The biggest film festival in the fair city of film is back for eleven days of exciting cinema from 20th February to 2nd March. The full programme for the 2025 Dublin International Film Festival has been announced, and tickets are available now for a packed range of screenings, shorts, talks, workshops, events and more.
DIFF 2025 aims to turn the city into a global stage for those eleven days, as across Dublin various venues will bring together thousands of film fans to view red-carpet premieres, groundbreaking shorts, legendary filmmakers and rising stars from Ireland and abroad. DIFF this year is schedulded to feature 80 films including 10 Irish film world premieres, plus 55 short films, with events taking place across town from the Light House to the IFI, the Complex in Smithfield to the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire, with the Royal Irish Academy of Music and The Substation at Dublin Port also getting involved as venues this go around.
This year’s festival promises the usual array of big names. Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ben Foster, Fiona Shaw, Twiggy, Sadie Frost, Elia Suleiman, John Connors, Fionnuala O’Flanagan, Ardal O’ Hanlon, Amy Huberman amongst screen talent to walk the red carpet over the course of the festival to show off their latest films, with Harris and Lange being honoured by the festival as the latest recipients of their Volta Award, the festival lifetime achievement award for remarkable contributions to cinema, previously received by Stanley Tucci, Brendan Gleeson, Gabriel Byrne and many more. The Hollywood vets’ both star in an adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s classic Long Day’s Journey Into Night, set to screen at the festival.

The industry programme returns with an expanded lineup of masterclasses and panel discussions. Highlights include a masterclass with Swiss director Alexandre O. Philippe, exploring the art of documentary filmmaking, and a session with Oscar-winning filmmaker Melanie Miller. Panels will feature insights from international festival programmers, top screenwriters, and cinematographers, offering invaluable opportunities for Irish filmmakers to connect with their global peers. An event for Filmmakers in Advertising promises to explore the crossover between cinema and TV commercials in a session hosted by Irish production company Antidote.
Dublin will reel in the years at DIFF2025 as stories from across the city’s history take centre stage this year, including Ardal O’Hanlon in the World Premiere of Stephen Bradley’s football comedy Fran The Man; the Irish premiere of the Irish Premiere of Brian Durnin’s debut feature Spilt Milk which paints a portrait of inner city Dublin in the 1980s, and the World Premiere of 90’s coming of age and consent story Ready or Not, directed by Claire Frances Byrne and written by Senator Lynn Ruanne. Beat The Lotto will see acclaimed Irish documentarian Ross Whitaker explore the story of the man who that tried to beat the Lotto system and split public opinion, dividing a nation and illustrating a country that was ready for massive change.
Irish filmmakers also turn their lens further afield, including the Irish premieres of Paul Rowley’s experimental journey through New York in Never Stop The Action and Irish co-production My Sweet Land, a coming-of-age documentary set in post-Soviet Caucasus. Ireland’s acclaimed Lorcan Finnegan’s latest film The Surfer will also have its home premiere, an Aussie-set thriller starring Nic Cage.
It all adds to the exciting early announcements for this year’s festival, including Fiona Shaw presenting her latest film, Park Avenue, an in-depth conversation with Pulitzer Prize winning critic Justin Chang, a retrospective on Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman, and the usual exceptional selection of short films, always a DIFF highlight. Multiple screening programmes will include shorts curated by DIFF programmers, selections from Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann’s Focus and Framework funding schemes, the winners of the Virgin Media Discovers Short Film competition, a special showcase of Dublin filmmakers and a selection of live-action and animation works in National Talent Academy (NTA) Short Film strand. From compelling dramas to innovative animations, these shorts highlight the creativity and passion driving Irish and international cinema.
“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. With our superb line up of international features and documentaries many screenings will be accompanied by their creators, a packed industry programme and as ever a line-up of world premieres of new Irish work. Our Volta awards will be presented to two of my favourite actors 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?”
Gráinne Humphreys, DIFF Festival Director
From silent cinema, a curated selection of animation from Cartoon Saloon, and much more, it’s a packed programme, and you can see more about what’s on at DIFF2025 in the week’s ahead from Film In Dublin. We look forward to giving you our most festival coverage ever this year, for what looks like a delightful DIFF.
Booking for tickets at DIFF 2025 is open now at www.diff.ie
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