N.I.C.E. Italian Film Festival
The N.I.C.E. Italian Film Festival (New Italian Cinema Events) is a vibrant annual celebration of contemporary Italian cinema, bringing the creativity, diversity, and passion of Italy’s new filmmakers to audiences across Ireland. Launched in 2022, the festival has quickly become a highlight of the cultural calendar, promoting authentic, modern Italian voices through film.
Each year, the festival presents a curated selection of around ten films, spanning genres from drama and documentary to comedy and romance. Screenings take place in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick, all shown in Italian with English subtitles, making them accessible to both native speakers and lovers of Italian culture.
The 2025 edition featured 22 screenings, many of them focusing on stories led by female characters and exploring contemporary themes such as identity, creativity, and social change. Films like Romantiche, Gloria!, Parthenope and Diamanti were warmly received by audiences across the country.
A distinctive feature of the festival is the opportunity for the public to meet the people behind the films. Actors and directors often travel from Italy to attend screenings and take part in Q&A sessions, offering unique insights into their creative process and the Italian film industry.
The Galway edition (coordinated by Dr Andrea Ciribuco, Silvia Alessandrini and Dr Michela Dianetti) adds an especially warm and festive atmosphere with Italian buskers performing Italian songs, creating a lively cultural evening complemented by a refreshment reception featuring authentic Italian products — a true taste of Italy by the Corrib.
Organised in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Dublino, the University of Galway, and the Galway Film Society, N.I.C.E. continues to grow in reach and impact. Each year, it strengthens the cultural and artistic bond between Italy and Ireland, inviting audiences to discover the richness, humour, and heart of new Italian cinema.
Rory Kavanagh's Bursary
The Rory Kavanagh Bursary offers a unique opportunity for students of Italian at the University of Galway to immerse themselves in Italian language and culture. Established in memory of Rory Kavanagh (1971-1996), a former BA graduate who spent a transformative year at the University of Bologna under the ERASMUS programme, this bursary reflects Rory's love of Italy and his passion for learning.
Awarded annually to a full-time undergraduate student who has successfully completed their second year of study, the bursary partly supports a semester of study at an Italian university.
Rory's family generously established this bursary to ensure that future generations of students could experience the same excitement and enrichment that he did. It is more of a financial support; it is an invitation to step into a world where one can grow academically and personally, embracing the transformative power of study abroad.
On their return after the Erasmus experience, the awardee gets to present their experience in Italy at a very special event, where the whole Discipline, along with the Kavanagh's family, is reunited.
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