69th Cork International Film Festival Officially Opens

69th Festival takes place Thursday 7th to Sunday 17th November across Cork city and county

An ambitious selection of major Irish films will screen at the 69th edition of the Cork International Film Festival, along with Irish premieres of international titles

Thursday, November 7th, Cork City. Cork International Film Festival officially opened its 69th Edition with a sold-out Opening Gala screening of Edward Berger’s acclaimed Conclave in The Everyman Theatre. The Festival continues this strong opening throughout its first weekend, with a sold-out Irish premiere screening of John Crowley’s We Live in Time, followed by an “in conversation” career interview with the Cork-born director on Sunday 10th in Triskel Arts Centre.

Following on from the Opening Night Gala, the 69th Edition of the Festival boasts an auspicious programme, with diverse international and Irish talent across fiction and documentary films. The opening weekend of the Festival has a dedicated focus on the best of Irish filmmaking, including Aislinn Clarke’s Irish-language horror film Fréwaka (Fréamhacha), and Ariane Labed’s September Says, which had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. Aislinn Clarke will partake in a Q+A after the screening and will also participate in the Festival’s Industry Days, presenting a case study of Fréwaka, where producers Lara Hickey and Chelsea Morgan Hoffman of September Says will also speak on debut feature development.

These films screen as part of the competition for Best New Irish Feature, supported by the Irish Examiner, which also includes Sinéad O’Shea’s documentary Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story; Chris Andrews’ Bring Them Down which stars Barry Keoghan; Chasing The Light, a documentary from Maurice O’Brien; and period drama The Damned, directed by Thordur Palsson. All of these features will screen throughout the Opening Weekend.

This year, the Festival programme has a particular focus on global perspectives alongside Irish ones, with the new World Tour Strand (of which We Live in Time is part), which also included Andrea Arnold’s much-anticipated Bird, Raam Reddy’s Indian-American co-production The Fable and Mike Leigh’s acclaimed family drama Hard Truths all of which are screening throughout the Opening Weekend, with many more showing throughout the duration of the Festival.

Festival Patron David Puttnam commented “It’s a special evening for Cork in general, as well as the Festival. It’s a major cultural event, it’s almost our 70th anniversary – it will be next year—and it’s a vital component of the cultural life of the city.” He continued, “Cinema is playing an ever more important role in the life of Ireland, and certainly with the significance of Irish filmmakers, this is a time to celebrate what we’ve been able to achieve.”

CIFF Director & CEO Fiona Clark spoke to the packed auditorium saying “This year, more than ever, we reflect through our programme the spirit imbued in the heart of Cork. We disrupt, we challenge the norm, we amplify and celebrate lived experiences with our audiences. We invite them to partake in conversations across the globe and throughout time.  It’s the power of imagination that is vital to film, and equally as vital to our culture at large. I am so delighted to open this year’s edition with the audacious Conclave, and excited to welcome audiences and filmmakers to our 69th Festival.”

The Festival maintains its variety across multiple strands and formats, with the Opening Weekend also premiering eight Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland shorts on Saturday 9th, complemented by four other short editions throughout the weekend. There will be films for families and young people, including the Irish co-produced animated film The Magic Reindeer – Saving Santa’s Sleigh and Bambi, A Tale of Life in the Woods along with the Family Gala: Fox and Hare Save The Forest which screens on Saturday 16th November in The Everyman.

About Cork International Film Festival

Cork International Film Festival is Ireland’s first and largest film Festival and celebrates its 69th-anniversary edition in November 2024. The Festival is proudly supported by Principal Funder the Arts Council, along with its Industry Partner Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, as well as Cork City Council, Creative Europe MEDIA, Coimisiún na Meán, Murphy’s, Future Planet and Principal Venue Partner, ARC Cinemas. Media Partners are RTÉ Supporting the Arts and the Irish Examiner. Cork International Film Festival is a member of the Cultural Cinema Partnership which includes the Irish Film Institute, Galway Film Fleadh, Dublin International Film Festival and Access Cinema.