The best moments from the Dublin International Film Festival this year

Achieving cult status since its inception back in 2023, it’s become a favourite with industry experts the world over, and over the years, we’ve seen everyone from Oscar-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes to Gladiator II star Paul Mescal grace the red carpet. 

Whether you’re a loyal attendee already planning next year’s schedule or have yet to get involved in the festivities, below are some of my personal highlights from the Dublin International Film Festival 2025.

Interviewing Ralph Fiennes 

As a years-long Harry Potter fan—I re-watch the films every Christmas and have read the books more times than I can count on two hands—I was absolutely thrilled when I learned that Ralph Fiennes would be making an appearance at DIFF. Best known (at least to me) for his performance as the formidable Voldemort, he’s much less scary in person, though every bit as charming as the famed Tom Riddle was rumoured to be. On the topic of the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, which HBO have set for a 2026 release date, Fiennes told IMAGE that he was surprised to hear the project was being revisited so soon. “It seems only yesterday we finished making the movies, but these things happen, don’t they… these big corporations, they’ll do it all again. I’m sure it will be great. I’m sure it will have a different energy, different qualities and there will be wonderful new performances in all those roles we know so well and that it will have a new life.” 

As it stands, Cillian Murphy is one of the frontrunners tipped to replace him in the role of Lord Voldemort, and Fiennes is nothing but complimentary about the news. “He’ll be fantastic. He’s a great, great actor. He’ll be wonderful.” 

Opening the festival with the Irish premiere of his new film, The Return, Fiennes was accompanied by director Uberto Passolini. A modern retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey, keep your eye on IMAGE.ie for our review, which will be out next month! *Spoiler: Fiennes is, unsurprisingly, brilliant. 

Tanqueray 0.0% film club with Fiona Shaw

Ralph Fiennes opened the festival, and days later, his Harry Potter co-star Fiona Shaw arrived in town – much to my delight! In Dublin to promote her new film, Park Avenue, the Irish actor joked that she thought she was “way too young” for the film in which she plays the mother of a woman named Charlotte, who has left behind her controlling husband and her ranch in Alberta, Canada. Hightailing it back to her childhood apartment on Park Avenue, together, Charlotte and Kit (Shaw’s character) learn to face love, loss and everything else life tries to throw at them. 

“I love being in Dublin,” Shaw said on the red carpet. “It’s such a gorgeous city. The country is flying. It’s just like being in paradise, I just love it.” Getting The Wagon’s (Shaw’s character on the latest season of Bad Sisters, if you’ve yet to catch up) seal of approval is no mean feat, so that definitely constitutes a highlight for me. 

Dublin on screen

I’m always incredibly proud to be Irish, but all the more so when I see our beautiful country depicted on screen – Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters is a favourite for that very reason. As part of their commitment to celebrating the work of community filmmakers from across the city, DIFF organised an intimate screening of shorts from various local filmmakers. Highlighting both the highs and lows of life in the capital, attendees got to see five different shorts, including The Erase, Open Up, Troubleriser, Reflection and Me And This. From struggles with dyspraxia to caring for family members in the north inner-city and the effects of grief, each one offered something new and different, and I can’t wait to see more from the teams responsible.

Tea with Twiggy and Sadie Frost

Getting to have tea with the cultural icon that is Twiggy was not on my bingo card for this year, but I’m very glad to say that I’ve ticked that one off the bucket list! The subject of a new documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Sadie Frost, I was lucky enough to meet both women while they were in Dublin. Frost’s second feature—her first centred on British designer Mary Quant—it’s a wonderfully uplifting ode to the woman whose face defined a decade. And though I wasn’t au fait with her work before, I have a newfound appreciation for her vision and creativity as a filmmaker. As for Twiggy? Well, she’s one of those rare talents who can turn her hand to anything. A model, Broadway star and two-time Golden Globe winner, I was struck by just how humble she was, and our 20-minute conversation went by all too quickly. 

“It’s nice for me to show that actually, I didn’t live and die at 19,” says Twiggy, who assured me that a lot of work went into making things look so effortless. Featuring beautiful archival footage of Lesley at the height of her fame—including one particularly infuriating clip in which Woody Allen grills her what she thinks of “serious matters”—there are also plenty of clips of close friends waxing lyrical about how great she is. Dustin Hoffman grounds it all in reality by poking fun at Twiggy’s “truck driver’s laugh” which, I can confirm, is even more infectious in person. 

Gilmore Girls screening 

A series that defined a generation, Gilmore Girls has become a cultural touchstone for many, with countless fans returning to the show whenever they need a hit of Lorelai’s signature wit. So, naturally, a screening organised as part of DIFF proved incredibly popular. Celebrating a quarter of a century this year, audience members were treated to a special screening of two iconic episodes. An evening of good, wholesome fun, lots of laughter and, of course, a hefty dose of nostalgia, too, it was always going to make the list as one of my highlights from this year’s packed calendar. 

Seeking Mavis Beacon

I have much to thank Mavis Beacon for, not least my typing skills. Her highly-addictive game-like program is responsible for teaching me how to tap away on my laptop screen without ever having to look at my hands; I wouldn’t be the journalist I am today if it weren’t for her knowledge. I digress. 

A brilliant documentary about the 1980s phenomenon, Seeking Mavis Beacon uncovers more about the global software that taught millions how to type, but also about the Haitian-born cover model, Renée L’Esperance, who mysteriously vanished decades ago. Inspired to try and find out what happened, amateur sleuths Jazmin and Olivia set out to investigate the online persona and find out what really happened to her. Exploring ethical representations of queerness and racialisation, AI and glitch art, it’s a scrapbook of footage, interviews and desktop cinema that harks back to a time when the internet was but a new concept.