'Whenever I am obliged to lie with my eyes closed I see a cinematograph going on and on and it brings back to my memory things I had almost forgotten.’ - James Joyce.

Ireland’s most literary film festival is back for its fifth year! The film festival was set up as a celebration of cinema, literature, and artistic innovation, inspired by the long reaching arm of Ireland’s patriarch of modernism, James Joyce. The festival is run in partnership with the Bloomsday Festival & the James Joyce Centre and will run between the 11th - 16th June, with screenings taking place at the historic James Joyce Centre and the IFI, as well as Online.

Like last year, we will celebrate the birthday of W.B Yeats on the 13th of June with a selection of Poetry and Literature short films. On the 14th, in keeping with Joyce’s radical and experimental spirit, we will screen the best Experimental Films. On the 15th, the anniversary of the publications of Dubliners, we will dedicate to Dublin with screenings of Joycean short films and Dublin Short Stories. We will also have many more special events between the 11th - 16th, as well as on Bloomsday itself of course, the 16th, and will screen the feature films in the evenings.

We want to encourage artistic innovation within the medium, artists who do things their own way, and films that seek to push the craft forward, as Joyce did so greatly within his own craft of literature. We welcome submissions from all backgrounds offering a diverse, global programme as it is our belief that Joyce and Bloomsday are for everyone.

All winners will garner our coveted handcrafted 'Joycean Glasses' trophy.

Best Joycean Short - Bronze Statuette

Best Joycean Documentary Short - Bronze Statuette

Best Literature Short - Bronze Statuette

Best Irish Poetry Short - Bronze Statuette

Best International Poetry Short - Bronze Statuette

Best Irish Experimental Short - Bronze Statuette

Best International Experimental Short - Bronze Statuette

Best Dublin Short Story - Bronze Statuette

Best Feature - Gold Statuette

Best Overall Short - Gold Statuette & €1000

No premiere requirements.

Short films must be below 30 minutes running time.
Submission Fee €15.

Feature films must be above 45 minutes running time. Submission fee €25.

If selected films will be shown online and during a live screening.

Online screeners only.

We will need a downloadable MP4 or MOV in h264 codec of your film if selected. We will also need access to stills, posters, text, trailers, for marketing purposes. Depending on Venues we may also need a DCP. Please try to send in your films in a reasonable file size as we only have a small technical team.

Films will still be considered for other categories if we deem them more suitable.

If not English language film subtitles must be in English.

If work is unfinished it MUST be completed by the 1st of June to be considered.

Filmmakers must own all rights to material. (Luckily Joyce is in the public domain so don't worry about that!)

Awards will be decided by a judging committee.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Adam Seelig

    Thank you, Bloomsday Film Fest, for a terrific 2023 edition of the festival — it was our first time attending and participating and we LOVED it! Thanks again and hope to be back, -One Little Goat Theatre Company (Toronto, Canada)

    October 2023
  • Bryan and Vita Mei Hewitt

    Bloomsday Film Festival was a joy to work with! The organizers were very pleasant to interact with and good at communication.

    October 2023
  • Murra Films

    Really enjoyed our experience at this year's festival. Was incredibly well-run and it was enjoyable from start to finish.

    July 2023
  • Marcella O'Connor

    Bloomsday Film Festival is a part of upholding Ireland's literary tradition.

    July 2023
  • Pradeep Mahadeshwar

    I am glad that my film was screened at this well-reputed festival. I was working that week, so I could not attend the screening or festival. I participated in the award ceremony. I was expecting to network and meet new people. It was a quiet, monoethnic setup - it seemed most people already knew each other. I struggled to talk to people. Free drinks were fun, but I was expecting some interesting conversations.

    I met the festival director and tried to talk to him. While I was talking to the festival director, one Irish man walked up to us and started talking to him without acknowledging that I was standing there. It was an awkward moment for me. As a queer person of colour and Irish artist, I was expecting an inclusive experience.

    I know it wasn’t intentional, and people might be tired of all-day screenings, but still, I felt not included. I submitted the film because I was invited to send it.

    July 2023