Schedule:
Thursday, February 29, 2024 - Day 1  
7:00 pm  - Opening Night: Lies We Tell - T1
Directed by Lisa Mulcahy
Written by Elisabeth Gooch
Produced by Ruth Carter
Ireland, 2023, color, 89 min.
In the wilds of 1864 Ireland, within the vast and remote estate of Knowl, newly orphaned, independently minded, and self-determined 18-year-old heiress Maud Ruthyn is grieving, alone and cut off from the world. Confined by the times she lives in, Maud becomes the ward of her estranged Uncle Silas. When she innocently welcomes him to live at her ancestral estate with his children and their governess, she soon learns that her increasingly menacing relatives have plans for her and her considerable inheritance.

9:35 pm - Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane Macgowan - T1
Directed and written by Julien Temple
Produced by Julien Temple, Johnny Depp, Stephen Deuters, Stephen Malit
Ireland, 2020, color, 124 min.
A very special screening of Julien Temple's love letter to the incredible life of Shane MacGowan, the inimitable vocalist best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the Pogues, who famously combined traditional Irish music with the visceral energy of punk rock

Friday, March 1, 2024 - Day 2  
11:20 am - CIFF2024 - Shorts Program 1 - T2
Far Away
12-year-old Aoife learns to grow up fast after the death of her beloved Grandpy, as she tries to build ties with her emotionally detached father.  Credits: DIR Nathaniel McCullagh; SCR Zoe Lewis; PROD Maeve McLoughlin. Ireland, 2023, color, 15 min.

Headspace
As the tensions and frustrations of life in a community house start to close in on him, a young man with Down Syndrome realizes he may have to cross a line to end a nightly disturbance.  Credits: DIR/SCR Aisling Byrne; PROD Killian Coyle. Ireland, 2022, color, 16 min.

Man Of Arran
In step with these times and in tune with his environment: MAN OF ARRAN is an homage to the craggy, rugged, wild Irish coastline and a love letter to humanity from a wise 82-year-old swimmer pushing himself to impossible lengths, in communion with nature and with compassion for the grief of a friend.  Credits: DIR/SCR/PROD Paul McCambridge. Ireland, 2023, color, 20 min.

Making Waves
Set against the breathtaking Co.Clare coastline, this heartfelt documentary explores the uncertainties and challenges of six LGBTQ+ community members in rural Ireland. The film navigates the emotional currents of rural loneliness, ongoing prejudices, and inequity in healthcare and support while celebrating the recent progress Ireland has made toward inclusivity and acceptance.  Credits: DIR, Shane O'Callaghan, Ireland, 2023, color, 11 min.

Malcolm
In the aftermath of an emotionally abusive relationship, a man seeks couples counseling with a sock puppet in place of his ex-boyfriend, Malcolm.  Credits: DIR Caleb J. Roberts; SCR Caleb J. Roberts; PROD Callum Harrison. Ireland, 2023, color, 11 min.

Unhinged
Following a recent sighting of her crush on a dating app, an overthinking millennial searches for reassurance that her feelings are reciprocated.  Credits: DIR Zoë Brennan-Whitmore; SCR Mary Kirwan; PROD Fiona Dwyer, Natalie Briton. Ireland, 2023, color, 16 min.

1:15 pm - Tarrac  1:15 pm - T2
Directed by Declan Recks
Written by Eugene O’Brien
Produced by Clíona Ní Bhuachalla
Ireland, 2022, color, 96 min.
Set against the breathtaking landscapes of Corca Dhuibhne in the Kerry Gaeltacht along the wild Atlantic coastline of the Dingle Peninsula, this heartwarming and uplifting portrayal of female friendship, family and community follows a young woman who returns home for the summer to help her father and joins an all-female team in a high stakes Naomhóg rowing competition.

3:20 pm - Notes From Sheepland - T2
Directed by Cara Holmes
Written by Orla Barry
Produced by Cara Holmes and Nuala Cunningham
Ireland, 2023, color, 70 min.
Cara Holmes' enchanting and beguiling documentary is inspired by no-nonsense artist, shepherd and farmer Orla Barry and her 2019 book Shaved Rapunzel, Scheherazade & the Shearing Ram from Arcady, a collection of her performance text and written works exploring the different worlds of being an artist and a shepherd after she returns to Ireland to take over the family farm and the running of a flock of pedigree Lleyn sheep. Narrated by Barry, the film bursts with the candid observations and reflections of this self-confessed bovine-obsessive as she goes about the arduous day-to-day work of farming while continuing to make art.

4:15 pm- Much Ado About Dying - T3
Directed by Simon Chambers
Produced by David Rane
Ireland/UK, 2022, color, 84 min.
Filmmaker Simon Chambers finds his life drastically interrupted when he is called back to London from India to care for his Uncle David, a retired bohemian gay actor. Everything that could go wrong does. David's anarchic spirit is unbreakable. He fights with Simon, refusing to go into a care home, insisting on dying in the squalor of his unheated tumbledown house. He can't remember where he put his false teeth, but he still knows nearly every line from his beloved Shakespeare plays. David's real life starts to echo "King Lear," about an old man going mad and giving away his kingdom, as David starts bestowing thousands of pounds upon a sexy "helper." How do we deal with and care for our relatives who are living longer than ever? How does Simon help David to have a good death? From the makers of YOUNG PLATO (Soilsiú Films).

5:20 pm - My Lost Russian Mother -  T2
Directed and Produced by Sam Jones
Ireland, 2023, color, 86 min
Ten years in the making, Northern Irish filmmaker Sam Jones' debut feature is a fascinating and poignant documentary about family and belonging. While working and traveling in Russia, Cork-based Sam meets U.S. citizen Gabe, who is trying to trace the birth mother that he and his sister were taken from in childhood when they were adopted into America. What follows is an intimate and complex portrayal of one young man's difficult search for truth and identity.

7:45 pm - The Silent People (Norman Houston Short Film Award) With Lie Of The Land  - T2
Directed and Written by Keith O’Grady
Produced by Joan Burney Keatings
Ireland, 2023, black & white, 18 min.
The third recipient of the Norman Houston Short Film Award, THE SILENT PEOPLE by Cinemagic, is set against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis, as a young mixed-race Scots woman and a working-class Irish singer from Tallaght in Dublin are evicted without warning. After a year of living homeless on the streets, they chance upon the landlord that evicted them, and set out for revenge.

Directed by John Carlin
Written by Tara Hegarty
Produced by Margaret McGoldrick, Chris Patterson, and Aoife White
Executive Produced by Ursula Devine
Ireland, 2023, color, 80 min.
Crippled by debt, older couple Kath and Matthew Ward are forced to sell their beloved home and farm, planning to escape their dire financial situation with the help of a mysterious stranger, Shepherd, who has planned a safe passage to the sun in return for a fee. As the Wards prepare to abandon the land that has been in Kath's family for generations, a last-minute change of heart has deadly consequences, and they must fight with everything they've got for their survival. This tense and suspenseful drama is the feature debut of Northern Irish filmmaker, John Carlin. Created through Northern Ireland Screen's New Talent Focus, it won the Best Irish First Feature at the 2023 Galway Film Fleadh.

Day 3  Saturday, March 2, 2024
10:00 am - CIFF2024 - Shorts Program 2 - T2

Picture Day
After learning that class photo day is approaching, a young boy comes face to face with the manifestation of his insecurities in the form of a troll called Alan.  Credits: DIR/SCR Jason Branagan; PROD Emer Durcan, Sam Atwell, Eimear O'Mahony. Ireland, 2023, color, 12 min.

Irreverence
Deeply religious, when it suits her, widowed Brigid leads an unorthodox lifestyle and has a strained relationship with her daughter Anne. Adamant that her granddaughter Queenie must be baptized, Brigid decides to take matters into her own hands when she’s asked to babysit Queenie.  Credits: DIR/SCR Siún O Connor; PROD Maggie Ryan. Ireland, 2022, color, 14 min.

Mud Queen
Sensitive, artistic Ryan; his little sister, Katie and their larger-than-life mother, Sue, are preparing to throw a wild and glamorous birthday party for Ryan’s 12th birthday. But is Mum's behavior just a normal part of the festivities or a sign of trouble to come? As the party wears on, Ryan must try to keep everything under control – and the real world at bay - even for just one more night.  Credits: DIR/SCR Nathan Fagan; DIR Luke Daly; PROD Seamus Waters. Ireland, 2023, color, 18 min.

Scrumpy
Scrumpy grapples with the impending arrival of his birthday, an annual milestone that casts a shadow over his spirits, as he navigates a whimsical yet tumultuous journey to reconcile his disdain for this cherished day of celebration.  Credits: DIR/SCR/PROD Dan Holmwood. Ireland, 2023, color, 9 min.

Licence For Nil
Two mismatched Irish TV license inspectors are sent to a remote and lawless island for the first time in its history. Curtis is hugely proud of his new authoritative role as a TV license inspector but his world is turned upside down when he and his laissez-faire co-worker are sent to a remote lawless island full of tricksters.  Credits: DIR/PROD Shane Robinson; SCR/PROD Shannon Welby; PROD Bébhinn Naughton. Ireland, 2023, color, 18 min.The

Golden West
Oscar-winning filmmakers Tom Berkeley and Ross White (AN IRISH GOODBYE, inaugural winner of Norman Houston Short Film Award) follow their breakout Northern Irish black comedy with this atmospheric western. Having fled the Great Famine, two warring Irish sisters (Eileen Walsh and Aoife Duffin) seek their fortunes in the gold rush. But with winter fast approaching and nothing to show for their efforts, their age-old feud soon threatens to become deadly.  Credits: DIR/SCR/PROD Tom Berkeley, Ross White; PROD Jamie Tarr. Ireland/UK, 2023, color, 25 min. English and Welsh with English subtitles.

12:00 pm - Sunlight - T2
Directed by Claire Dix
Written by Ailbhe Keogan
Produced by Roisín Geraghty
Ireland, 2023, color, 95 min.
Former addict Leon loves his best friend Iver more than anything else in the world. Iver’s the reason he’s clean and romping about the place like an ADHD puppy. So when Iver gets a terminal diagnosis and decides to leave this earth early, Leon’s not about to let him go without a fight, even if that means forcing Iver to agree to one last day in Dublin, hoping to convince him to live.

2:00 pm – Stolen - T2  
Directed and Written by Margo Harkin
Produced by Martha O'Neill
Ireland, 2023, color, 103 min.
Acclaimed filmmaker Margo Harkin presents a harrowing and damning depiction of the state and church sanctioned incarceration of unmarried mothers in institutions run by Catholic nuns in Ireland, the thousands of deaths of babies born in these homes and the forcible removal of thousands of other children who were adopted or fostered out as cheap farm labor. STOLEN centers the survivors' voices and accounts of their experiences of cruelty and loss, and of happier outcomes in some cases, interwoven with historical analysis and artists' responses to what happened. Survivors expose the shocking details of their treatment in a scandal that sparked a government inquiry and their ongoing campaign for justice.

4:45 pm - Paul Muldoon: Laoithe Is Liricí [A Life In Lyrics] - T2  
Directed by Alan Gilsenan
Produced by Stephen Douds
Executive Produced by Michael Fanning and Máire Bhreathnach
Ireland, United Kingdom, 2022, color/black & white, 105 min.
Charting the remarkable journey of Irish Pulitzer Prize winning poet and wordsmith Paul Muldoon, this lyrical narrative weaves his life's chapters through the artistry of renowned artists including actors Ruth Negga and Liam Neeson, and musical icons such as Bono, Paul McCartney, PJ Harvey, Run DMC, Van Morrison, and Laurie Anderson. Reciting and singing Muldoon's gorgeous writings, his story unfolds like a vivid tapestry from his humble roots in Ireland through prestigious positions at Oxford and Princeton. This film is a visually engaging, artfully constructed masterpiece that celebrates the beauty of language.

7:00 pm - One Night In Millstreet - T2  
Directed by Andrew Gallimore
Written by Lydia Monin
Produced by Morgan Bushe and Peter Murnaghan
Ireland, 2023, color, 80 min.
From two-time Irish Film and Television Best Sports Documentary winners Andrew Gallimore and Morgan Bushe, ONE NIGHT IN MILLSTREET is the story of Ireland in 1995, a snapshot of a country told through a prize fight between then-unknown Cabra underdog Steve "The Celtic Warrior" Collins and the larger-than-life champion Chris "Simply the Best" Eubank, a sporting event that would grip and shape an entire nation.

9:20 pm - Double Blind - T2 Two Screening Dates
Directed by Ian Hunt-Duffy
Written by Darach McGarrigle
Produced by Simon James Doyle
Ireland, 2023, color, 90 min.
Seven strangers enroll in a seemingly innocent experimental drug trial at a mysterious and austere pharmaceutical facility in director Ian Hunt-Duffy's gripping, mystery-thriller-horror debut feature. Chaos ensues when the facility suddenly goes into lockdown and the sleep deprived subjects find themselves in a nightmarish reality where they must fight themselves to stay awake – for to sleep is to die!

Day 4  Sunday, March 3, 2024
10:00 am - Puffin Rock And The New Friends - T2
Directed by Jeremy Purcell
Written by Sara Daddy
Produced by Paul Young, Gerry Shirren, Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey, John McDaid, and Fionnuala Deane
Ireland/UK, 2023, color, 99 min. Recommended for ages 2 to 7.
A new action-packed film of the much beloved animated TV show, by Academy Award nominated Cartoon Saloon, award-winning creative-studio Dog Ears in a co-production with Penguin Books that celebrates belonging, courage and friendship set against the backdrop of climate change threatening Ireland's magnificent natural environment. When the last Little Egg of the season disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oona and her new friends race against time to bring it home before a big storm hits Puffin Rock and puts the entire island in danger. Puffin Rock and the New Friends marks the first animated feature to be produced in Northern Ireland.

11:00 am - Ó Bh?al  - T3
Directed and Written by Ciara Nic Chormaic
Produced by Jennifer Healy
Ireland, 2022, b&w, 98 min.
Ciara Nic Chormaic's documentary is a cinematic exploration of the rise of Hip Hop and Electronic music artists in Ireland embracing the oral traditions of folklore, ancient poetry and sean nós singing to create a new fusion sound and indigenous subgenre. An ensemble piece, featuring Irish language rappers Mory and Oisín Mac, producer and multi-instrumentalist Fehdah and Limerick rapper Strange Boy, this beautiful black and white film delves deep into these four artists' practice and how they are breaking new ground in Irish music. Through insightful interviews, intimate portrayals of the creative process of each artist as they work on tracks in studio, and visceral live performances, Ó BH?AL tells the story of an exciting moment in time in the Irish contemporary musical landscape.

12:00 pm - CIFF2024 - Shorts Program 3: Screen Ireland Spotlight - T2

Shake Versus Shav
In this madcap knockabout Punch & Judy style puppet film, legendary Irish playwright and Nobel Prizewinner George Bernard Shaw (Colm Meaney) battles it out with William Shakespeare (Derek Jacobi) in a war of words to decide who is the greater writer.  Credits: DIR/SCR/PROD Damian Farrell; DIR/SCR Gerry Hoban; PROD Elaine Gallagher and Martha Moloney. Ireland, 2023, color, 17 min.

Cantata
Darren needs help. His fears and anxieties are manifesting themselves in the most unusual of therapists to find a quick solution, but sometimes restoring harmony is about facing music.  Credits: DIR Dave Fox; SCR Fionn Foley; PROD Rob Early. Ireland, 2023, color, 12 min.

Worry World
In a regimented, controlled world of black-and-white, where all thought is on display, a rebellious young factory worker who thinks in color makes an unexpected connection.  Credits: DIR Jessica Patterson; SCR Hugh O’Conor; PROD Shauna Cullen. Ireland, 2023, color/b&w, 9 min.

Bog
The Great Irish Elk takes young Oisín on an emotional journey through the realm of the bog. With the Elk's guidance, he finds comfort in the natural world and discovers that when we are lost, looking to the simple things can guide us home.  Credits: DIR/SCR Éabha Bortolozzo, Jack Kirwan; PROD Greg Connolly. Ireland, 2023, color, 10 min.
Two For The Road
Amidst spontaneous travels around 1990s Ireland, Oscar, a young boy, finds himself navigating the true essence of adventure with his father, one spirited weekend at a time. Based on the short story "Guinness & Coke."  Credits: DIR/SCR Lochlainn McKenna, from his short story "Guinness & Coke"; PROD Natalie Britton. Ireland, 2023, color, 19 min.

Lamb
It’s a beautiful, sunny, ordinary day as Sarah (Aoife Duffin) makes breakfast for her baby daughter, opening the door to her cottage to let the summer light pour in. Things take a chilling, sinister turn when she discovers that a stranger has entered their isolated rural home and creeping terror ensues.  Credits: DIR/SCR Sinéad O'Loughlin; PROD Lara Hickey. Ireland, 2022, color, 15 min.

Baby Steps
Presented with an outdated and vaguely misogynistic tape from her father entitled "How to Connect with your Unborn Child," Em – a young woman who is 7 months pregnant and has little to no connection to the baby growing inside her – attempts to follow the instructions in the hopes that they will lead to catharsis and some form of greater understanding.  Credits: DIR/SCR Hannah Mamalis; PROD Zoë Brennan-Whitmore. Ireland, 2023, 9 min.

2:00 pm - That They May Face The Rising Sun - T2
Directed by Pat Collins
Written by Pat Collins and Eamonn Little
Produced by Tina O'Reilly and Brendan J. Byrne
Ireland/UK, 2023, color, 107 min.
Based on Irish author John McGahern's final award-winning novel, this is a vivid evocation of nature, humanity and life itself, set in rural 1980s Ireland following Joe and Kate Ruttledge as they return from London to the remote lakeside idyll where Joe grew up. Centering on their lives over the course of a year, director Pat Collins (SONG OF GRANITE) has crafted a meditative and delicate exploration of rituals and community, where the landscape plays its own unique and arresting role.

4:20 pm - The Graceless Age: The Ballad Of John Murry - T2
Directed by Sarah Share
Written by Sarah Share and David Morton
Produced by Nuala Cunningham, John Galway, and Aeschylus Poulos
Ireland/U.S., 2023, color, 90 min.
On the cusp of greatness after the release of his 2013 album "Graceless Age,” American singer songwriter John Murry washed up on Irish shores, creatively exhausted and depressed. He found solace in Ireland where the landscape and the people revived him. Sarah Share's haunting documentary follows John as he bravely retraces his steps back to Mississippi through the events of a difficult childhood, ultimately finding understanding and redemption through his love for music.

7:00 pm - Closing Night: Verdigris - T2  
Directed and Written by Patricia Kelly
Produced by Paul FitzSimons and Patricia Kelly
Ireland, 2023, color, 95 min.
A reluctant retiree strikes up an unlikely friendship with a streetwise teenage sex worker after taking on a secret part-time job as a census enumerator to escape her controlling, abusive husband. On the surface these two strangers have nothing in common, but as they walk the streets of Dublin, an unlikely friendship blooms that will change both of their lives. Patricia Kelly's social realist debut feature depicts inner city life with incredible humor and charm, telling a powerful story about class, friendship and empowerment.

Date: February 29 - March 3, 2024

Location: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center - 8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910

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