Our Opening Weekend has kicked off our 67th edition with a feast of film premieres, as well as a Gala screening, cine concert, young people’s filmmaking workshops, Culinary Cinema events and a ‘People Get Reggae’ night, and we’re only getting started.
Read on for some highlights for our programme on Sunday,13th November, including the fascinating documentary The Ghost of Richard Harris (with Q&A with director Adrian Sibley); Paul Mescal’s acclaimed new feature, Aftersun (see it in Cork before its release on 18th Nov); and a special ‘In Conversation‘ with UCC Film Artist in Residence, Yvonne McDevitt.
All Festival tickets and passes (including our 5 Film Cinema Pass) are on sale now at corkfilmfest.org and the myCIFF app.
SELLING FAST – AFTERSUN
Don’t miss your opportunity to see the highly anticipated Aftersun, directed by Charlotte Wells and starring Paul Mescal, in The Everyman Theatre tomorrow, Sun 13th Nov, ahead of its release on Fri 18th.
Anchored by stellar performances from Paul Mescal (Normal People) and outstanding young newcomer, Frankie Corio, Aftersun is an aching and arresting feature directing debut by Scotland’s Charlotte Wells. Twenty years after a childhood holiday, Sophie tries to reconcile the father she knew then, with the man she didn’t. Viewed through a prism of wistfulness and regret, the film is a delicate and empathetic dance between the memory of a loved one and a realisation of who they really are.
“It’s hard to find a critical language to account for the delicacy and intimacy of this movie. This is partly because Wells, with the unaffected precision of a lyric poet, is very nearly reinventing the language of film” – The New York Times
The Everyman – Sun 13 – 20:00
SPECIAL GUESTS AT CIFF
The Ghost of Richard Harris + Director Q&A
Tomorrow at 4.30pm at The Everyman, we have a fascinating exploration of the life of Richard Harris, perhaps the most remarkable actor Ireland has ever produced. Directed by Adrian Sibley, The Ghost of Richard Harris an emotionally engaging celebration of a multi-faceted artist and man, and includes contributions from his three sons, Jared, Damian, and Jamie.
“In addition to a wealth of archive footage, director Adrian Sibley has assembled a cavalcade of entertaining talking heads, many of whom can match Harris’s own gift of the gab.” The Irish Times
Filmmaker Adrian Sibley will participate in a post-screening discussion with CIFF Senior Programmer Don O’Mahony.
Everyman – Sun 13 – 16:30
UCC Film Artist in Residence – Yvonne McDevitt in Conversation with Maximilian LeCain
At 8pm at the Triskel, UCC Film Artist in Residence Yvonne McDevitt will discuss her inspirations, working process and current projects with Maximilian Le Cain, moderated by Professor Laura Rascaroli, Head of the School of Film, Music and Theatre, UCC.
Yvonne McDevitt is a multi-award-winning Irish artist and filmmaker working primarily in non-fiction and experimental cinema with an interest in human history, interdisciplinary filmmaking and new technologies.
With excerpts from her own and others’ work, the conversation will engage with ideas and practices in the art of experimental filmmaking. (Pictured above: Olwen Fouéré in Horse)
The Triskel – Sun 13 – 20:00
DISCOVERY CHOICE
A look at contemporary Finnish existence through the liberatory lens of the karaoke performance.
Director Paakkanen has constructed an unusual documentary that revels in the emotional nakedness of this popular pastime. Mining and excavating the perpetual sense of melancholy that seems to be so often at the heart of the songs we choose to sing, this subtly poetic film juxtaposes the performance and the performer against the frequently mundane landscapes within which they perform.
The results are as heartbreaking as a Celine Dion rendition.
Triskel – Sun 13 – 14:30
Legendary Looney Toons animator Frank Tashlin transferred his skills to live-action movies with The Girl Can’t Help It.
Starring Tom Ewell (The Seven Year Itch) as a boozy press agent tasked by a mobster (Edmond O’Brien) with turning his girlfriend (Jayne Mansfield) into a singing star, it was the first all-colour feature to include performances from rock ‘n’ roll stars Little Richard, Fats Domino and Eddie Cochran amongst others, and is guaranteed to have you rocking in the aisles.
Showing as part of our Guilty Pleasures Strand.
Gate Cinema – Sun 13 – 13:30
CORK FILM TRAIL
Photographs: Jed NiezgodaÂ
During the Festival, take a wander through the streets of Cork City on our ever popular Cork Film Trail, which features stunning film and TV costumes across four locations: The River Lee Hotel, The Metropole Hotel, Gate Cinema and Singer’s Corner.Â
The stunning costumers from the Irish Costume Archive Project include costume designer Sandy Powell’s lavish creation for Olivia Colman’s character Queen Anne in The Favourite (pictured above left) at The River Lee, and the sparkling suit designed by costume designer Maggie Donnelly and worn by Richard Dormer as Terri Hooley in the biopic Good Vibrations at the Gate Cinema.
On your phone? Follow the tour here and tune in to our accompanying podcasts all while soaking up the Festival atmosphere in the city and enjoying the finest hospitality Cork has to offer.