Get to know the JDIFF Team.

Grainne Humphreys - Festival Director

I have been working in film programming since 1994 – I got my first job after college with the Junior Dublin Film Festival in 1994. From there it was a quick walk across the foyer to start work as Education Officer in the IFI – which was all about bringing film to schools in Dublin and the rest of the country.

In 2001 I was promoted to being in charge of the cultural programming of the IFI.  I discovered I really loved this kind of work and over the next 6 years I worked on numerous programmes and festivals including the Harold Pinter Film Season in 1997, the first major retrospective of the films of Andy Warhol in 1998, a retrospective of the work of Agnes Varda in December 2000.  During this time I was also Artistic Director of Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Festival and Market and CineFrance; the annual Festival of French Cinema- then I left the IFI to join the circus.

I joined the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in January 2007 and 2013 will be my sixth year as Festival Director. It’s a wonderful job – I’m very luck to travel a lot to numerous festivals around the world to see new films with a view to bringing them back to Dublin. Half of the year is spent in this way – I travel to Cannes, Karlowvy Vary, Toronto and Busan in Korea - we also invite filmmakers to submit their films to the festival and I spend from August to November watching these films online or dvds. From November to February – it’s a mad gallop trying to lock down the film schedule and confirm our guest list for the festival each year. Workshops and masterclasses and outreach projects are slotted into our schedule at this time and then quite suddenly – its Opening Night in the Savoy…

Jackie Ryan - General Manager

I am proud to join the JDIFF team to celebrate the best of Irish and international film in February annually.  Dublin as a destination deserves a film festival with the quality of film that Grainne programmes from around the globe so film lovers in Ireland can see it here! I hope I bring new skills from my variety of roles in theatre and visual arts, including Education Officer at the National Gallery of Ireland (1993-8), General Manager of TEAM Theatre (1998-2002), General Manager of Draoicht - incorporating Fingal’s Spreacha - International Festival for Children (2003-8), and CEO of Graphic Studio Dublin (2008-12).

Kevin O’Farrell - Administrator & Marketing Assistant

Kevin first joined the festival as an intern way back in 2010. He graduated from IADT in 2011 with a degree in Business and Arts Management. He is currently the Festival Administrator and Marketing Assistant of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.

Bairbre Quinn - Accounts Officer

Bairbre joined the JDIFF team in December 2012 as the Accounts Officer.  In a previous incarnation, she worked as an A/D on films, before moving into Film Production Accounts.