Being asked to pen a foreword to the programme of the Corona Cork Film Festival is an honour and a pleasure.

This year we celebrate over 55 years of the Corona Cork Film Festival and remind ourselves that it is because of the huge local following it continues to enjoy that it has endured for so long.

We are a discerning people and we have never had reason to complain about the variety, quality and sheer enjoyment of what has been offered to us over those years. A truly international festival ,this year sees entries from Iran, Turkey, France, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal and many other countries and I take this opportunity to welcome all our guests. Chief among these this year is Portugal and this year sees a celebration of Portuguese Cinema.

This year again sees a packed programme with documentaries, shorts, galas, and features. The business community and individual patrons have long been the lifeblood of the festival and without their underpinning, the full range and scale of the festival could not be achieved. Yet it is you, the viewer and reader of this programme who have made the festival the success that it is and the festival where filmmakers the world over want to see their work presented

I congratulate the Festival team and their scores of volunteers for once again coming up with a varied and exciting programme and look forward with relish to enjoying what the festival offers.

Cllr. Michael O’Connell
Lord Mayor of Cork