Ireland’s funniest film festival, the “Dublin International Comedy Film Festival”, set up by WFT member Mo O’Connell, is going into its 5th iteration and promises some much needed winter levity with a programme of films, industry Q&A’s, a live script comedy competition, networking events, live stand-up competition and awards.
The Dublin International Comedy Film Festival hits the Lighthouse Cinema once more on the 27th and 28th of November, then heads to the Complex for the first time. It will share its programme between the Lighthouse Cinema, the Complex in Smithfield, Dublin 7, the IFI, the Hendrick Hotel and Tailors Hall, D8.
Activities take place from the 27th to the 30th November with a jam packed programme of comedy films, shorts & sketches from Ireland & around the globe.
There’s also a terrific line up of comedy acts with Bernard O’Shea, Kevin McGahern and Joe Rooney. Joe Rooney will also judge the inaugural DICFF Stand-Up Competition that DICFF have been running throughout the year, culminating in the finals on 28th & 30th November at the Hendrick Hotel & the Complex, respectively.
There will be a special showing of Paddy Breathnach’s “I Went Down”, starring Brendan Gleeson, at the Lighthouse on the 27th November with a Q&A with the filmmaker Paddy Breathnach afterwards.
Bernard O’Shea will entertain us afterwards (with support from Sophia Wren) at the Hendrick Hotel where the audience will be invited along for a good auld chuckle and chinwag.
There will also be a Q&A’s with Casting Director, Shauna Griffth, with Head of Newscheck Comedy, David Atkinson and hugely celebrated director, Neasa Hardiman.
“Republic of Telly’s” frontman will perform stand-up for us on Friday 29th November at the Complex and will sit down afterwards for a Q&A with the audience.
Films
There are over 60 films from around the world to screen for your delectation.
IF THAT MOCKINGBIRD DON’T SING is an international feature film from American 20 year old Sadie Bones and it is a stunning piece of work for her debut feature film. With “Juno”-esque vibes, it is about 17-year-old Sydnie who discovers she is pregnant after being dumped. Seeing this as an opportunity to get her ex back and give her life direction, she decides to keep the baby. She soon realizes that this won’t be the quick fix she had hoped for and finds herself caught in a complicated love triangle and totally lost.
It will screen at the Light House Cinema on Thursday 28th November at 8pm in Screen 3 – along with some wonderful shorts.
BABY STEPS is an Irish short film made by Hannah Mamalis via Screen Ireland’s Actor as Creator Scheme and it is an extraordinary achievement and must be beheld to understand its genius. Baby Steps follows Em, a young woman who is 7 months pregnant and has little to no connection to the baby growing inside her. Presented with an outdated and vaguely misogynistic tape from her father entitled ‘How to Connect with your Unborn Child’, Em attempts to follow the instructions in the hopes that they will lead her to some form of greater understanding. Though the process itself is an unmitigated disaster throughout, she does inevitably find catharsis when she discovers that her mother (recently deceased) also listened to the tape when she was pregnant with Em and left a message.
It will screen at the Light House on Thursday 28th November at 8pm before the feature film, “If that Mockingbird Don’t Sing” in Screen 3.
CANTATA is an Irish short film written by and starring Fionn Foley. It is also an Actor as Creator creation. It is a hilariously inventive musical told with startling originality, surprising you with laughs at every turn.
It will screen at the Light House on Saturday 30th November from 3pm before international feature film, “Counting In” in Screen 3.
COUNTING IN is a feature mockumentary exploring the life and current whereabouts of rock-n-roll’s mysterious legend Steve Staccato, the world’s greatest at counting to four before any song begins.
It will screen at the Light House on Saturday 30th November from 3pm in Screen 3.
Eiretainment, Ireland’s newest streamer, is on hand to present a few awards this year!
Live Script Reading Competition
The Live Script Reading Competition will kick off on Friday 29th November at the Complex, D7 and continue on into Saturday 30th November.
There will be 7 teams performing a reading of each competing script.
There will be an audience vote on the best live script reading AND a judge’s vote. The judge will be the brilliant filmmaker Gemma Creagh, also a WFT member.
Festival Pass
A festival pass which includes entry to all films and events is at a fantastic price of only €60. The other tickets for each event are of great value and information on them can be found here.
WFT members, please check your inboxes for an email with
the discount code for 50% off!
The People behind the Festival
The festival is the brainchild of filmmaker and actor Maureen, or ‘Mo’ O’Connell, an award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer. Mo is a co-producer on soon-to-be released drama-comedy feature, “Horseshoe”. The filmmakers behind “Horseshoe” met Mo through DICFF having put their short into the festival.
Mo’s own debut comedy feature “Spa Weekend” has been a hit at festivals home and abroad, screening in British, European, US, Canadian and Irish festivals and winning the ‘She Is On Fire’ Award at the Female Filmmakers Festival in Berlin. Mo has won numerous awards for directing shorts such as “Haven”, “Bruise” and “Hum” to name a few. Mo founded and is also the head of multi-award-winning company; 3 Hot Whiskeys Prods. Ltd.
Cathal Feeney
Cathal Feeney is the co-director of DICFF. Cathal ran the Dublin Filmmakers Meet-Up Group from 2012 – 2020. The Dublin Filmmakers Meet-Up Group is an opedn forum that welcomes filmmakers from all over the world who come together to collaborate, pool their resources and make films.
Cathal has made a number of short comedy films from this group that have won awards nationally and internationally. In addition he has written some music to go alongside his films. His song ‘It’s Over’ from the short film Level 2 also managed to pick up an Original Song award.
Presenters
This year, Mo O’Connell will be operating mainly from behind the scenes, ensuring the schedule of events and films.
Presenting the festival will be Fergus Keane (MC), with co-presenters; Sierra Dann & Aidan O’Sullivan. Fergus Keane – MC
Fergus Keane is an actor, stand-up comedian and filmmaker from the Southside of Cork, who is now living in an area on the northside of Cork sometimes affectionately referred to as “Dublin”.
He has written and directed ten short films, one feature film, and a series of comedy sketches.
Is Gaeilgóir é, and he has acted in TV soap Ros na Rún and short films as Gaeilge, and has written three screenplays as Gaeilge.
Aidan O’Sullivan – Co-Presenter
Aidan is a Dublin based actor and a graduate of Bow Street Academy. He has a degree in Performing Arts and has also trained in the Meisner Technique with Momentum Studios Dublin.
Aidan has acted in the IFTA nominated best feature film “The Troubles, A Dublin Story”. Which was also screened as part of the Galway Film Fleadh and California’s Newport Beach Film Festival in 2022. Also screened at Newport Beach Film Festival in 2022 was the short film “Mildly Different”. Aidan won best actor award at the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival 2022 for the comedy short film “Wallpaper”. He started doing open mic Stand Up Comedy in early 2022 and trained with stand up comedian Stephen Mullan at Bow Street Academy and also with long time stand up comedian Ciaran McMahon. Alongside acting and stand up comedy he also works as a Voiceover Artist. Recently, Aidan can be seen on the cinema screen in the award winning feature film “Dublin Crust.
Caroline Brennan – Co-Presenter / Senior Volunteer
Caroline is an award-winning film and radio documentary maker, who LOVES a laugh. Whether it’s a good auld belly clutching moment, a cackling giggle or even a titter, once those feel good hormones are flowing, her day is made.
What was the reason to set up DICFF?
Mo spotted a glaring gap in the market when it came to the representation of comedy at film festivals and couldn’t quite get her head around the fact that there wasn’t already a film festival in the Republic of Ireland dedicated to comedy!
Mo set up the Dublin International Comedy Film Festival in 2020 in response to the pandemic. It went online and was a rip-roaring success with online comedy acts including Killian Sundermann and Michael Fry and over 60 comedy films to choose from, and it was all for only €5! Mo wanted to keep the price cheap as she wanted the festival to be a breath of fresh air and to provide a light relief for everyone struggling through lockdown.
Lighthouse Cinema, IFI, the Hendrick Hotel, Tailors Hall & the Complex
DICFF are so delighted to be using the Light House Cinema for screening brilliant feature films from home and abroad along with some very funny shorts! It is Element Productions’ own cinema showing brilliant popular cinema alongside off-beat European fare from around the world.
Our other venues this year are, the IFI, Tailors Hall, the Complex and the Hendrick Hotel.
To contact DICFF
On Social Media:
Insta: dubcomedyfilmfest
X: @dublin_comedy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DublinInternationalComedyFilmFest Website:
GET SCHEDULE:
https://www.dublininternationalcomedyfilmfest.com/
GET TICKETS:
https://filmfreeway.com/DublinInternationalComedyFilmFestivalDICFF/tickets
