Artistic Policy
Cork International Film Festival plays a vital and catalytic role in presenting, supporting and celebrating film. We believe that cinema is an art form and an industry; and our festival creates a dynamic space for audiences and filmmakers to participate in a compelling and transformative creative experience.
In our 65 years we have been a launchpad for countless careers, in a unique Festival experience that creates genuine connection between the audience and makers – impossible to define, but once experienced, impossible to forget.
Our programme includes, feature fiction films, documentaries, shorts, and hybrid approaches that blur the distinctions between documentary and fiction and push against the constraints of genre.
Our dedicated and experienced programming team is searching tirelessly for the best new films to share with our audience in carefully crafted and curated programmes. We take pride in presenting the many faces of cinema, including those considered niche, from genre films, documentaries, experimental cinema to Artist’s Moving Image. We create thematic strands such as film and mental health, multidisciplinary work, women in film, and more.
Our programmes for families, children and young audiences are designed to encourage and unleash creativity, developing their tastes and knowledge of the art form, and the joy of the shared cinematic experience.
Cinema as a sector is represented at our Industry Days, specifically designed to widen the door for students and emerging filmmakers. We welcome filmmakers from Ireland and all over the world to offer context to the cinematic experience, sharing their insights with audiences and simultaneously enriching Cork’s cultural life. Our aim is to support diversity in every aspect, and to promote both Irish cinema and the Irish film sector on an international level through our festival network, and to our local audiences through a year-round calendar of engaging activity.
Film plays a uniquely powerful role in inspiring and uniting people across borders and differences, allowing us to empathise with the experiences of others.
