Kilkenny Arts Festival Film Programme: Weather-Exposed Bones and All to Play For

Kilkenny Arts Festival’s small film strand comes to Watergate Theatre on Monday, 10 August 2026, with two Irish films screening on the same day. The Journey of Weather-Exposed Bones (Nozarashi Kikō), directed by Alan Gilsenan, and All to Play For, directed by Stevie Russell, give festival-goers a rare chance to see festival-programmed cinema alongside the week’s music, theatre and visual art events.

What to expect

Film is a small part of Kilkenny Arts Festival’s programme next to its music and theatre strands, which makes the two titles on 10 August worth planning around rather than assuming they will repeat. Alan Gilsenan is an established Irish documentary and drama director whose work has featured at festivals and on Irish television for years, and Nozarashi Kikō, its Japanese-language title, points to a piece shot partly in Japan or drawing on Japanese subject matter. All to Play For, from director Stevie Russell, screens the same day, giving audiences a double dose of festival-curated film rather than a single headline screening. Watergate Theatre, the festival’s main indoor venue for spoken and screen work, hosts both, and festival programming of this kind typically comes with a short introduction or post-screening discussion rather than a straight cinema showing. Exact running order and start times were not published on the venue’s own general listings at the time of research, so checking directly with the festival box office is worthwhile.

Getting there

Watergate Theatre is on Parliament Street in Kilkenny city centre, within walking distance of Kilkenny Castle and the Medieval Mile. The nearest public parking is at the Market Yard and MacDonagh Junction, both a short walk from the theatre.

While you’re in Kilkenny

A festival film day at the Watergate sits at the centre of Kilkenny’s main streets, so it combines easily with the rest of a day at Kilkenny Arts Festival or a walk around the castle grounds. There is more to see in Kilkenny and across Co. Kilkenny.

Good to know

• Date: Monday, 10 August 2026
• Time: Various, two separate screenings on the day, exact times to be confirmed with the festival
• Venue: Watergate Theatre, Parliament Street, Kilkenny
• Price: Sold as part of a Kilkenny Arts Festival ticket bundle, individual pricing not published for both titles
• Booking: Through Kilkenny Arts Festival’s own booking system