presented annually by
Solas Nua
SOLAS NUA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER PRESENTS THE ANNUAL CAPITAL IRISH FILM FESTIVAL (CIFF).
The 19th edition of the four-day festival will take place February 27 - March 2, 2025.
Solas Nua’s annual Capital Irish Film Festival in Washington, D.C. presents one of the largest programs of Irish cinema in North America, showcasing the latest Irish dramatic and documentary features, shorts, art films, and animation releases by Irish and Ireland-based filmmakers. The 19th edition of the four-day festival takes place February 27 - March 2, 2025 in partnership with the prestigious American Film Institute's Silver Theatre & Cultural Center (Silver Spring MD).
The four-day festival provides a US platform that magnifies the work of independent filmmakers working in Ireland and beyond and celebrates the great contemporary cinematic culture of Ireland. The program highlights the rich cultural heritage of Ireland and the festival fosters an inclusive and diverse community of Irish filmmakers. Capital Irish Film Festival amplifies emerging voices on Irish screen, showcases the exceptional talent and skills in Irish filmmaking, and reflects the robust and vibrant screen industry that has grown in Ireland in recent years.
2025 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
This year’s program features biopics of cultural icons, musicians, artists and scientists as well as the most celebrated shorts and Irish language films of 2024! It presents D.C. audiences with an opportunity to explore new works that would not typically be screened in the U.S. including never before seen Irish dramas, psychological thrillers, horror, dark Irish comedy and much more! Committed to the representation of Irish women's stories on screen, the 2025 program highlights the work of Irish women directors and writers, with 17 titles directed by women, and 12 written or co-written by women. The festival also shines a spotlight on some of the most exciting rising stars of Irish screen and emerging Irish writers and directors- with 8 filmmakers making directorial and feature debuts! Program highlights also include award-winning animation and Irish language titles, with almost one-third of this year’s features containing Irish language dialogue, aligning with the festival’s mission to present more Irish language films.
CIFF Director Maedhbh Mc Cullagh shares, “The 19th edition of the festival explores a wide range of themes and subjects and presents a truly rich and diverse tapestry of Irish life and culture on screen. It is a showcase of excellence in Irish storytelling that our discerning and engaging audiences have come to expect from us, and it reflects the thriving filmmaking culture and screen industry across the island of Ireland today. The program encompasses themes of feminism, human rights, trauma, migration, and climate change in socially, politically, and culturally relevant films that represent some of the most gripping, entertaining, and highly anticipated acclaimed Irish films of the year. I hope these films inspire and enrich as much as they entertain and inform.”
FESTIVAL PARTNERSHIPS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
The festival has developed long term and impactful strategic partnerships with many Irish funding agencies in Ireland and the U.S. without whose support the festival would not be possible. These relationships reflect the increasing platform and profile that the festival offers filmmakers and productions from the entire island of Ireland in Washington, D.C. and beyond, including: the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, and the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International Programme supported by Culture Ireland. Thanks to Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland - the Irish national body for film, television and animation - and Northern Ireland Screen - the national screen agency for Northern Ireland - the festival will promote and support almost forty film productions from across the island of Ireland. This year, the festival will also present a total of 13 titles directly funded by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and 6 titles directly funded by Northern Ireland Screen. Thanks to Culture Ireland, the festival will also welcome special guests and visiting artists from Ireland to D.C. to talk about their films and promote their work. Thanks to the Embassy of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Bureau, North America in Washington D.C., CIFF will present a number of gala screenings and special events across the festival.
OPENING NIGHT FILM
The festival will open on Thursday, February 27, with a gala screening of Aoife Kelleher’s MRS ROBINSON, which premiered at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh. The film charts Mary Robinson’s remarkable journey as a fearless advocate for equity, justice, and peace, from her early days as a trailblazing reforming constitutional lawyer and senator in Ireland, - where she fought epic battles for equality in the courts, at the ballot box, and on the streets - to her days as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Envoy on Climate Change and Chair of The Elders. MRS ROBINSON tracks over 50 years of transformative social, political, and personal change, giving Robinson the opportunity to tell her own story and highlights Mary Robinson’s ongoing legacy as a champion for human rights and climate justice, a cause she continues to advance through Project Dandelion, a women-led climate justice campaign she co-founded.
Mary Robinson and Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Geraldine Byrne Nason will attend the opening night event. The screening will be following a Q&A with Mary Robinson in conversation with author, Caitríona Palmer and guests and pass-holders will be invited to a post-screening reception at AFI Silver, sponsored by the Embassy of Ireland, Washington, D.C.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
The festival will close on Sunday, March 2, with the East Coast Premiere gala screening of KATHLEEN IS HERE — written and directed by Eva Birthistle [BAD SISTERS] in an exceptional feature debut. This emotionally taut and tense psychological thriller features rising Irish talent Hazel Doupe [SAY NOTHING] in the lead role as 18-year-old Kathleen, who has aged out of the foster care system and finds herself alone in the world. The film had its world premiere at the Galway Fleadh and garnered Birthistle the 2024 Bingham Ray New Talent Award.
The screening of KATHLEEN IS HERE will be attended by Ireland’s Deputy Ambassador to the United States, Fionnuala Quinlan. Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with Director Eva Birthistle and lead actor Hazel Doupe in conversation with Festival Director Maedhbh Mc Cullagh, followed by an exclusive closing night reception for all ticket and festival pass holders at McGinty’s.
THE NORMAN HOUSTON AWARD
On Friday, February 28, the festival in partnership with the Northern Ireland Bureau, North America, will present the 2025 Norman Houston Short Film Award in an evening dedicated to films from Northern Ireland. The event will include a screening of the Norman Houston Award winning film, TRAVEL SOCKS, in a double bill with the East Coast Premiere of Sam O’Mahony’s THE WISE GUY - a coming-of-age drama about a lonely boy who finds guidance and protection in a completely unconventional mentor hiding in the nearby woods.
TRAVEL SOCKS (Winner of the Jury Award at the 2024 Oxford Shorts International Festival), written and directed by Tess Annan and Joseph Madden is a portrayal the courage, determination, and resilience of one spirited young woman, Orla (“Socks”), who is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy during the early days of COVID19. The filmmakers will travel to the U.S. to attend the screening and receive their award (including prize money of $2,500). All guests and passholders will be invited to a post-screening reception at AFI Silver sponsored by the Northern Ireland Bureau, North America.
FESTIVAL DAY-BY-DAY SCHEDULE
DAY 1 | Thursday, February 27, 2025
Opening Night: MRS ROBINSON | 7:00 p.m. | T1 | Special Guest Q&A | Reception
KNEECAP | 9:45 p.m. | T1
DAY 2 | Friday, February 28, 2025
CIFF2025 SHORTS PROGRAM 1 | 11:00 a.m. | T2
BURKITT | 1:15 p.m. | T2
DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER | 3:00 p.m. | T2 | Special Guest Q&A
EAT/SLEEP/CHEER/REPEAT | 5:10 p.m. | T2 | Special Guest Q&A
TRAVEL SOCKS (Norman Houston Short Film Award) with THE WISE GUY | 7:00 p.m. | T1 | Award Presentation & Reception
AMONGST THE WOLVES | 9:40 p.m. | T1
DAY 3 | Saturday, March 1, 2025
CIFF2025 - SHORTS PROGRAM 2 | 10:00 a.m. | T2
BIRDSONG preceded by CUMHA | 12:10 p.m. | T2 | Special Guest Q&A
THE IRISH QUESTION | 2:00 p.m. | T2 | Special Guest Q&A
DAVID KEENAN - FOCLA AR CHANBHÁS | 4:30 p.m. | T2 | Special Guest Q&A
DEAD MAN’S MONEY | 6:30 p.m. | T1 | Special Guest Q&A
FRÉWAKA | 8:45 p.m. | T1 | Special Guest Q&A
DAY 4 | Sunday, March 2, 2025
CIFF2025 SHORTS PROGRAM 3 | 11:00 a.m. | T2
FIDIL GHORM (BLUE FIDDLE) | 1:10 p.m. | T2 | Special Guest
HOUSEWIFE OF THE YEAR | 3:30 p.m. | T2
BLUE ROAD: THE EDNA O'BRIEN STORY | 5:15 p.m. | T2
Closing Night: KATHLEEN IS HERE | 7:30 p.m. | T1 | Special Guest Q&A | Reception
“The festival films showcase the full humanity of the Irish people. They are tough without being mean, forgiving without being saccharine. Quiet, deadpan humor is never far from their lips. These films are almost all a welcome reprieve from the D.C. grind.” — Washington City Paper
LOOK BACK ON CIFF 2024
See Photos & Video Content from CIFF 2024 Here.
ABOUT SOLAS NUA
Solas Nua - ‘new light’ in Irish, is a leading multi-disciplinary arts organization that is dedicated exclusively to bringing contemporary Irish arts to Washington, D.C. Solas Nua acts as an ambassador and advocate for Irish arts in the U.S., promoting multi-disciplinary Irish arts and culture. Solas Nua presents, produces, and commissions thought-provoking and ground-breaking work across the arts, and is recognized for making a substantive, unique contribution to the artistic and cultural richness of the city of Washington, DC and beyond. Support and follow Solas Nua via their newsletters, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
ABOUT AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER
A program of the American Film Institute (AFI), AFI Silver and Cultural Center offers a year-round program of the best in American and international cinema, featuring a dynamic mix of retrospectives, special events, tributes, on-stage guest appearances, specialty first-run movies,festivals, premieres and education and community-based programs in a theatrical setting of the highest standards. Anchored by the stunningly restored 1938 Silver Theatre, the three-screen AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a state-of-the-art film and digital media exhibition venue that serves as a national model for preserving and honoring our shared film and film-going heritage. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com/Silver, and follow AFI Silver on social media at AFI.com/Silver, and follow AFI Silver on social media at Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
The Capital Irish Film Festival is supported by the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme, Culture Ireland, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Embassy of Ireland, Northern Ireland Bureau, Northern Ireland Screen, and the Irish Film Institute’s IFI International Programme supported by Culture Ireland. Solas Nua is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
Capital Irish Film Festival
February 27 - March 2, 2025
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910
