Silk Road International Film Festival ®
丝绸之路国际电影节 (SRIFF) is held annually in Ireland.
13th edition, November 2025
10 - 16 (Online)
21- 22 (In Person - Dublin) Founded in 2012, the Silk Road International Film Festival (SRIFF) is an international acclaimed film festival. The festival also holds year-round screenings, talks & events. Past guests have included world renowned filmmakers such as D
irector Abel Ferrara (King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, Pasolini), Director Béla Tarr (The Turin Horse, Satantango), Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (The Conformist, The Last Emperor, Apocalypse Now), Cinematographer Mahmoud Kalari (A Separation), Editor Tony Kearns (Black Mirror, The End of the F***ing World), Director Joseph Wallace (Natural Disaster, Sparks: Edith Piaf)
SRIFF screens an exclusive array of world cinema showcasing a rich diversity of features, documentaries, shorts, student films & music videos. SRIFF celebrates world cinema where we discover new films and voices from around the world. As well as screening international films there is a special selection of films from the “Silk Road”, countries part of the historical network of the Silk Road ancient trade routes. The selection called “Belt & Road” includes Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern, African, Mediterranean and European cinema. MISSION
Celebrate excellence in screen based storytelling. Narrow distances between people & cultures, break boundaries & foster cross-cultural collaboration & social change. MASTERCLASSES
World renowned filmmakers attend each year to give masterclasses, previous guests have included Abel Ferrara, Mahmoud Kalari, Vittorio Storaro, Béla Tarr, Tony Kearns. OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Exhibitions, chats with industry guests, masterclasses and seminars. MEMBER
Belt & Road Film Festival Alliance
Partner of The “Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance” (BRFFA) established at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival 2018 now comprising of 38 film festivals & Institutions from 33 countries. BRFFA facilitates the bilateral panorama of films; encourage the mutual recommendation of film festival judges and event guests; strengthen the exchanges and cooperation in film production and distribution; and establish and implement the film information sharing mechanism among contracted parties. The BRFFA is a platform to show films, to communicate & to create opportunities for further cooperation among our film industries and other related fields. Film Festivals Cinergy
SRIFF aims to give student filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work internationally through the student filmmaking competition “Film Festivals Cinergy”, a union of film festivals around the world, aiming to promote talents in filmmaking & to foster cross-cultural collaboration. Student filmmakers have an opportunity to win a trip to Notre Dame University International Film Festival, Lebanon to screen their film in competition where flights & accommodation are part of the winning prize! About
The Silk Road changed history, largely because the people who managed to travel along its routes planted their cultures like seeds of exotic species carried to distant lands. Today, the Silk Road International Film Festival brings together filmmakers and creators from around the world to introduce their countries’ cultures and traditions through their films and carry out the Silk Road legacy of sharing and exchange. Every country has stories to tell – about their past, their culture now and views of what the future will look like through their eyes. Film, therefore, holds a truly unique place in the story of our civilisation. It is an art, a language, a medium for education and collaboration. The Silk Road International Film Festival brings an eclectic range of films to the audience – rich diversity of features, documentaries, animations, shorts and student films. Apart from film screenings, the SRIFF features masterclasses & chats with industry guests. Besides creating a platform for international filmmakers to network and promote their work, the Silk Road International Film Festival gives student filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work on an international scale. The Festival is a caravanserai where people from different backgrounds, speaking different languages, and having varied interests can nonetheless stop for a moment on their life’s journey, gather with others, trade and share their art, knowledge, and perspectives. Audiences are able to engage with new traditions and cultures by finding parallels with their own. This is why we believe that the Festival can provide a framework for how intercultural understanding and collaboration can be forged even outside the realm of cinema. The festival directors hope to narrow distances between people and cultures, to break boundaries and foster cross-cultural collaboration and social change. The Festival is also a place to learn. Visitors, filmmakers, artists, and organizers alike share in the highly mutual act of learning about people, traditions, and ideas that, seemingly distant, become quite familiar. We hope that followers of the Silk Road International Film Festival will be inspired & learn from other countries cinema and culture. Benefits of Silk Road International Film Festival:
Audiences are able to engage with new cultures. Promotes intercultural cinema which in turn promotes dialog; bridges cultures, and bridges minds. Enriches humanity, expands people’s horizons and brings together cultures and communities through exploring our differences
Encourages cross-disciplinary encounters, professional collaborations and cultural entrepreneurship. Facilitates international contact between filmmakers
Art and cinema effortlessly cross geographical borders and could have the power to solve economic and political challenges by creating opportunities for co-productions and cross-region and cross-country collaborations. SRIFF seeks the edge where the arts, cinema and business come together to spark new ways of looking at the world
Facilitates tourism, enterprise, arts, cultural exchanges & social inclusion. The Silk Road International Film Festival aspires to continue the Silk Road cultural heritage, which in its heyday sustained a multicultural collaboration that strung together diverse groups. Just like the silk moth weaves webs into luxurious fabrics, so do the silk routes entwine ideas and philosophies, fostering multicultural interaction & understanding. Today, more than two thousand years after it originated, we invite you to travel along the new Silk Road with us through the Silk Road International Film Festival. Awards & Prizes
The 2021 edition of SRIFF categories:
• FEATURE
• DOCUMENTARY
• ANIMATION
• SHORT
• STUDENT FILM
• MUSIC VIDEO
The 2021 edition of SRIFF will present The Silk Road International Film Festival Awards in following categories:
A – FEATURE
Best Feature
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
B - DOCUMENTARY
Best Documentary
Best Director
C – ANIMATION
Best Animation
Best Director
D – SHORT
Best Short Live Action
Best Short Documentary
Best Short Animation
Jury Special Mention
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
E – STUDENT FILM
Winner wins a trip to participate in International competition in Notre Dame University International Film Festival, Lebanon in November. Flights & Accommodation covered. Sponsor: Film Festivals Cinergy
F – STUDENT FILM INTERNATIONAL
Best Student Film International
Best Student Animation
Best Student Documentary
G – MUSIC VIDEO
Best Music Video
Best Director
H – HONORARY AWARD
SRIFF Prizes Include:
IFTA Eligibility
SRIFF is an officially recognised film festival by the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) Awards, which means films that are screened are eligible to submit to the IFTA Awards.
“Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance” (BRFFA)
Opportunity to have your film selected at an BRFFA international partner festival. Partner of the “Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance” (BRFFA) established at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival 2018 now comprises 38 Film Festivals & Institutions from 33 countries. BRFFA facilitates the bilateral panorama of films. It is a platform to show films, to communicate & to create opportunities for further cooperation among our film industries and other related fields. An Irish film along with a selection of SRIFF international titles are presented to the BRFFA partners for potential selection screenings at their respective festivals. Film Festivals Cinergy
SRIFF aims to give student filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work internationally through the student filmmaking competition “Film Festivals Cinergy”, a union of film festivals around the world, aiming to promote talents in filmmaking & to foster cross-cultural collaboration. Audience Choice Award - ONLINE
All online “Festivalgoers” the “Audience” are invited to vote for their favourites to win. This award is chosen by audiences throughout the festival’s online run. The Audience can vote for their favourite film, director and actor to win through a starring system i.e. 1 star to 5 star. Those with the most stars at the end of the festival wins the Audience Choice Award. IMDb qualifying festival
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Directors Chair
Selection of filmmakers receive extensive coverage across all our digital platforms through the Director's Chair online interviews.
