THE Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF) has announced that Jessie Buckley is the recipient of this year’s Maureen O’Hara award.

The Killarney native will be accepting the accolade in October in celebration of her exceptional work in both film and the arts.

The much-coveted award is offered exclusively to women who have excelled in film and KIFF are privileged to be presenting the award to Jessie Buckley on what would have been Maureen O’Hara’s centenary year.

Jessie Buckley is a highly acclaimed actor featuring as the lead in movies such as ‘Beast’, ‘Wild Rose’ and most recently the acclaimed ‘I’m Thinking Of Ending Things’ on Netflix, as well featuring in a number of BBC TV series over the years and in ‘Chernobyl’ on Sky.

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Upon receiving the KIFF 2020 Maureen O’ Hara award, Jessie Buckley said: “It means so much, when your own people and own country get behind you like this and say you’re doing alright kid, that means a lot.”

In keeping with their new format, KIFF will be presenting the Maureen O’ Hara award to Jessie Buckley via an online interview which will be available on the website and additional social media platforms throughout the festival. There are also plans to host a physical presentation in the future.

Taking place from October 15-18, KIFF is a well-established festival that celebrates shorts, features, live film scores, emerging film talent and industry events.

The core event of the festival will be held online in partnership with streaming platform Shift72 and, depending on Government guidelines, the festival also aims to host a physical element the event in partnership with the newly re-opened Cinema Killarney.

For more on the Kerry International Film Festival check out their website on www.kerryfilmfestival.com

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