Welcome to the First Cut 2025 programme!

Audiences are invited to the beautiful seaside town of Youghal for the 16th edition of FCYFF! This six-day programme of events includes short films from all over Ireland and abroad, as well as features, workshops, conversations with some of the leading filmmakers in Ireland and much more. FCYFF also offers a parallel online programme of international shorts that can be enjoyed all over the world. All events are free of charge!

View the full programme here.

Monday March 3rd & Tuesday March 4th

Animania – A Day of Animation!
10am, The Regal Cinema & Mall Arts Centre

Animation plays a major part in First Cut Youth Film Festival because nothing conveys the magic of cinema like animation. That’s why we open the festival every year with an event dedicated to animation for a local primary school audience. A packed programme of workshop films and a feature presentation. Full details here.

Wednesday March 5th

Schools Open Call Screening
11 am, The Regal Cinema

Secondary schools are where many young people get their first chance to make a film. This programme showcases the quality and variety of films made in schools throughout Ireland and beyond. Full details here.

Athrú Amháin! & Irish Language Programme
11 am, The Mall Arts Centre

A celebration of filmmaking in Irish! Athrú Amháin!/One Change!, First Cut’s environmentally themed filmmaking through Irish competition returns! This is followed by a diverse programme of shorts in the Irish language from the First Cut Open Call with a special focus on films from the production company Nemeton. Full details here.

Thursday March 6th & Friday March 7th

Cork Young Filmmakers
10am, The Regal Cinema

For the past eighteen years, the Cork Young Filmmakers (CYF) programme has been bringing hands-on filmmaking workshops annually to hundreds of young people throughout County Cork. This screening showcases films made in schools during 2024/25 by the creative young people participating in these workshops, which give them a first-hand opportunity to express themselves through film. Full details here.

Thursday March 6th

Family Animation Screening
6.30pm, The Regal Cinema

An opportunity for participants in the Animania schools workshops to share their films with family and friends. Their shorts are followed by a selection of inspiring, award-winning short animated films from Irish Artists.  Full details here.

Friday March 7th

Youghal Connections
7pm, The Regal Cinema

Youghal is the home of First Cut and Youghal Connections is an annual programme that celebrates this wonderful seaside town. This year we present the Youghal premiere of TG4’s ‘Na Lumière Gaelacha’ which which delves into the lives of Youghal’s Horgan brothers who emerged from early 20th-century poverty to become pioneers in Irish photography and cinema. Screening followed by a Q&A with its acclaimed director/producer Darina Clancy Full details here.

Saturday March 8th

Open Call Programmes
10.30am, The Regal Cinema Screen 1

First Cut welcomes short films of every genre by young people from Ireland and beyond. The skill and imagination of young filmmakers shines through in the diverse and entertaining films that make up these programmes. Full details here.

Fusion: Youth Groups Programme 1 & 2
11am & 3pm, The Regal Cinema Screen 2

First Cut is committed to hearing the voices of young people of every background. Fusion is a diverse screening of short films made in youth programmes from across the country. Full details here.

Earth Echoes
1.40pm, The Regal Cinema Screen 2

Earth Echoes is an explorative project led by the First Cut Youth Advisory Council in collaboration with visual artist Andrew McSweeney. Developed to explore Ireland’s cultural and environmental narratives, the project experimented with virtual reality (VR) as a storytelling tool. Through workshops and field visits in 2024/25, participants engaged with VR technology, collecting content that culminated in the prototype of a VR film which will be presented at this event. Full details here.

Cork International Film Festival Shorts
1.45pm, The Regal Cinema Screen 1

Cork International Film Festival partners with First Cut to present a mix of stories that are both local and international in setting, but capture universal feelings. Full details here.

Brendan Canty: FCYFF 2025 Special Guest 
3.30pm, The Regal Cinema Screen 1

Brendan Canty has forged his way as one of the most exciting and prolific Irish directors. His debut feature Christy premiered at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival. He will share his insights and experiences in an inspiring presentation that no aspiring filmmaker – or anyone who loves film – can afford to miss. Full details here.

Spotlight
4.40pm, The Regal Cinema Screen 1

Spotlight is First Cut’s open call programme celebrating the vision of emerging filmmakers of third level age. Some are in film courses, some are working independently but all are significant upcoming talents to watch for in the future. Full details here.

YMVC – Youth Music Competition
6.30pm, The Regal Cinema Screen 1

First Cut continues to partner with award-winning director Brendan Canty for the ninth annual YMVC, a unique professional mentorship programme, which hothouses young film talent. Eleven outstanding young filmmakers were selected in 2024 for the opportunity to make a music video under the mentorship of a team of top-tier Irish directors. This event showcases these videos. Full details here.

Awards Ceremony
8pm, The Regal Cinema Screen 1

The 2025 First Cut Youth Film Festival Awards will be announced and presented! Full details here.

Monday March 3rd – Sunday March 22nd

First Cut International
Online

First Cut International is an online platform that offers screenings showcasing the best short films by young filmmakers from all over the world. Full details here.

Download the full programme here.