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Happy 50th Birthday Cork Film Festival The 50th Cork Film Festival was officially opened last night in the Cork Opera House (October 9th) by Olive Braiden, Chairperson of the Arts Council, to a fanfair of glamour and celebration. One of the oldest film festivals in the world, for 50 years the Cork Film Festival has brought the best in world cinema to Irish audiences. From its beginnings in the Savoy cinema in 1956, the festival has grown and developed to become a highly regarded international event. The Opening Gala was full of style, glitz and razzmatazz as the festival took a trip down memory lane and looked back with nostalgia over its fifty years of existence. Red carpets, trumpeters, black and white silent films, 1950's girls selling ice-cream and live music all took centre stage at the opening of the 50th Cork Film Festival. To add to the fun and the sense of occasion the public wore 1950's nostalgia for the evening. Mick Hannigan, Director of the Cork Film Festival said "For fifty years the festival has been flying the flag for cinema in Ireland and in this, our anniversary year, we are delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate our impressive history. We would like to thank the public for their constant support and we look forward to the next 50 years" Members of the public joined the festival and its special guests for a unique evening of story, performance and film remembering the great past of the festival. The first half of the evening looked back at the major events which shaped the Festival over the years. As the Cork Film Festival, one of the oldest Film Festivals in the world reached this momentous landmark, it paid homage to the past glamour of the earlier years of the Festival. The Opening Gala which was compered by Cork Broadcaster and Journalist Dave McArdle, paid special tribute to Cork born Louis Marcus one of the most prolific filmmakers in Ireland. The audience were treated to a special screening of Louis Marcus's Conquest of Light which was nominated for an Oscar Award. This film highlights the amazing artistry of the men who make Waterford Crystal by mouth and by hand. Louis Marcus was in attendance to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cork Film Festival. The filmmaker was presented with a replica of the late Cork born sculpture Seamus Murphy's statue of St Finbarre. The original statue was presented at the Award Ceremony in the 1956 Cork Film Festival. Recognition was also given to Charlie Hennessey, Chairman of the Cork Film Festival, who has been involved in every Festival since 1956. The Festival acknowledged Charlie Hennessey's constant support and encouragement over the 50 years of the Festival Members of the public took a step back in time as they watched old images of Cork in the 1900's, which were compiled by the Mitchell and Kenyon Archive, being projected on the Opera House Screen. These beautiful black and white images were filmed between 1900 and 1913 by touring showmen in the days before purpose built cinemas. Since its inception in 1956 the short film has been an integral component of the festival. The Festival paid homage to the short by the screening of the Unusual Inventions of Henry Kavendish which was made by director, Andrew Legge. This beautiful black and white silent film was brought to life by a live musical accompaniment to the original score of the film. The second half of the Gala looked to the future of the festival with the Eye of the Pilot, a life cinema performance project by leading audiovisual group, Addictive TV who combine music and visuals. The musical and visual journey took the audience to places such as Karachi, the Ivory Coast, Saigon, Tahiti, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Tickets for all events can be bought from the Festival Box Office which is located in Kelly's Post Office, Grand Parade, Cork. The Box Office is open seven days a week from 10am to 8pm and the telephone number is 021 4272263. Full details on the festival can be found on www.corkfilmfest.org For further information please contact: Eimear O'Brien, |
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