The 67th Cork International Film Festival kicks off tomorrow!
It’s finally here: over the next 11 days, immerse yourself in a feast of the latest and best Irish and international features, documentaries, and shorts, screening at venues throughout Cork City.
See it first on the big screen with CIFFÂ – explore some these opening weekend highlights below.
All Festival tickets and passes (including our 5 Film Cinema Pass) are on sale now!
OPENING GALA: AISHA
Our Opening Gala, Aisha (Thu 10th Nov at Cork Opera House), charts the experiences of a young Nigerian woman as she seeks asylum in Ireland, starring Letitia Wright (Black Panther) and Josh O’Connor (The Crown) and is directed by acclaimed Irish filmmaker Frank Berry (Michael Inside, I Used to Live Here). One of the best Irish films in recent years, not to be missed. Limited tickets now available.
Aisha will screen again on Fri 11th Nov at the Gate Cinema and will be followed by a panel discussion hosted in partnership with UCC Equality Week. The panel will comprise the film’s director, Frank Berry; Dr. Naomi Mascheti, Cork Migrant Centre; and Lucky Khambule, co-founder of MASI. The film will be screened with closed captions, and Irish Sign Language interpretation will be provided during the panel discussion.
OPENING WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
A Trip to the Moon Cine Concert
Our Cine Concert in the Triskel on Sat 12th Nov at the Triskel sees the return to the Festival of award-winning Cork composers Irene Buckley and Linda Buckley with a newly commissioned score for George Méliès’ seminal 1902 film A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la lune). This new score was composed in collaboration with, and will be performed by music students from Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Cork. The event will be accompanied by a selection of classic short films from early cinema.
Funded by the Arts Council’s Commissions Award
Presented in association with the French Embassy in Ireland
The Harder They Come 50th Anniversary + After Party
Join us on Fri 11th Nov at the Gate Cinema for a special 50th Anniversary screening of Perry Henzell’s 1972 debut The Harder They Come, an uncompromising cult classic Jamaican film that tells the tale of Ivan (reggae icon Jimmy Cliff) as the innocent country boy corrupted by the harsh brutality of Kingston life and features a soundtrack which introduced the world to reggae music long before many had heard of Bob Marley.
Continue the celebration with us at The Harder They Come 50th Anniversary Celebration After-Party with Bellyman at 115 Café, Oliver Plunkett Street. ‘People Get Reggae’ from 11pm til 2.30am, Fri 11th Nov.
OPENING WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: IRISH FEATURES
Nocebo
A new psychological thriller Nocebo from director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium), starring Eva Green (pictured), Mark Strong, and Cathy Belton. Screening on Sat 12th Nov at The Everyman.
“With Nocebo, Finnegan and his collaborators have put their finger on something dark and disturbing.” Simon Abrams, Rogerebert.com
The Ghost of Richard Harris
Adrian Sibley’s The Ghost of Richard Harris is a fascinating exploration of one of the most remarkable actors Ireland has ever produced (Sun 13th Nov at The Everyman).
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Newport Beach Film Festival; Nominee for Best Documentary on Cinema at the Venice Film Festival.
OPENING WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: ILLUMINATE FILM & MENTAL HEALTHÂ
Dancing Madness
Other forthcoming highlights include CIFF’s Illuminate film and mental health strand, supported by the HSE, which features Marta Espar’s Dancing Madness, a radical portrayal of creative collaboration between female dancers and women living with mental illness, on Fri 11th Nov at the Triskel.Â
Daughters + Panel Discussion
Jenifer Malmqvist’s Daughters (Döttrar) on Sat 12th Nov at the Triskel is an intimate and highly affecting story about the experiences of three siblings grieving their mother’s death by suicide.
This film will be followed by a panel discussion with Stephanie Allen, Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, UCC; Dr. Eve Griffin, Researcher, National Suicide Research Foundation; and Dr. Maria O’Malley, Lecturer in Mental Health, Clinical Practice Module Lead, UCC.
OPENING WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS: FAMILY PROGRAMME
CIFF’s Family Programme kicks off this weekend with Dragon Princess (Princesse Dragon) by Jean-Jacques Denis and Anthony Roux, a tale of a fire-breathing girl raised by dragons and plunged into the human world. Screening on Sun 13th Nov, and again on Sun 20th Nov (SF), at the Gate Cinema, this award-winning animated film is supported by the French Embassy in Ireland.
Also showing is delightful classic Chinese animation, The Legend of Sealed Book, on Sat12th Nov at the Gate Cinema and supported by Cork City Council.
CIFF’s Family-Friendly Shorts programme, featuring an exciting selection of films for tots to teens, will screen on Sun 13th Nov at The Everyman and again on Sat 19th Nov at the Gate Cinema (SF). (SF) denotes a Sensory Friendly Screening.
