About Cork International Film Festival

Discover film, reimagine the world

Introduction

Cork International Film Festival presents Ireland’s most exciting, diverse, and ambitious annual film festival, connecting and stimulating audiences and artists through a carefully curated selection of the best films, to create a unique shared cultural experience, rooted in Cork, open to the world.

The first film festival in Cork was recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers Association, one of only five globally to be approved at their 1950 Congress in Cannes. In 2024, Cork International Film Festival is one of a handful of film festivals in Ireland to host three awards with Oscar® accreditation. Cork International Film Festival’s spark was ignited, travelling from Cannes to Cork; our influence, nearly 69 years later, reaches from Cork to Hollywood.

Photo: Jed Niezgoda

 

About the Festival

Cork International Film Festival is Ireland’s first and largest film festival and one of Cork’s most significant and popular annual cultural events.

Cork International Film Festival is a local, national and international celebration of cinema, running annually in venues and online in November. Award-winning films from the international film festival circuit, new discoveries and cinema classics are selected by our experienced curatorial team, to be premiered in cinemas in Cork and screened online via the Festival Digital Platform, available to viewers nationwide.

The Festival presents 12 awards, including the CIFF Best New Irish Feature Award (proudly supported by the Irish Examiner), Gradam Spiorad na Féile / Spirit of the Festival Award, Gradam na Féile do Scannáin Faisnéise / Award for Best Documentary, and two Audience Awards (for features and shorts). Its awards for Grand Prix Irish Short, Grand Prix International Short and Grand Prix Documentary Short Award are Academy Award® qualifying, ensuring that the winners in Cork automatically join the Oscars®’ long-list.

The Festival is proudly supported by principal funder The Arts Council of Ireland, along with Cork City Council, Creative Europe MEDIA, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, Cork County Council, ESB Energy for Generations Fund and HSE. Media Partners are RTÉ Supporting the Arts and Irish Examiner.

The Festival is led by Fiona Clark, Festival Director and CEO and Aurélie Godet, Director of Programming, reporting to the Board.

Would you like more information about the Festival’s history? Check out Cork International Film Festival’s unique digital archive, a treasure trove of precious materials tracking the history of modern film and Cork, amassed over 69 years, which has been developed in partnership with the Department of Digital Humanities at University College Cork.

Strategic Plan 2023 – 2025

OUR PURPOSE

We champion the power of film to tell important stories that transform how we see the world.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to present Ireland’s most exciting and ambitious annual film festival, connecting audiences and artists to create transformational experiences. Rooted in Cork, we select the best films from around the world to tell diverse and relevant stories, accessible and inclusive to all.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to transform the way people see the world through film, making a positive impact on our community by activating the power of film to tell important stories, nurturing the filmmakers and film lovers of the future, and spotlighting Cork as a growing city of culture, sanctuary, and impact on the edge of Europe, looking out to the world.

OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

  • Imagine & Explore
  • Engage & Connect
  • Invest & Evolve

CONNECTING THEMES AND ENABLERS

  • Sustainability
  • Partnerships & Networks
  • Accessibility & Inclusion

Artistic Policy

Cinema Matters

Cork International Film Festival (CIFF), the oldest film festival in Ireland (established in 1956), plays a vital and catalytic role in presenting, supporting and celebrating film. Film is an art form that can take many shapes, but, regardless of these variations, the direct way it connects with us is universally recognised, in all parts of the world. At its best, thanks to this extraordinary power of expression, it can cross social, cultural and national boundaries and bring people together in celebration. It can open our eyes to other mindsets and cultures, making things palpable that would be otherwise out of our reach. We can explore beyond our comfort zone, willingly. A film can fill our hearts with the strongest emotions. Its lights shine from various angles, clarifying what we respond to and why, who we are, and how we relate to others and the world at large.

VIEW FULL POLICY

Our Strategic Ambitions 2023 – 2025

Imagine & Explore:

We will present Ireland’s most imaginative, compelling and exciting film festival by curating a rich and diverse programme that excites audiences of all ages, champions filmmakers, and showcases the evolution of the art form.

Goals

A RICH AND DIVERSE PROGRAMME:

Our programme is rich and exciting, yet cohesive and accessible, reaching out to all potential audiences.

CHAMPIONING FILMMAKERS:

Our Festival is a meaningful meeting place for participating filmmakers and CIFF Alumni and creates a welcoming home for filmmakers at all stages of their careers.

FILM AS AN ART FORM:

Our Festival embraces the many faces of cinema, providing a platform for new ideas, forms and perspectives to come together.

Engage & Connect:

We will amplify our profile as Ireland’s premiere film festival, engaging and growing our diverse communities, by creating opportunities to access and be activated by film.

Goals

AMPLIFY OUR PROFILE:

Our Festival is recognised as Ireland’s premiere film festival.

ENGAGE AND GROW OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES:

Our audience has increased and their engagement has deepened.

ACCESS AND ACTIVATION:

Our creative activations stimulate wider audience engagement.

Invest & Evolve:

We will increase and broaden our sources of income, and build our capacity, to facilitate the sustainable growth and evolution of the Festival.

Goals

INCOME GENERATION:

Our income has increased, achieving greater financial resilience to deliver on our ambitions.

LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE:

Our organisation operates to the highest standards of governance and corporate responsibility.

OPERATIONAL: 

Our Festival offers an exceptional cultural experience, sustainably delivered to the highest professional standard.

 

CIFF – The Promise of our Name

Cork

We enhance the city, activating Cork’s dynamism, innovation and legendary friendliness, with our unique cultural offering and 66 years of legacy.

International

We bring the world to Cork, and showcase Cork internationally, enabling audiences to discover diverse cultures and stories.

Film

We champion filmmakers and filmmaking, supporting artists who push creative boundaries in a diverse range of film forms. Great careers start in Cork.

Festival

We create a unique festive atmosphere, enabling our audience to connect through collective experience. A crucible and memorable meeting point.

Cork International Film Festival – Discover film, reimagine the world

 

 

DECLARATION OF ADOPTION OF THE SAFE TO CREATE CODE OF BEHAVIOUR

We pledge to create a safe, inclusive, respectful workplace where artists and arts workers
can thrive, free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence.

WE CONFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO:

  • Act in an ethical manner as a business and act with integrity and ethically as an employer
  • Commit fully to safe and respectful workspaces with zero tolerance for damaging behaviour
  • Abide by all Health and Safety, Equality, Diversity and Employment legislation and comply
    with all relevant regulations
  • Create and implement best practice around codes of practice, policies and procedures for
    safe workspaces ensuring a clear reporting system, timely investigation which identifies acts
    of wrongdoing and offers support, action, resolutions, monitoring, and accountability
  • Have policies and procedures in place to ensure a safe workplace including: a Dignity at Work
    protocol, as well as grievance, and disciplinary procedures (see Safe to Create Templates)
  • Ensure work environments support the creative process and promote mutual respect from
    everyone involved
  • Commit to the implementation of the code with all employees no matter what their
    employment status and attach the code to all contracts and letters of agreement
  • Avail of Safe to Create free online training for employees irrespective of the nature of the
    employment on: Tackling Bullying and Harassment at Work, Addressing Unconscious Bias
    and Bystander Training
  • Display the Code of Conduct and all anti-harassment policies prominently in all workspaces
  • Promote the Code within and outside our communities establishing a relationship of mutual
    trust with business partners and stakeholders

SAFE TO CREATE is a Dignity at Work programme looking to impact change on the culture and practices of the Arts and Creative sectors. It is managed by Irish Theatre Institute, in partnership with the Arts Council, Screen Ireland and Minding Creative Minds, on behalf of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. 

Sustainability

CIFF believes in championing film as a platform to raise awareness on the challenges and solutions of climate and social issues, and promote discussion, debate and action by carefully creating our film programme. We are committed to continuing to develop how we conduct our own operations at the Festival, aiming to measure and reduce our impact, and becoming a greener organisation that can lead the way for a more sustainable cultural landscape in Ireland. 

We encourage our audiences to support us on our sustainability journey, and we welcome any feedback that can help us improve: sustainability@corkfilmfest.org 

As part of our sustainability policy, we have reduced our volume of printed materials and the CIFF brochure is printed on FSC-certified paper meaning it has been responsibly sourced. 

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