As our 70th anniversary year begins, and with awards season in full swing, weâre thrilled that two short films from our recent Festival programmes, Clodagh and Room Taken, have made the Academy AwardsÂŽ Live Action Short Film shortlist. Itâs a testament to the creativity and talent of Irish filmmakers that CIFF champions.
Our internationally renowned Festival is a route to the OscarsÂŽ for shorts filmmakers; three Academy AwardÂŽ qualifying awards – Grand Prix Irish Short, Grand Prix International Short and Grand Prix Documentary Short Award – ensure that the winners in Cork automatically join the OscarsÂŽâ long-list. Don’t miss your chance to be in the running: submit your film to the 70th CIFF when we open submissions next Wednesday, 15th January.
OSCARSÂŽ SHORTLIST: CLODAGH AND ROOM TAKEN
 
We start our 70th year during an exciting international awards season with lots of Irish filmmaking interest. Two CIFF alumni, including our 2024 Grand Prix Irish Short Award winner, are shortlisted for Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards, along with major features that premiered in Cork last November (The Brutalist and Conclave, to name a few), also in the running.
Clodagh (top left), directed by Portia A. Buckley and produced by Michael Lindley, was awarded the Grand Prix Irish Short Award – one our three Academy Award-qualifying short awards – at our 69th edition last November. Clodagh is the story of a lonely priest’s housekeeper who encounters a young Irish girl of exceptional talent.
Room Taken (top right), directed by TJ OâGrady Peyton and produced by ColmĂĄn Mac Cionnaith, was funded under the FĂs Ăireann/Screen Ireland Focus Shorts scheme and was presented as part of our Screen Ireland Shorts programme in November 2023. Room Taken is about a man who experiences homelessness and takes up residence in the home of an elderly blind woman.
We also acknowledge the success of Kneecap (Wildcard Distribution) and The Apprentice (Tailored Films), and we wish the best of luck to all films as they head into the next phase of this exciting journey – the nominations will be announced on Sunday, 19th January. In addition, our thoughts are with all our industry colleagues and those affected by the devastating fires affecting Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Arts Council Film Funding Clinic: Our partner aemi are hosting a free, in-person film funding information clinic in Dublin on January 21st at 10:30am. The event will give invaluable insight into the Arts Councilâs funding opportunities for film artists as well as details of the range of artist supports offered by aemi. Designed to provide film artists with comprehensive information about funding, this event hosted by aemi will begin with a presentation from Fionnuala Sweeney, Head of Film and Architecture, on the funding opportunities offered by the Arts Council to support film artists.
ilDĂNA supports the making of ambitious and cinematic long-form documentaries on the arts in Irish. Projects that explore art forms which are not regularly the subject of arts documentaries in Irish are encouraged in this phase.
Deadline:Â Friday, 21st February
NTA Short Film Fund for those already working in the live action or animation industry, this initiative from the NTA Film & TV Drama and NTA Animation aims to support you to transfer, upskill and/or make a career move.
Deadline:Â Friday, 15th March
