'That's a wrap' on the Isle of Man Film Festival

Team thanks Island community for support

A local arts group has thanked the Island community for its support as it brings the curtain down on the Isle of Man Film Festival.

The event, which started in 2013, will not be making a comeback.

Otherwise known as ‘IOMFF’ it was founded by Dave Armstrong and Christy DeHaven and was a follow on from their MannIN Shorts festival, in 2012, which predominantly celebrated local film production. 

The event was then expanded from one day to five days and included an international film competition, guest speakers, workshops and more, with the help of a devoted core team of volunteers.

Film critic and TV presenter Mark Kermode became the patron of the festival and it quickly grew - bringing names such as Sir John Hurt and Katharina Kubrick to the Island - with countless independent filmmakers coming from all over the world to compete in the short film competition which was co-ordinated by Zoe Guilford.

Larger events included outdoor screenings, community short film nights, the very popular film quiz and a silent movie screening at the Gaiety Theatre with live soundtrack by The Dodge Brothers. 

Following a break due to Covid a smaller version of the festival took place, in 2021, with hopes to build up to what would have been the 10th Anniversary event this year. 

However, an announcement was made on the festival’s website this weekend which said: "We’ve had a blast but it has to come to an end sometime. And that time is now. We were educated, entertained, enthralled and satisfyingly exhausted. But more than anything, we made some wonderful friends throughout the process."

The statement added: "We are aware that there is a new festival being created on the Island, which has been called ‘the Isle of Man International Film Festival’ or IOMIFF, but this is not something we are involved with.” 

Co-founder Christy DeHaven says the heart of the festival was celebrating filmmaking:

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