Offaly Film Festival continues fruitful relationship with Berlin

THE Offaly Film Festival, OFFline, is continuing its fruitful relationship with Berlin and has just announced its programme for the second Irish Film Berlin Festival.
This exciting showcase of Irish screen creativity is taking place on 24, 25 and 26 May at Berlin´s arthouse cinema, ACUD-Kino and is curated by OFFline Film Festival.
The three-day event will bring a group of Irish filmmakers to the German capital to showcase and discuss their films which will include award-winning features and documentaries along with live-action and animation shorts.
Award-winning features include Baltimore, That They May Face the Rising Sun, Lola, Róise & Frank and Prospect House. Documentaries that will screen include In The Shadow of Beirut (Ireland’s entry for the 2024 Oscars) and Face Down which delves into the kidnapping of German businessman Thomas Niedermayer in Belfast in 1973.
The festival is also expanding its Shorts Programme with three specially-curated screenings of live-action and animation shorts. Animation will be the focus of the opening event on Friday 24 May with thought-provoking to light-hearted animations curated by award-winning Irish animators Jack O’Shea and Clíona Noonan.
In 2024, the Festival introduced its first call for submissions for short films from Ireland, the wider Irish diaspora and non-Irish filmmakers whose films are about Ireland, include Irish talent or Irish people. On Sunday 26 May, Shorts Programme 3 will showcase these including Warts and All by much-loved Irish comedian, actor, and now film director Pat Shortt.
One of the aims of Irish Film Berlin is to spotlight filmmaking talent from different regions in Ireland. In 2023, it was the Irish Midlands. This time, it will be filmmakers and films from the Mid-West. On Saturday 25 May, a programme of shorts specially curated by Film in Limerick from the ENGINE shorts scheme will be screened with some of the filmmakers also travelling to Berlin to present their shorts.
OFFline Film Festival is based in Birr and has been bringing cultural cinema to Irish audiences since 2010.
Speaking ahead of Irish Film Berlin, OFFLine Director, Gary Hoctor said: “We are delighted to announce this year's exciting programme. Over the three days of the festival we will have a full spectrum of films. With themes ranging from the conflict in 1970s Ireland; Lebanon today; to 1940s science-fiction fantasy - there are films for all interests. The festival is about letting established, and probably more importantly, new Irish film talent shine on screen.”
Irish Film Berlin is the initiative of Denis Madden, director of European Tech Hub Network, based in Birr and Berlin. A supporter of stronger Irish-German cultural and business relationships, Denis is keen to bring regional Irish film talent to his Berlin base.
“We are pushing the boat out this year with our main festival now in May,” said Denis, “and two one-day film events bookending the year. This year is extra-special with Zeitgeist Irland 24 - a jam-packed season of arts and culture in Germany throughout 2024 - an initiative of Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland Germany. Film is a key part of the programme and we are showcasing Irish art and culture on screen this year.
“We love that we can continue our regional focus - with Limerick and the Midwest as our Festival Region this year. We look forward now to the arrival of the filmmakers and our audiences, and the great interactions across the festival days.”
Irish Film Berlin is curated by OFFline Film Festival in collaboration with the Irish Film Institute (IFI) International programme, presented as part of Zeitgeist Irland (an initiative of Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland, Berlin) and part-funded by Screen Ireland.