Celebrating the 20th Edition of Storytelling and Creativity

The Waterford International Film Festival marks a major milestone in November 2026, celebrating its 20th edition and two decades of showcasing bold, creative voices from Ireland and around the world.

WIFF 2026 takes place as a live festival on 14–15 November, followed by online screenings from 15–21 November, continuing our hybrid format that brings audiences together both in Waterford and beyond.

Live events will be hosted at the House of Waterford and the SETU Chapel on College Street, with a programme that builds on everything audiences have come to expect from WIFF — alongside new events and experiences to be announced.

Submissions are now open across our three core competitions: Short Films, Short Screenplays, and Photography. We welcome work from emerging and established creatives alike and look forward to sharing another year of outstanding storytelling.

2025 Festival & Awards

Congratulations to all our 2025 Winners & Finalists!

A massive thank you to everyone who made the 19th Waterford International Film Festival 2025 such an incredible success!!

Our filmmakers, writers, artists, audiences, supporters, partners, Mayor Séamus Ryan and of course, our fantastic sponsors.

Your passion and creativity continue to inspire us every year!

We are proud to present the full list of this year’s award winners:

Honourable Mention Awards

• Pedo — Stuart Teehan

• I Found A Place — Zoë Gibney

• To Accept — Quinn Miller

• The Things We Do — Shane O'Connor

• Dive — Amy-Joyce Hastings

Best Music Video

WINNER: Reverie — Directed by Donnagh Fitzpatrick

Best Short Animation

WINNER: Dad in the Echo — Directed by Jacky Heng Sun

Best International Short Film

The Peace of Cemeteries — Raquel Troyano

Best Short Documentary

Boobs — Nicola Leddy

Best Student or Debut Short Film

Brón — Catherine Mangan Williams

Best Cinematic Image – Photography

WINNER: Garage Noir — Robert Fairfield

RUNNER-UP: Chasing Light — Owen De Keyzer

Screenplay Awards

Best Short Screenplay – WINNER:

Gafa — Alan Hopkins

Runner-Up – Best Short Screenplay:

The Long Table — Sarah Power

Best Short Film

WINNER: Mad Ann — Jeff Doyle

Runner-Up – Best Short Film:

Night Driver — Michael Carolan

Virtual Audience Award for Best Irish Short Film

Boobs — Nicola Leddy

Film Festival Competitions

Explore our competitions for short films, short scripts, and photography. Join us and showcase your talent!

Submissions are now open

Follow our guidelines to submit your film, script or photos.

Filmmaker Reviews

Read insightful reviews from filmmakers.

Gallery

Take a look of photos of some of our past events

Gallery 2

More images can be viewed on our social media & FilmFreeway pages

Contact Us

For Eiretainment Tech support email : info@eiretainment.com or support@shift72.com