Darklight is Ireland’s premier festival for filmmakers, animators and artists whose work explores the convergence of art, film and technology.
Since its inception in 1999, Darklight Festival has brought new and exciting work to Irish audiences through cinema, exhibition and performance and to an international audience via the Internet and Touring Programme initiated in 2002.
Darklight exhibits work that pushes these boundaries and displays creative excellence. Our mission is to nurture new talent and to create new possibilities for the imagination.
Darklight began in 1999 as an opportunity for artists and filmmakers working with new technologies to show their work and share their ideas and has grown to become one of the most important arts events of the year. Darklight encourages the contribution of local Irish filmmakers while also featuring international work. Over the years Darklight has gone from strength to strength. The festival now encompasses an online presence, a newsletter, year-round touring programme, a biennial film and video festival, regular exhibitions, workshops, conferences and seminars initiating debates on all aspects of digital art and filmmaking, from practice and technology to copyright, distribution and education.
In 2002 Darklight broke away from its previous format of a traditional cinema setting and took over a 20,000 square foot warehouse located in the Digital Hub area of Dublin. This unique and exciting urban venue is transformed for the duration of the festival into two cinemas, an art gallery and a lounge area hosting music, refreshments and round table discussions.