On Thursday, 16th October 2025, Cork International Film Festival’s Director and CEO, Fiona Clark, was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French Ambassador to Ireland H.E. Ms Céline Place during a ceremony at the Résidence de France in Dublin.
The honour is being bestowed on Ms Clark in recognition of her significant contribution to strengthening the cultural ties between France and Ireland.
Born in Ecuador, raised in the UK and Australia, and settled in East Cork, Ireland since 2014, Fiona Clark is a highly experienced strategic leader, successful CEO and senior not-for-profit professional whose career spans the arts and voluntary sectors in Ireland, the UK and internationally.
Since 2016, she has been responsible for the renaissance of Cork International Film Festival (CIFF), Ireland’s oldest and largest film festival, by firmly establishing it as a cornerstone of European film culture.
As the Festival presents its landmark 70th edition in 2025, it will offer its largest ever programme of French-produced features and short films, with 27 to be screened at venues throughout Cork from Thursday 6th to Sunday 16th November. French productions will be presented across the Festival’s wide-ranging strands, including Spirit of the Festival, World Tour, Momentum, Culinary Cinema, Illuminate and Schools, offering audiences unique access to discovering and enjoying French filmmaking talent in premiere and on the big screen in Cork. Major French titles include: A Private Life (Vie Privée) starring Jodie Foster; Nouvelle Vague directed by Richard Linklater; The Girl in the Snow (l’Engloutie) by Louise Hémon; and The Ice Tower (La Tour de glace) by Lucile Hadžihalilović and starring Marion Cotillard.
CIFF premieres Irish and international features, documentaries and shorts, showcases diverse new voices, and champions short film, celebrated through three Academy Award®-qualifying awards. The Festival premieres the largest number of European films in Ireland and is a cornerstone of the European film festival circuit, representing Ireland as the official Irish partner of the LUX European Parliament Audience Award and for the European Film Academy Short Film Award. Since 2016, Fiona has leveraged the powerful storytelling platform of film to support filmmakers and engage audiences, tripling income to €1.2M, audience numbers (70k+ annually) and media reach (+30M) over her nine-year tenure.
Prior to Cork, Fiona was Head of Development at the Irish Film Institute, Dublin; CEO of Get Connected (now The Mix), a national UK youth helpline charity; and CEO of Earthrace, leading the 2008 international environmental project in its successful Guinness World Record-breaking circumnavigation of the globe in a ‘green’ powerboat. These achievements followed a 20-year career as a successful theatre producer, including as Executive Director of London’s new writing powerhouse, the Bush Theatre, and Producer at Theatre Royal, Bath, with West End and Off-Broadway transfers and international tours. Fiona holds a BA in English & Drama from Bristol University; she serves on the boards of Business to Arts and The VQ and is a member of the European Film Academy.
This award recognises Fiona Clark’s commitment to artistic and cinematic exchanges between France and Ireland and her crucial role in promoting French filmmakers and film artists on the Irish and international stage.
Speaking at the Award bestowal, Fiona Clark said, “I am truly honoured to receive this award, and my sincere thanks to the Ambassador and to the Embassy for proposing me. As Director and CEO of Cork International Film Festival, I’m especially proud of our commitment to promoting French culture through film, with the invaluable support and partnership of the Embassy of France enabling us to showcase the incredible diversity of French storytelling and its appeal to Irish audiences. We’re proudly rooted in Cork, yet open to the world — and that spirit of exchange has been there from the very beginning. Seventy years ago, Cork was awarded international film festival status by the Congress in Cannes — one of only a handful worldwide. So our connection with France runs deep: from Cannes to Cork, and now on to Hollywood through our Oscar-qualifying awards. Culture connects us. Stories unite us. And I am so grateful to play a small part in this ongoing journey of discovery.”
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) was established in 1957 and is awarded by the French Ministry of Culture to those who have made significant contributions to the arts and culture in France and throughout the world.
Fiona Clark has been named as a Chevalier in the Order.
The 70th edition of Cork International Film Festival will screen over 200 films and events across Cork city and county from Thursday 6th to Sunday 16th November 2025. See www.corkfilmfest.org or download the myCIFF app for information and tickets.
