Cork Film Festival 2008 (Home)

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Festival News

CORONA CORK FILM FESTIVAL’S SHORT FILM AWARDS 200

Best Irish Short Film
Féileachán/Driving Lesson
Cecilia McAllister

A moving portrayal of the fractured relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter. The director treats the subject of mental health with honesty and compassion, drawing the audience into the complex world of the characters.

Special Mentions:
Danger High Voltage
Luke McManus
Small moments are beautifully captured in this story of two strangers whose lives fleetingly intertwine. The cinematography and subtle sound design place the audience inside the intimate world of the characters so that we feel we have been on a brief but intense journey with them.

Foireann Codladh
Danann Breathnach
The darkly comic tale of one man’s fight to retain his sanity against all odds, this groundhog day-like satire has an utterly believable central performance. The Jury especially loved the film’s portrayal of ‘men of the cloth’ as shadowy,mafia-esque figures.

Claire Lynch Award for Best First-Time Irish Director of a Short Film
The Door
Juanita Wilson An exceptional first film that tackles a major historic event in a moving and personal fashion. The film has a confidence of direction and cinematic scale which for the jury made it a clear winner in this category.

Special Mentions:
Out Of The Blue
Michael Lavelle
A confident and charming tale of loneliness and the discovery of true love in the most unexpected of places. This film boasts excellent performances, vivid production design and an economy of story-telling that mark the director as a talent to look out for in the future.

The Rooster, The Crocodile And The Night Sky
Padraig Fagan
This film’s anarchic sense of humour and fresh story-telling captivated both the jury and the audience. An innovative and impressive first film, this director is also someone to watch out for in the coming years.

National Jury: Axel Behrens, Germany; Elisa Miller, Mexico; Paul Green, England.

Best International Short Film
2 Birds
Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland

Special Mentions:
Clean Hands, Dirty Soap; Karim Fanous, Egypt
Giants; Fabio Mollo, Italy

Prix UIP Cork for Best European Short Film
14
Asitha Ameresekere, England
Having watched a programme of over sixty short films from all over the globe, this jury had the arduous task of choosing a winner from films of such high calibre. Following much deliberation and discussion, the jury felt that the awards for Best International Short Film and the Prix UIP Cork 2008 went to the films that we felt most challenged our perceptions and expectations as a viewer, showing us unusual and intriguing cinematic visions.
International Jury: Peter Murray, Ireland; Vanessa Capurso, Italy; Robbie Ryan, Ireland.

‘Made In Cork’ Award for Best Short Film
Matty Kiely’s Last Day
Ed Godsell
The ‘Made In Cork’ Jury would like to congratulate all participants who presented in this year’s ‘Made In Cork’ programme. We enjoyed the range of films and the quality of the work presented. After much deliberation we did choose a winner. This short was chosen for its energy, immediacy and its brilliant communication of a Cork event that can be understood by a universal audience.

The Jury would like to highly commend two documentaries, which in different ways showed their dedication to their very different subject matter.

Special Mentions:
Afternoons With Johnny, Maximilian le Cain Rock With Your Cork Out, Egomotion
‘Made In Cork’ Jury: Felicity Sparrow, England; Tony Sheehan, Ireland; Sarah C. Morey, Ireland.

Youth Jury Award for Best International Short Film
Giants
Fabio Mollo, Italy
The short is unique and impressive in style. Each scene falls seamlessly into place. The background is bleak and impoverished but the director never falls into the easy traps of clichés and condescension.

Youth Jury: Aisling Molamphy, Aoife O’Callaghan, John Concannon.

Gradam Gael Linn for Best Short Film in the Irish Language
Foireann Codladh
Danann Breathnach

Award of the Festival for Best Short Film
Journey To The Forest
Jorn Staeger, Germany
The Festival awards this film for it's poetic exploration of our relationship with nature, it's clever and appropriate use of unusual film technique, and it's strength and intelligence.

Outlook Award for Best LGBT Short Film
James
Connor Clements, Ireland
For his bravery and honesty, and for his clear intent to engage with a provocative facet of gay culture, Outlook awards Connor Clements the 2008 Best LGBT Short Film Award for his short film JAMES.

Audience Award for Best Irish Short Film
Out Of The Blue
Michael Lavelle

Audience Award for Best International Short Film
On The Line
Reto Caffi, Switzerland

Youth Jury Announced

October 9th 2008

Winners of this years Cork Film Festival Youth Jury Competition are: Aisling Molamphy (Coláiste Choilm), Aoife O’Callaghan (Mount Mercy College) & John Concannon (CBC Wellington Road).

We would like to thank everyone who entered. The standard was very high and as a result very difficult to decide. I really hope all those who entered this year will try again next year, I promise you it will be a great experience.

Eoin Ó Catháin
Education Officer
Cork Film Festival

MEET THE FILMMAKER

From Wednesday 15th October we host a series of informal Q&A sessions with some of the national and international filmmakers who are attending the festival. Taking place in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere, these sessions have provided the opportunity for both the public and other filmmakers to gain insights into both the work and practice of filmmakers.

All are welcome.

Wednesday 15th to Saturday 18th | 1:15pm | The Other Place Café, St. Augustine St. off North Main Street, just up from Wagamamas

Friday 17th – International Short Filmmakers
Ian Helliwell – Playing Up (International Shorts Programme 10) + four films (Free Radicals Programme 1) John Cole – Assault (International Shorts Programme 10) Alonso Ruizpalacios – Paradise Café (International Shorts Programme 10/Mexican Shorts Programme 4)

Please check noticeboards in venues and corkfilmfest.org for further details
>> view map

Filmmakers flock to Cork!

High-profile guests confirmed to attend film festival

October 8

Some 125 guests from 15 countries have confirmed their attendance at the festival, with the number expected to rise to over 150 by the time we open on Sunday 12th.

Guest directors include Terence Davies (Of Time And The City), Peter Greenaway (Nightwatching), Rahmin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo), Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor (Helen), Ibrahim El Batout (Eye of the Sun), Samm Haillay (Better Things), Ahmed El Maanouni (Burned Hearts), Ian Simpson (Nadine) and Borislav Sajtinac (The Killer of Montmartre).

Documentary directors set to attend include Gerry Gregg (Till The 10th Generation), John T Davis (Tailwind), Gini Reticker (Pray the Devil Back to Hell), Paul Devlin (Blast!), Jerry Rothwell (Heavy Load), Donald Taylor Black (David Farrell: Elusive Moments) Ronan O’Leary (Hold The Passion), Patricia Zagarella (Walk Like a Man), Mirjam Van Veelem (Megumi).

Also coming are writer Enda Walsh (Hunger), comedian and Silent Clowns presenter Paul Merton with pianist Neil Brand, cinematographer Robbie Ryan, super 8 guru John Porter, video artist Michael Fortune and film critic and author Michael Dwyer.

There are representatives of Tampere Film Festival, Finland; Hamburg Short Film Festival, Germany, Chicago Irish Film Festival, USA; Clermont Ferrand Short Film Festival, France; Rotterdam Film Festival, the Netherlands; Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia, IndieLisboa Film Festival, Portugal.

Meanwhile a host of short filmmakers from across Ireland and around the world will also be in town for the festival, ensuring a great atmosphere in the city for the 8-day cinematic celebration.

- Mick Hannigan, Festival Director

Experience cinema on campus

October 8

Student film fans are in for a treat this year Corona Cork Film Festival hosts a series of free screenings and events in University College Cork (UCC) and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT).

Acclaimed director Peter Greenaway (The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover, The Pillow-book, 8 1/2 Women will be in UCC to present an illustrated talk entitled The Image Always has the Last Word, while documentary filmmaker Jerry Rothwell will be on campus to introduce a screening of his documentary Heavy Load, about a punk band made up of musicians with and without learning disabilities

Coming to CIT is Dublin-born Robbie Ryan (Brick Lane, Red Road, Wasp, Antonio’s Breakfast), one Ireland’s leading cinematographers. Robbie will present a selection of his short film work as well as music promos and adverts.

Both venues will also play host to Great Shorts, a selection of the cream of this year’s crop of award-winning short films from around the world

All on-campus events are open to the public and are free of charge.

Programme details

Monday October 13, 7pm : UCC Boole 4 - Great Shorts
Tuesday October 14, 3pm: The Rory Gallagher Theatre, CIT - Great Shorts
Wednesday October 15, 5pm: The Rory Gallagher Theatre, CIT - Focus On Robbie Ryan
Thursday October 16, 7pm: UCC Boole 4 - Heavy Load
Friday October 17, 3pm: UCC Boole 3 - Peter Greenaway – The Image Always has the Last Word

BOOKING NOW OPEN: MERCHANTS QUAY SHOPPING CENTRE, TEL 021-4272263 OR BOOK ONLINE WWW.CORKFILMFEST.ORG

Tickets for all Corona Cork Film Festival screenings, events and presentations will be available from Saturday 4th October from the Festival Box Office located in Merchant’s Quay shopping centre, St. Patrick’s St. (Tel: 021 4272263), or online via our secure credit card booking facility at www.corkfilmfest.org

The festival catalogue will also be released simultaneously, with full programme information online and hard copies available from the Festival Box Office.

Patrons are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

The 53rd Corona Cork Film Festival takes place October 12-19 providing a platform for some of the world’s most innovative and exciting filmmakers, and a week-long celebration of cinema in the vibrant setting of Cork city.

Highlights of the 2008 festival include the Irish premiere of the Coen brothers’ comic caper Burn After Reading, with additional galas including Nightwatching, the latest feature from director and festival guest Peter Greenaway; Choke, the eagerly-awaited adaptation of cult author Chuck Palahniuk’s novel of the same name; and Fernando Meirelles’ apocalyptic fable Blindness. Filmmakers from all over the world will be present at the festival, including acclaimed British director Terence Davies, Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan and many more.

The festival will also celebrate the best in Irish and international short film with a diverse programme of titles, as well as documentaries and experimental works, sidebar events, workshops, discussions, public interviews and live music events.

Submissions

Submissions Confirmed to Date

September 4, 2008

The (lengthy) process of viewing the many films submitted to the festival is nearing completion and we are now announcing the titles selected for this year’s festival.

IRISH SHORTFILM COMPETITION

The following films have been selected for screening in the Irish Short Film Competition.

Additional Irish shorts will be included in other sections fo the festival such as Free Radicals (experimental programmes), OutLook (programmes for lesbian and gay audiences) and Through The Looking Glass (programmes for young audiences).

>> view selected shorts

'Made In Cork'

The following are the short films selected for the ‘Made In Cork’ programme.Additional Cork shorts may be selected for other programmes such as the OutLook programme.

>> view selected shorts

INTERNATIONAL SHORTFILM COMPETITION

The following films have been selected for screening in the International Short Film Competition.

Additional shorts will be included in other sections fo the festival such as Free Radicals (experimental programmes), OutLook (programmes for lesbian and gay audiences) and Through The Looking Glass (programmes for young audiences). These will be posted shortly

>> view selected shorts

Programme

Tribute : Terence Davies

House of Mirth

53rd Corona Cork Film Festival honours a master of "the poetry of the everyday."

With his first documentary feature Of Time and the City - an ode to a disappearing Liverpool, commissioned to mark that city’s tenure as European Capital of Culture 2008 - director Terence Davies again finds himself acclaimed after years spent at odds with the British film establishment.

An artist of integrity, who has never brooked compromise for commercial benefit, Corona Cork Film Festival is honoured to pay the only fitting tribute to Davies, screening Of Time and the City as well as his semi-autobiographical short works The Terence Davies Trilogy, and the director’s four feature films.

Davies will also be in Cork for a public interview with Irish Times film critic Michael Dwyer, to discuss his latest work as well as reflect on his thoughts and experiences as a director.

Peter Greenaway

Visionary, ground-breaking, controversial - Greenaway to speak at Cork

British director, writer and artist Peter Greenaway will offer two public talks at the 53rd Corona Cork Film Festival, including the inaugural Donal Sheehan Memorial Lecture. We will also screen his latest feature Nightwatching, offering a startlingly original take on the life of Rembrandt van Rijn, alongside a documentary on the making of this work.

Hailed as one of modern cinema’s most daring auteurs, Greenaway has in four decades of filmmaking crafted an oeuvre of breadth, complexity and vision, from his acclaimed feature debut The Draughtsman’s Contract to the controversial The Cook the Thief, his Wife and her Lover, from The Pillow-book to 8 ½ Women.

Inspired by Renaissance painting but a pioneer of blending film, art and technology, Greenaway is an artist of stature and a forceful advocate of the creative possibilities unique to cinema.

Peter Greenaway to give inaugural Dónal Sheehan Memorial Lecture

Lecture series to honour former festival director who passed away early this
year.

We are honoured to welcome to Cork, British director Peter Greenaway to
present the inaugural Dónal Sheehan Memorial Lecture on Thursday October
16th.

The lecture is the first in a series of such lectures commemorating former
Festival Director Dónal Sheehan, who passed away in London on January 21st
last. The series has been initiated by family and friends to pay apt tribute
to Dónal, who had an abiding interest in the questions posed by great art.

Dónal Sheehan

Born in Clonakilty in 1952, Dónal was the second of six children born to
Paddy and Una Sheehan. The family moved to Cork city when he was six, where
Dónal was to eventually study law. He completed his degree in University
College Cork in 1974, but soon sought a more fitting environment for his
intellect and interests.

Dónal become deeply involved in local social activism in the late 1970s and
early 80s, working on grassroots campaigns promoting gay rights and the
availability of contraception, as well as the 1983 anti-amendment campaign
opposing the move to have the Irish constitution ban abortion.

Dónal worked in Dublin with organisations including Gay Health Action and
feminist publishers Arlen House, before returning to Cork where he rekindled
his involvement with the Quay Coop, the city restaurant, shop and activist
hub. A founder member of Cork Community Housing Coop, the restoration of
Skiddy’s 17th century alms house and its transformation into social housing
was largely thanks to Dónal’s work and influence.

It was during this time that Dónal also first become involved with the Cork
Film Festival, initially running the OutLook lesbian and gay programme
before later becoming overall Festival Director from 1990 to 1993. Under his
stewardship the festival greatly increased both its box office take and
attendance numbers, with Dónal achieving numerous coups including the
first-ever screening before an Irish audience of Neil Jordan’s The Crying
Game, an event retained in the memory by all who were there.

Even after moving on as Director, Dónal remained a close friend of the
festival and a keen advocate of its potential to challenge, educate and
inspire. In subsequent years he was to succeed in fulfilling some long-held
ambitions, leaving Cork to embark on a “Grand Tour” of the cultural capitals
of Europe, including his much-loved Paris.

Sorely missed by his family and friends as well as the very many people he
encountered during his activist work, Dónal would, we hope, have viewed this
tribute with approval.

John “Super 8” Porter

Santa 76

Canadian king of the small-gauge film brings his eclectic talent to Cork

Known as the “king of super 8”, Toronto’s John Porter is a writer, artist, photographer and filmmaker as well as a tireless champion of no-budget, small-format cinema. His mostly silent 8mm shorts capture the inexplicable beauty of the everyday as well give form to the eddies and riffles of his imagination.

As the director of over 300 shorts and as a vociferous advocate of independent cinema, Porter has in recent years found himself in demand at film festivals and events across the world. Now Porter brings his eclectic vision to Cork, with programmes both in the main and young people’s festival selection as well as a hands-on filmmaking workshop to be conducted in association with Cork Film Centre.

Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor (aka desperate optimists)

Joy

Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor's 20-year journey has seen the Dublin-born duo engage with a broad spectrum of creative media: from community theatre to experimental performance, online installations to short film.

Now Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor bring to Cork their debut feature film Helen, a portrait of a marginalised young woman on the cusp of adulthood, and the culmination of their Civic Life series of short films.

Also screening at Cork, the nine Civic Life shorts were shot in collaboration with community groups in Britain and Ireland. Hailed for daring use of the single-shot take, the Civic Life short Who Killed Brown Owl took the award for Best British Short Film at the 2004 Edinburgh Film Festival, while Joy won the Prix UIP Rotterdam at the 2008 International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Tribute: Ian Breakwell (1943-2005)

Multi-faceted British artist and filmmaker, sorely missed festival friend

We are privileged to pay tribute to Ian Breakwell, a festival friend whose work defied convention and categorisation, and whose 2005 death from cancer left a void in the artistic and filmmaking worlds

We present at Cork the world premiere of Breakwell’s final work AD/BC (After Diagnosis, Before Cancer) which offers insight not only into an artist who defied categorisation, but into a man who faced his end with dignity, honesty and courage.

A painter, photographer, draughtsman, writer and filmmaker, Breakwell chronicled “the “minutiae of the everyday”, in particular in his meticulously-kept diaries, but also held the moving image as central to his work.

Robbie Ryan

Cork highlights work of leading Irish cinematographer

Antonio's Breakfast

Dublin-born Robbie Ryan has spent 15 years behind the camera, establishing himself as one of Ireland’s leading cinematographers with a body of work spanning major feature films including Brick Lane, numerous award-winning shorts and an impressive resume of advertising and music video work.

The 53rd Corona Cork Film Festival showcases the work of this innovative and talented cinematographer and DoP, presenting a programme of Ryan’s short film work as well as a second selection of music promos and adverts.

Ryan will also be offering at Cork a workshop for emerging cinematogaphers and first-time filmmakers.

Festival News

Through The Looking Glass

The ‘Through The Looking Glass’ programme will be online by September 23rd. We promise an exciting and wonderfully unique programme in this years Cork Film Festival.

If you have any enquiries please email education@corkfilmfest.org Or please call Eoin Ó Catháin at (021) 427 1711

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