Maureen ‘Mo’ O’Connell, director of the drama “Hum”, Jessica Courtney Leen, writer/director/producer/lead actress of the drama “Not My Sister”, and Callum Patrick O’Brien, writer/director of the horror “All Alone Here”

Athlone Film Festival prepares for 'record submissions' as 2026 applications open

Published:

The Athlone Film Festival is gearing up for another exciting year, with submissions now open for 2026.

This comes after a record-breaking surge in entries in both 2024 and 2025, building on the success of the festival’s decision to open submissions to the public for the first time in 2023. Previously, the festival had operated on an invite-only submission model.

The switch to public submissions in 2023 was met with overwhelming enthusiasm, far exceeding expectations.

"We are incredibly grateful to all the filmmakers who came down and helped kick off the public submissions era," said a festival spokesperson.

"Their participation played a crucial role in making the 2023 festival a huge success, and we’re excited to see what the 2026 edition has in store."

Filmmakers looking to be part of the next festival are invited to submit their work now through FilmFreeway at: https://filmfreeway.com/TheAthloneFilmFestival

The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 12.

Published: