The launch the 15th OFFline film festival takes place in Birr

The launch of the 15th OFFline Film Festival took place on Thursday, September 19 in Birr.

The film festival is set to take place on from October 9 to 13 and will feature a host of events to suit every taste.

Events from Fright Night in Kinnitty Castle, to Made in Midlands; shorts programmes, features, documentaries, children’s filmmaking workshops and lots more will take place across the week.

A new team are at the helm for the 15th OFFline Film Festival as Gary Hoctor steps away from his role as Festival Director.

David Cotter and Rachel Alexander take over the roles of Festival Co-Directors for 2024.

Speaking ahead of the festival, they said: “We are so excited to welcome filmmakers and film lovers to Birr again this year for the 15th OFFline Film Festival, and to be part of something so established.

"As a new committee, we would like to thank all those who have supported the festival this year, and to Gary Hoctor and everyone who has been part of OFFline for the past 15 years.

"We are delighted to take on the mantle and continue to shine a light on national and international filmmaking and talent, here in Offaly.”

OFFline Film Festival received over 450 submissions from filmmakers all over the world again this year.

Made in Midlands takes pride of place once again and will open the festival on Wednesday 9 October at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre.

This impressive collection includes shorts made in the Midlands and those made elsewhere by Midlands filmmakers.

Back in 2019, the festival opened with a Made in Midlands compilation and it has become a firm fixture on the programme.

Fright Night returns on Friday 11 October. Dare to join for a night of spine-tingling thrills at the historic Kinnitty Castle.

The festival bus departs from Emmet Square in Birr at 7:30pm for Kinnitty.

Once there, enjoy a haunting collection of short films, carefully selected for this can’t-miss occasion. The screening begins at Kinnitty Castle at 8:30pm.

Three programmes of specially-selected shorts will screen on Friday and Saturday at the festival with the winners of the Best Irish Short, Best International Short, Best Animation and the Audience Award announced at this year’s Awards Ceremony on Sunday October 13 at Birr Theatre & Arts Centre.

Filmmakers Patricia Kelly and Paul Fitzsimons will also be in Birr to host a special Filmmaking Masterclass for invited filmmakers.

For budding filmmakers, there will be three Children’s Filmmaking Workshops at John’s Hall on Saturday October 12 - Optical Toys and Storyboarding Made Easy with Cian Laffey and Stop-Motion Animation with Alex Moloney.

Limited capacity is available for these workshops, so pre-booking is advised.

For more information about OFFline Film Festival, and to book tickets, visit: www.offlinefilmfestival.com.