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Join The Pack at CIFF2020
We are delighted to reveal our new Family Gala, Cartoon Saloon’s ‘Wolfwalkers‘ which will screen on the final day of the Festival, Sunday 15 November at 3pm, ahead of its Irish theatrical release. ‘Wolfwalkers‘ is the third animated feature from two-time Academy Award©-nominee Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart and is one of the most eagerly-anticipated animated features of the year. It follows Moore’s two prior Oscar-nominated animated features, ‘The Secret of Kells’ and ‘Song of the Sea’, as well as Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar-nominated ‘The Breadwinner’.
Joining the Festival today are two new Irish titles – documentary feature ‘The 8th‘ at 6pm, depicting the work of activists in the lead-up to the 2018 Irish abortion referendum, and fiction feature ‘The Castle‘ at 8.30pm, a beautifully shot coming-of-age story by Lina Lužytė centred on the experience of a 13 year old Lithuanian girl and her family in Ireland. At 8pm tonight audiences can also watch a Live Q&A session with the filmmakers of the aemi Shorts: Signals and Circuits – a programme of contemporary moving image work by Irish and international artists exploring ideas relating to communication, travel, surveillance and technology.
Read on for upcoming scheduled releases, special events and the best of Irish and international film for young audiences and the young at heart.
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Friday 13 Scheduled Release: County Lines
65th Cork International Film Festival Awards
The 65th Cork International Film Festival Trailer
The 65th Cork International Film Festival awards will be presented live online, in two parts, streaming across our social media platforms and on our website corkfilmfest.org on Friday 13 November at 5pm and Saturday 14 November at 6pm, allowing audiences the opportunity to see the award winning films before the end of the Festival.
5pm Friday 13 November
European Short Film Candidate
Best Cork Short
Best Director: Irish Short
Grand Prix Documentary Short*
Grand Prix International Short*
Grand Prix Irish Short*
* Academy Award®-Qualifying
6pm Saturday 14 November
Spirit of Festival
Cinematic Documentary
Youth Jury
Proudly Supported by our Trophy Partner Cork Crystal
Why not book a 10 Film Pass and watch all of the Award Winning titles? Click Here to book your pass today.
Staff Pick Of The Day
Industry and Events Manager & Programme Advisor, Roisín Geraghty recommends our Industry Training Sessions. Sessions are free but ticketed, available to view online worldwide until Sunday 15 November on the CIFF Industry Portal.
Family Programme
Family Gala: ‘Wolfwalkers‘
3pm Sunday 15 November
Adapted from the best-selling Young Adult novel My Life as an Alphabet, ‘H is for Happiness’ tells the story of Candice McPhee, a quirky twelve-year-old attempting to bring her family back together in the wake of a tragedy. Although dealing with difficult subject matter, the film is optimistic, entertaining and full of whimsy, portraying the special type of empathy that can only be experienced by a child, and depicting grief in a manner that is honest, engaging and often very funny.
Age Recommendation: 10+
Online Now – Sun 15 November
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This screening is supported by the Australian Embassy Ireland
When his ‘special’ brother is born, four-year-old Jack thinks ‘special’ means ‘superhero’. Gradually he learns that ‘special’ means that Gio has Down’s syndrome, and as Jack gets older he begins to worry what other people will think of Gio… Adapted from Giacomo Mazzariol’s best-selling memoir, this joyful and touching ode to imperfections and difference is a light-hearted coming-of-age tale, told with great delicacy, balance and humour – a film you’ll feel better for seeing!
Age Recommendation: 9+
Online Now – Sun 15 November
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Presented in association with the Italian Institute of Culture
‘Fahim, the Little Chess Prince‘
Eight-year-old Fahim arrives in Paris from Bangladesh with his father. Fahim is a promising chess player and his talent is immediately recognised by one of the top French coaches, Sylvain Charpentier (Gérard Depardieu). But while Charpentier prepares Fahim for the junior French championship, Fahim’s father struggles in vain to obtain legal immigrant status. This heartfelt drama is based on the true story of the French-Bangladeshi chess player, Fahim Mohammad.
Age Recommendation: 9+
Online Now – Sun 15 November
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Presented in association with the French Embassy in Ireland
Felix convinces his best friend, Chérif, to accompany him on a road trip for a surprise visit to his new love, Alma, who is vacationing in the south of France. Short of funds, they sign up for a rideshare with ‘mummy’s boy’ Édouard. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned for this unlikely trio. Guillaume Brac’s delightfully fresh and fun film feels natural throughout, even in the most unlikely situations, and it is a pleasure to spend time with these characters.
Age Recommendation: 15+
Online Now – Sun 15 November
Book Now
Presented in association with the French Embassy in Ireland and Alliance Française Cork
Industry Sessions in Focus
This year CIFF’s acclaimed film industry training days are available online for filmmakers worldwide to attend on our dedicated Industry Portal. Sessions are free but ticketed, participants must sign up for each session separately.
Supported by Screen Skills Ireland

First Take Session 4
Production in the Age of Covid
Filmmakers and funders involved in the first ‘post-Covid-19 lockdown’ film shoots in Ireland confer on their experience of preparing, managing and executing a Covid-proof production, how the filmmaking landscape has shifted, and how to action film productions in an utterly changed world.
Speakers:
Stephen Davenport – Inward Production Manager, Screen Ireland (Chair)
Jessie Fisk – Producer, ‘Wolf’
Ailish Bracken – Line Producer, ‘Wolf’
Celine Haddad – Project Manager, Screen Ireland
Online Now – Sun 15 November
Doc Day Session 4
Advocacy and Activism in Documentary Distribution | The 8th Case Study
The filmmakers behind ‘The 8th‘ discuss the making of the film, their strategic social impact campaign and their experiences releasing ‘The 8th‘ into an almost exclusively digital world.
‘The 8th‘ is available to watch from 6pm tonight until Sunday 15 Nov. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
Speakers:
Sile Culley – Audience & Distribution Consultant (Chair)
Maeve O’Boyle – Co-director, ‘The 8th‘
Aideen Kane – Co-director,’The 8th‘
Lucy Kennedy – Co-director, ‘The 8th‘
Online Now – Sun 15 November
Competition Corner
To celebrate the announcement of our Family Gala ‘Wolfwalkers‘ we have teamed up with CIFF2020 Classic Corporate Member, Mama Bear Foods, to offer one lucky winner the chance to win a digital pass to ‘Wolfwalkers‘ and a hamper of Mama Bear Foods goodies.
To enter simply email competitions@corkfilmfest.org with the answer to the question below by midday on Saturday 14 November.
A. RobynB. Rosie
C. Ruth
Please Vote For Us!

CIFF has entered The Irish Business Design Challenge 2020 which invites Irish businesses of all sectors to share the challenges they are experiencing as a result of COVID-19 and the solutions they have designed to resolve them – our DIGITAL FESTIVAL PLATFORM & APP!
To vote for us, please click the button below and fill out your details on the voting form on the right hand side of the page. The deadline for voting is Sunday 15 November.