As the year winds down, we’re already looking ahead at Film In Dublin in anticipation for the next Dublin International Film Festival. One of the first big events on the calendar every year for Irish film fans, the 2025 edition of DIFF will be taking place from 20 February – 2 March.
Early announcements for the festival have already started coming in, with a visit from Fiona Shaw, a retrospective of Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman and an interview with critic Justin Chang among the pinned-down parts of the programme. A number of DIFF’s short film strands have also been announced, and tickets are on sale at the moment for these ever-popular showcases of Irish and international short filmmaking. Tickets for the programmes of DIFF, Screen Ireland and NTA shorts are currently available from DIFF.
”We are beyond excited to share the DIFF 2025 shorts programme. This selection pushes the boundaries of filmmaking, taking risks with the form while having storytelling at its core. With audience engagement at the heart of our curation, as well as entertainment and celebrating new talent; this year’s selections are definitely ones to watch.”
Aisha Bolaji & Mohammed Tarek, DIFF Shorts Programmers
Lets take a little look at some of the shorts already confirmed for the Dublin International Film Festival 2025.
DIFF Shorts: The Deadliest Of All Things
The DIFF short selection ‘The Deadliest of All Things’ sounds pretty, well, deadly. It offers an intriguing combination of shorts from Ireland and abroad, all united by themes of the intensity of love and the fine line where it spirals into obsession. The programme explores the consuming, destructive, and sometimes irrational nature of desire. The Deadliest of All Things shorts will screen on 24th February from 3pm.
WE BEG TO DIFFER
Dir. Ruairi Bradly
In the underground world of diffing, a subculture of car enthusiasts in Northern Ireland finds an outlet for their personal struggles amidst a mental health crisis.
FOREVER YOURS
Dir. Elliott Louis McKee
After a tragic accident leaves Sebastian paralysed, Valeria becomes his caretaker, but her devotion slowly gives way to a disturbing obsession.
A BODY CALLED LIFE
Dir. Spencer MacDonald
A self-isolated young human known as “James” delves into the hidden world of microscopic organisms, forging a tender connection with these nearly invisible creatures.
PALESTINE ISLANDS
Dir. Nour Ben Salem, Julien Menanteau
Maha, a Palestinian refugee, seeks to bring joy to her blind grandfather by convincing him the separation wall has fallen and a return to his homeland is possible.
BUNKER BABY
Dir. Conor McCormick
Set against the backdrop of the Irish housing crisis, a young couple discover that they are expecting their first child — while living in Lauren’s childhood bedroom.
I WISH YOU LOVE
Dir. Tsz-ching LAU
A Hong Kong journalist and Chinese officer form an unexpected bond in North Korea. Years later, they reunite in Hong Kong to confront their past feelings.
THE NICEST PERSON IN THE WORLD
Dir. Andrés I. Estrada
To prove who is the nicer person, two men embark on a competition to outdo each other in displays of thoughtfulness and politeness towards the other.
DIFF Shorts: In Transit
On 25th February from 3pm, the collection for In Transit will serve as a celebration of movement. This programme reflects journeys of transformation and transition. Through literal travel and metaphorical growth, it examines the beauty and challenges of change.
ÉIST LIOM (LISTEN TO ME)
Dir. Zoe Ní Riordáin, Maud Lee
This is Carmen’s story, told countless times worldwide. She betrays her partner, Don José. He loves her, but she doesn’t feel the same.
DOLLAR BABY’S
Dir. Remi Alfallah, Megan Haly
Struggling to make ends meet, a queer couple living in Los Angeles are drawn into the alluring, yet complex world of online sex work.
WE DIDN’T KNOW WHY
Dir. Evan Henderson
Two women from different backgrounds are brought together by death, life and rebirth. Both women experience an ancestral connection through a revival of lost languages.
2004 WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO
Dir. Clare Hoey
Ali returns to her Australian hometown for a visa photo. While giving advice to a bullied teenager, she realises how little she’s grown in two decades.
NAY DAY
Dir. Derek Ugochukwu
A teenage TikToker narrates the story of her hectic life and aspirations while walking her dog through a menacing industrial landscape.
SHADOWS
Dir. Rand Beiruty
At a crowded airport, 15-year-old Ahlam, a young mother fleeing Baghdad, confronts her past while reclaiming her life after years of mistreatment.
EVERY OTHER WEEKEND
Dir. James Naughton
Told through the eyes of his children, a recently divorced father takes them on a camping trip in the West of Ireland.
THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT
Dir. Nebojša Slijepčević
In 1993, during the Bosnian War, a passenger train is stopped for an ethnic cleansing operation. One man among 500 passengers becomes a lone voice of defiance.
BEATHA
Dir. Macy-Jayne Monique Stewart, Hannah Winifred McCallum
Beatha’ (the sanctity of being, of all living things) explores themes of grief, forbidden love, loneliness and resilience whilst showing the evolving identity of Ireland.
INSIDE, THE VALLEY SINGS
Dir. Nathan Fagan
Trapped in the horror of prolonged solitary confinement, three individuals in prisons across the United States seek comfort in the boundless vistas of their own imaginations.
DIFF Shorts: Shut Your Eyes and See
The final programme from the DIFF Shorts collection will take place on 26th February from 1.30pm and navigates the deep emotional landscapes of loss and realisation. Confronting death with rawness and vulnerability, it reflects on grief as a pathway to understanding.
COMPOST
Dir. Augusto Sinay, Matías Sinay
After a fatal accident, a greenhouse owner uses her husband’s corpse to fertilize a plant for an upcoming competition.
FARMERS!?
Dir. Freddie Leyden
A farmer’s attempt to bond with a young man leads to rejection, setting off a chain of emotional turmoil.
BLANCHE
Dir. Joanne Rakotoarisoa
An elderly woman’s death brings the village together for her funeral, where bi-racial teenager Zaza forms an unexpected bond with a young cousin.
IN WAKE OF JOHN DOYLE
Dir. Niall McCloskey, Thomas Bennett
An excommunicated priest returns to his remote island community in a long-lost documentary, now recovered from the depths of time.
I DON’T CARE IF THE WORLD COLLAPSES
Dir. Karim Shaaban Morsy
A line producer faces a dilemma during a troubled commercial shoot, forced to choose between professional duties and her own sense of humanity.
UPPER CURRENT
Dir. Greg O’Reilly
A hit-and-run spirals into a nightmarish struggle against fate when a man attempts to cover up his crime.
THE WILDE SISTERS
Dir. Táine King
In 1871, a party ends in tragedy when two fiery figures fall into the snow. In the present, two sisters face a Death Officer in a civil service office.
Screen Ireland Shorts: 1 & 2
On 22nd February, 1.30pm and 4pm respectively are two strands of Irish shorts from Screen Ireland. The Screen Ireland Shorts showcase a diverse collection of innovative and compelling short films, highlighting emerging talent and unique storytelling. These films offer a fresh perspective on contemporary issues, showcasing the creativity and passion driving Irish cinema.
Screen Ireland Shorts Strand 1
CAT & MOUSE
Dir. Michael-David McKernan
Cat is at work in the local diner, being accosted by passive aggressive texts from her mother and slightly more aggressive attempts from her boss to make her do work, when a man in a mouse costume walks through the doors.
I CAN’T GO ON
Dir. Laoisa Sexton
Trapped inside polyester fur, dizzy and sweating to death, a party entertainer’s day goes from bad to worse and as events spiral out of control, a tense battle for survival ensues.
NAKED LIGHTS
Dir. Jeda De Brí
In the dead of night, in the middle of nowhere, in a run-down petrol station, Emma begins her nightshift. What will she do when a balaclava-clad man shows up threatening to set the station on fire?
OGHAM
Dir. Alan Hopkins
Eoin lives in a mountainside cave, sleeping alone in the place he once shared with his wife and child. After getting injured on a failed hunt, his continued survival comes into question.
ONE MORE ROUND
Dir. Barry O’Connor
Amy is desperate for a baby. Darren has a literal pain in his balls from trying. Sick of attending others’ baby showers and pricy IVF treatments, the two are finally pushed over the edge.
MERO
Dir. Jack Phelan
On the advice of her witchy neighbour, a widow builds a Golem to help her work the bog. Things go swimmingly until her useless man-child son starts feeling jealous.
TADHANA
Dir. Deither Kirby Jay, Jessie Lopez II
Mero makes her way into the city by train. She ducks into her favourite café where a mug of coffee and an encounter with a kindred spirit put her at ease.
Screen Ireland Shorts Strand 2
RETIREMENT PLAN
Dir. John Kelly, Ireland
In this cheekily funny yet poignant animation, Ray (Domhnall Gleeson) fantasises about everything he’d love to do in retirement, once he finally has the “time”.
TURNAROUND
Dir. Aisling Byrne, Ireland
Following a sudden, tragic bereavement, a West Cork cleaner must decide if she will uphold a tightly hidden secret. Aisling Byrne’s short is beautifully written and even more beautifully acted.
COME BACK
Dir. Helen O’Reilly, Ireland
Eleven-year-old Jenny idolises her 13-year-old sister Lisa and wants to rekindle their once close relationship. Things take a sinister turn when she accompanies Lisa and her friends to a derelict building.
PEAT
Dir. Paudie Baggott, Ireland
On the advice of her witchy neighbour, a widow builds a Golem to help her work the bog. Things go swimmingly until her useless man-child son starts feeling jealous.
GAEL FORCE
Dir. Tara Hegarty, Ireland
In 1999, Irish national broadcaster RTÉ announced that its weather forecasters would be replaced by attractive young television presenters. But the people of Ireland had something to say about that.
REROOTED
Dir. Christian Spurling, Delphine Coudray
A bored warehouse worker’s quest for an enduring legacy as an animator takes a darkly comedic turn when she signs up for an eco-friendly burial.
National Talent Academy Shorts
The First Credit Short Film Scheme is targeted at new filmmakers, providing them with carefully tailored mentoring, training, and workshops delivered by experienced industry professionals over the course of a year. The National Talent Academies Short Film Fund is targeted at practitioners who wish to learn additional skills or move into a different role as a Writer or Director. The fruits of both labours will be shown during a showcase of National Talent Academy Shorts hosted by DIFF. This special event on 21st February, 1.30pm presents the world premiere of live-action and animation works produced under these funds. These programmes are proudly presented by the National Talent Academy for Film & Television Drama (NTAFT), the National Talent Academy for Animation (NTAA), and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland.
An Lár
Dir. Liam Weir
Four Dubliners head for home.
UNANIMATED STRANGERS
Dir. Róisin Sinai Kelly
A young woman takes the daily commuters on a journey through her memories of a past relationship.
LITTLE CAESAR
Dir. Amy Tierney
A young lamb journeys towards acceptance and belonging in a world that values appearances over true character.
BRÓN
Dir. Cat Mangan Williams
By a riverside, a man battling personal demons finds unexpected companionship in a curious fox.
SPOOKY
Dir. Adeola Lawal
A young child feels disconnected at home until an unexpected guest shakes up their routine.
STRAY
Dir. Kim Bartley
When her foster placement breaks down, a teenage girl reluctantly embarks on a road trip with her social care worker.
WOULD YOU RATHER
Dir. Sophie O’Donovan
A young woman shows up uninvited to a friend’s gathering, where a game of ‘Would You Rather?’ makes things interesting.
ROMANCE IS DAD
Dir. Dave Moran
It’s Mikey and Drew’s first weekend away alone since the birth of their kids. Will they be able to reignite that romantic spark?
OVER THE MOON
Dir. Rory Fitzpatrick
On a journey to see the stars, Jay, a young trans man confronts his childhood in the Burren.
A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME
Dir. Sophie Meehan
A teenage girl caring for her seriously ill father attempts to contact the spirit of Phil Lynott, to prove to her dad that there’s life beyond death.
I BELONG
Dir. Fatoumata Gandega
Laliya navigates her cultural identity and belonging, reconciling Somali heritage with suburban life in Ireland while facing isolation and misunderstanding.