Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003. It was revived by Michael Dwyer, renowned international film critic and The Irish Times Chief Film Correspondent, along with David McLoughlin, film producer. The duo had started the initial Dublin film Festival in the 1980s when Mc Loughlin was still an undergraduate in Trinity College Dublin. The festival was established to present an opportunity for Dublin's cinema-going audiences to experience the best in Irish and international cinema.
"Dublin has remarkable film attendance per capita, among the highest in Europe, certainly the highest in the EU," Dwyer said in a 2003 interview. "It seems absurd that the city didn't have an international film festival."
The festival secured €25,000 in funding from the Arts Council of Ireland for planning purposes the first year which has since increased to over €100,000. Jameson Irish Whiskey was the title sponsor of the festival providing significant support for many years and backing the festival with a major marketing campaign. The festival is also supported by a number of significant partners including The Irish Times, FM104, Conrad Hotel, Cineworld, McConnells, MSL Mercedes-Benz, Windmill Lane and Cine Electric. Other funders include The Irish Film Board, Dublin City Council, Fáilte Ireland and a number of Cultural Institutions including the Goethe-Institut.
In 2007, the festival introduced a career achievement award, the Volta Award, to celebrate individuals who have made a significant contribution to the world of film. In the same year the festival also introduced the Audience Award recipients of which include Once and the surfing documentary Waveriders.
Festival venues include the Screen Cinema, Hawkins Street; Cineworld, Parnell Street; the Savoy Cinema, O'Connell Street and the Irish Film Institute, Eustace Street. In 2008 Movies@Dundrum was used as a venue. In 2009 the Light House Cinema, Smithfield was added as a venue.
2008 saw a significant change to the festival's executive with Gráinne Humphreys replacing Michael Dwyer as Festival Director and Joanne O'Hagan assuming the role, formerly held by Rory Concannon, of chief executive officer. Michael Dwyer assumed the position of Chairman of the Dublin International Film Festival Board with David McLoughlin stepping down.
Over 38,000 admissions were recorded for the 2008 festival for ticketed events. Non ticketed events include a citywide installation Dublin on Screen to celebrate Dublin's cinematic heritage. The initiative featured films shot on location in Dublin and screened on the very spot that they were shot on.
The festival has come to be regarded as an important event for the cinema of Ireland, bringing together film-makers, actors, producers and other celebrities from Ireland and around the world. The festival continues to be committed to supporting film and in 2008 initiated a significant International Screen Writing Award, Write Here, Write Now. The winner of the award was announced at the 2009 festival which took place from 12 – 22 February 2009.
In 2016, the original sponsors, Jameson, were replaced by Audi after 13 years of sponsorship. The festival is now called the Audi Dublin International Film Festival (ADIFF) and the new sponsorship deal will last three years.
The festival introduced the Volta Awards in 2007. The award is named after Dublin's first cinema, the Volta Picture Theatre, established by author James Joyce in 1905. Awards are given for career achievement and audience favourite. Critics' awards were first presented in 2009. The Michael Dwyer Discovery Award' was created in 2010 after his death to honour Irish people working in film.
Career Achievement Awards:Gabriel Byrne, actor
Brendan McCaul, film producer and distributor
Jeremy Thomas, producer
Consolata Boyle, costume designer
Audience Award: Once
The 2008 festival was held from 15 to 24 February 2008.
Career Achievement Awards:
Brendan Gleeson, actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, actor
Leo Ward, cinema chain owner
Audience Award: Waveriders
Career Achievement Awards:
Paolo Sorrentino, director
George Morrison, documentary maker
Thierry Frémaux, artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival
Audience Award: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Critics' Awards:Best Film: Let the Right One In
Best Irish Film: The Secret of Kells (a joint Irish-Belgian-French production)
Best Documentary: Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Best Director: Paolo Sorrentino (Il Divo)
Best Actor: Tom Hardy (Bronson)
The 2010 festival was held from 18 to 28 February 2010.
Career Achievement Awards:
Ciarán Hinds, actor
Patricia Clarkson, actress
Kristin Scott Thomas, actress
Audience Award: His & Hers
Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Film: Samson and Delilah
Best Irish Film: The Fading Light
Best Male Performance: Patrick O'Donnell (The Fading Light)
Best Female Performance: Tilda Swinton (I Am Love)
Best Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth)
Best Documentary: His & Hers
Special Jury Prize: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Michael Dwyer Discovery Award: Kate McCullough, cinematographer (His and Hers)
The 2011 festival was held from 17 to 27 February 2011.
Career Achievement Awards:
Martin Sheen, actor
Kevin Brownlow, film historian and preservationist
François Ozon, director
Audience Award: Benda Bilili!
Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Film: The Robber
Best Irish Film: Snap
Best Director: Alexei Popogrebski (How I Ended This Summer)
Best Irish Director: Carmel Winters (Snap)
Best Cinematography: Tim Fleming (As If I Am Not There)
Best Screenplay: Tudor Voican (Medal of Honor)
Best Short: Small Change
Best International Documentary: Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Best Irish Documentary: Men of Arlington
Best Début: Philip Koch (Picco)
Best Actor: Jakob Cedergren (Submarino)
Best Actress: Martina Gusman (Carancho)
Special Jury Prize: The Four Times
Michael Dwyer Discovery Award: Still Films
Volta Awards:
Stellan Skarsgård, actor
Marin Karmitz, director, producer, distributor and cinema chain owner
Al Pacino, actor
Audience Award: The Raid: Redemption
Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Film: The Raid: Redemption
Best Irish Film: Nuala: A Life and Death
Best Actor: Michael Fuith (Michael)
Best Actress: Greta Gerwig (Damsels in Distress)
Best Screenplay: Joseph Cedar (Footnote)
Best Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia)
Best Documentary: Samsara
Michael Dwyer Discovery Award: Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde for Silence
The 2013 festival ran from 14–24 February.
Volta Career Achievement Awards:
Danny DeVito, actor and director
Tim Roth, actor
Costa-Gavras, director
Joss Whedon, screenwriter and director
The Dublin Film Critics Circle selected the following winners:
Best Film: Vanishing Waves by Kristina Buožytė
Best Director: Mikhail Segal for Short Stories
Best Actor: Aleksey Vertkov for White Tiger
Best Actress: Dilan Aksüt, Night of Silence
Best Debut: Maja Miloš for Klip
Best Screenplay: Oriol Paulo and Lara Sendim for The Body
Best Cinematography: Oleg Mutu for Beyond the Hills
Best Documentary: Far Out Isn't Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story
Best Irish Feature: Babygirl by Macdara Vallelly
Best Irish Documentary: Get the Picture by Cathy Pearson
Michael Dwyer Discovery Award: Broken Song by Claire Dix
Audience Award: Broken Song
Jury Prizes were awarded to:
Blancanieves
After Lucia
The King of Pigs
The 2014 festival ran from 13–23 February.
Volta Career Achievement Awards:
Terry Gilliam, actor and director
Peter Morgan, screenwriter
Richard Dreyfuss, actor
Stanley Tucci, actor
The Dublin Film Critics Circle selected the following winners:
Best Film: The Reunion by Anna Odell
Best Director: Paweł Pawlikowski for Ida
Best Actor: Jack O'Connell for Starred Up
Best Actress: Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin and Liv LeMoyne for We Are the Best!
Best Debut Feature: The Rocket by Kim Mordaunt
Best Screenplay: Georg Mass for Two Lives
Best Cinematography: Daniel Landin for Under the Skin
Best Documentary: Los Wild Ones by Elise Salomon
Best Irish Feature: Love Eternal by Brendan Muldowney
Best Irish Documentary: Living in a Coded Land by Pat Collins
Michael Dwyer Discovery Award: Out of Here by Donal Foreman
Audience Award: Los Wild Ones
Jury Prizes were awarded to:
Blue Ruin
The Golden Dream
The Congress
The 2015 festival ran from 19–29 March.
Volta Career Achievement Awards:
Kenneth Branagh, actor and director
Laurent Cantet, director and screenwriter
Julie Andrews, actress
The Dublin Film Critics Circle selected the following winners:
Best Film: The Tribe, dir. Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy
Best Director: Ruben Östlund for Force Majeure
Best Screenplay: Yuri Bykov for The Fool
Best Cinematography: Lyle Vincent for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Best Documentary: Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, dir. Brett Morgen
Best Actor: Cliff Curtis for The Dark Horse
Best Actress: Nina Hoss for Phoenix
Best Irish Feature: Glassland, dir. Gerard Barrett
Best Irish Documentary: Wheel of Fortune: The Story and Legacy of the Fairview Lion Tamer, dir. Joe Lee
Best Debut: Chaitanya Tamhane for Court
Michael Dwyer Discovery Award: Piers McGrail, cinematographer on Glassland, Let Us Prey, The Canal
Audience Awards went to:
Feature: The Salt of the Earth
Short: Boogaloo and Graham
Special Jury Prizes were awarded to:
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
Eden
You're Sleeping, Nicole
10,000 km
The 2016 festival ran from 18–28 February.
Volta Career Achievement Awards:
Angela Lansbury, actress and singer
Claudia Cardinale, actress
The Dublin Film Critics Circle selected the following winners:
Best Film: Mustang, dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Best Director: Lucile Hadžihalilović for Evolution
Best Screenplay: Jaco Van Dormael and Thomas Gunzig for The Brand New Testament
Best Cinematography: Mátyás Erdély for Son of Saul
Best Documentary: Heart of a Dog, dir. Laurie Anderson
Best Actor: Alex Lawther for Departure
Best Actress: Monica Bellucci for Ville-Marie
Best Ensemble Cast: Green Room, dir. Jeremy Saulnier
Best Irish Feature: Viva, dir. Paddy Breathnach
Best Irish Documentary: Atlantic, dir. Risteard Ó Domhnaill
Best Irish Short Film: Geist, dir. Eric Daniel Dunn
Best International Short Film: The Bathtub, dir. Tim Ellrich
George Byrne Maverick Award: Mark O'Halloran for Viva
Michael Dwyer Discovery Award: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, actor on Sing Street
AUDI-ence Awards went to:
Feature: Viva
Short: Little Bear
Special Jury Prizes were awarded to:
Black Mountain Poets
Victoria
Anomalisa
ADIFF Discovery Awards went to:
Barry Keoghan, actor on Mammal, Traders and The Break
Jack O'Shea, director/animator on A Coat Made Dark and Eat the Danger
Kathryn Kennedy, producer on My Name is Emily, It's Not Yet Dark and After
The festival ran from 16-26 February.
The Dublin Film Critics'Circle selected the following winners:
Best Film – Aquarius
Best Actress – Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth
Best Actor – Sherwan Haji, The Other Side of Hope
Best Director – Lav Diaz, The Woman Who Left
Best Cinematography – M. David Mullen, The Love Witch
Best Screenplay – Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov, Glory
Best Irish Feature – Handsome Devil
Best Irish Documentary – The Farthest
Best Documentary – I Am Not Your Negro
George Byrne Maverick Award: Emer Reynolds
Special Jury Prizes were awarded to:
Kristopher Avedisian, Donald Cried
Daouda Coulibaly, Wulu
My Life as a Courgette
The Transfiguration
ADIFF Discovery Awards went to:
Michael Dwyer Discovery Award – Blue Teapot cast – Sanctuary
