coming years. In 2011 the audience topped 10,000 for the first time, with more than 20,000 attendees at various screenings and workshops throughout the year. Kerry Film Festival screens a comprehensive selection of short films (International, Irish, Kerry, Student, Animation). The festival also screens carefully curated feature films, both narrative and documentary. Many of these screenings feature Q & A sessions afterwards. Kerry Film Festival seeks to bring the film-making community together for workshops and industry days. One of the main events is the Irish Film and Television Awards hosted industry networking event which brings key industry personnel together.

Short Film Competition

In 2007 the Kerry Film Festival pivoted to focus primarily on a number of

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

competitions. To do so the festival lined up a number of

A-List An A-list actor is a major movie star, or one of the most bankable actors in a film industry. The A-list is part of a larger guide called ''The Hot List'', which ranks the bankability of 1,400 movie actors worldwide, and has become an industry ...

adjudicators.

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...

headed up the adjudication panel in 2007, while

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...

headed up the panel in 2008. Other adjudicators in 2008 included John Carney, director of Once, and Kirsten Sheridan, director of

Disco Pigs ''Disco Pigs'' is a 2001 Irish film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Enda Walsh, who adapted it from his 1996 play of the same name. Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy star as two young people from Cork who have a lifelong, but unhea ...

and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominated writer for the semi-autobiographical film '' In America''. In 2010, the adjudication panel was headed up by

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...

, and Michael Fassbender. While

Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short an ...

and

Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras. His early film ' ...

were members of the adjudication panel in 2011. Other adjudicators have included Jim Cummings and Benjamin Cleary. The festival also screens feature films. Many films seen at Kerry Film Festival went on to garner international acclaim, including 2010

short-listed Granny O’ Grimm's Sleeping Beauty and The Door; 2012 Oscar® short-listed Head Over Heels; 2014 Oscar® winner Mr. Hublot; 2016 Oscar® winner Stutterer and 2019 Oscar® nominees Mother and Detainment.

The Maureen O'Hara Award

History of The Maureen O'Hara Award

In late 2007 Kerry Film Festival announced the creation of the Maureen O'Hara Award for women that have excelled in film. At that time, it was one of the few film awards, anywhere in the world, offered exclusively to women and the first named award in Ireland. The Maureen O' Hara Award acknowledges women that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in their respective fields in film. It was presented for the first time at the 2008 Kerry Film Festival.

2008 Maureen O'Hara Award

Brenda Fricker Brenda Fricker (born 17 February 1945) is an Irish actress, whose career has spanned six decades on stage and screen. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Awar ...

was the inaugural recipient. The award was presented to her by

Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish playwright and filmmaker. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed two critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, '' My Left Foot'' and '' In the Name of the Father'', and later directed the fi ...

, who directed her in the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-winning ''

My Left Foot ''My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown'', also known simply as ''My Left Foot'', is a 1989 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jim Sheridan adapted by Sheridan and Shane Connaughton from the 1954 memoir of the same name by Christy ...

'' (1989). At the ceremony, Fricker's hand was in a sling because of a shoulder injury, the actress made famous by My Left Foot quipped to reporters the injury was to "my left shoulder, not my left foot". She was presented with a specially commissioned piece of pottery of joined masks representing tragedy and comedy, made by the master potter Louis Mulcahy. The award was "an honour, a privilege, a delight," she said, following the presentation. Maureen O'Hara wanted to be at the ceremony but was not well enough to attend, chairman of the Kerry Film Festival John Kennedy said. She had been closely involved and sent a message to the ceremony: "Brenda has displayed courage and determination throughout her career and her Oscar Winning role as Mrs Brown in My Left Footis one of the great highlights in Irish acting. I'm absolutely delighted that Brenda will accept this award and I wish her the very best in her career, in film and, most importantly, in her life," O'Hara said.

2009 Maureen O'Hara Award

In 2009 the award was presented to

Rebecca Miller Rebecca Augusta Miller, Lady Day-Lewis (born September 15, 1962) is an American filmmaker and novelist. She is known for her films ''Angela'', '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'', '' The Ballad of Jack and Rose'', ''The Private Lives of Pipp ...

who was in Kerry to pick up the award with her husband,

Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...

at a ceremony with

Dave Fanning David Fanning (born 27 February 1956) is an Irish television and radio broadcaster, rock journalist, DJ, film critic and author. Fanning currently hosts weekend midday magazine/chat show '' The Dave Fanning Show'' on the Irish national radio st ...

as MC.

2010 Maureen O'Hara Award

In 2010, Oscar winning French screen star

Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...

flew into Kerry to pick up the Maureen O'Hara Award at the Kerry Film Festival. Binoche, the winner of numerous international film awards, including an Oscar for her role in 1996 film

The English Patient ''The English Patient'' is a 1992 novel by Michael Ondaatje. The book follows four dissimilar people brought together at an Italian villa during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War. The four main characters are: an unrecognisably burn ...

, arrived in person to pick up the Award from Maureen O'Hara at the award ceremony in Tralee's Siamsa Tíre. The packed theatre rose to its feet shortly after 2pm as Binoche linked arms with the movie legend, Maureen O'Hara, on stage. Tearfully accepting her award Binoche, whose films in the English speaking world also include Chocolat, opposite Johnny Depp, thanked "Maureen for all the stories you have given us" and encouraged all the directors present to follow their own path and resist pressure to conform.

2011 Maureen O'Hara Award

Fionnula Flanagan Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan (born 10 December 1941) is an Irish stage, television, and film actress. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, she was given the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Flanagan is known f ...

picked up the award in 2011.

2012 Maureen O'Hara Award

Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Una Ronan ( , ; born 12 April 1994) is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations fo ...

won the award in 2012. KFF has previously featured successful short films such as the Oscar short-listed animation '' Head over Heels'' in 2012, the 2014 Oscar winner ''Mr. Hublot'' and in 2015 the highly acclaimed Academy Award winner ''S t u t t e r e r'' by Ben Cleary.

Maureen O'Hara Award Recipients

* 2008 -

* 2009 -

* 2010 -

* 2011 -

* 2012 -

* 2013 -

Consolata Boyle Consolata Boyle is an Irish costume designer based in Dublin. She is a frequent collaborator of English director Stephen Frears and has been nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on three of his film ...

* 2014 - Sarah Elizabeth Jones * 2017 - Emer Reynolds * 2018 -

Deirdre O'Kane use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , education ...

* 2019 -

Bronagh Gallagher Bronagh Gallagher (born 26 April 1972) is an Irish singer and actress from Northern Ireland. Gallagher had her first acting role in the 1989 television movie '' Dear Sarah''. In 2020, she was listed at number 33 on ''The Irish Times'' list of I ...

* 2020 -

Jessie Buckley Jessie Buckley (born 28 December 1989) is an Irish actress and singer. The recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and three BAFTA Awards, she was listed at number 38 on ''The Irish Times'' list of ...

* 2021 - Kathleen Kennedy

Secret Cine Club

In 2013, Kerry Film Festival launched the Secret Cine Club that screened "secret" movies in a "secret" location. The first screening took place on Little Samphire Island, off the coast of

Fenit Fenit () is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland, located on north side of Tralee Bay about west of Tralee town, just south of the Shannon Estuary. The bay is enclosed from the Atlantic by the Maharee spit which extends northwards from ...

. The first film screened was Jaws. Other screenings have included films shown in Dingle Court House, a school, an organic farm and screenings in

Listowel Listowel ( ; , IPA: �lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the CSO Census 2016. Desc ...

Dingle Dingle ( Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about southwest of Tralee and northwest of Kill ...

and

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Cast ...

as well as in

Cahersiveen Cahersiveen (), sometimes Cahirciveen, is a town on the N70 national secondary road in County Kerry, Ireland. As of the 2016 CSO census, the town had a population of 1,041. Geography Cahersiveen is on the slopes of 376-metre-high Bentee, an ...

and various locations around

Tralee Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in Count ...

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1028/1225061110891.html , title=Fricker to receive Maureen O'Hara award , last=Lucey , first=Anne , date=28 October 2008 , work=

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

, publisher=Irish Times Trust , accessdate=14 March 2010 {{cite news , url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0830/breaking17.html , title=Miller to be honoured at film festival , date=30 August 2009 , work=

, publisher=Irish Times Trust , accessdate=14 March 2010 {{cite web , url=http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&aid=73&rid=4280708&tpl=archnews&only=1 , title=Kerry Film Festival Announces Line-Up , publisher=

Irish Film and Television Network The Irish Film and Television Network is a company that provides news and a directory service of information related to the Irish film industry. External links Official web site Mass media in the Republic of Ireland Film organisations in Irel ...

, date=5 October 2007 , quote=The 8th Annual Samhlaíocht Kerry Film Festival has announced its line-up for this year fest , accessdate=14 March 2010

External links

Kerry Film Festival

Official Kerry Film Festival Twitter

Official Kerry Film Festival Facebook

Official Kerry Film Festival Secret Cine Club Facebook
Film festivals in Ireland County Kerry Recurring events established in 2000