On the occasion of the national day of France, Bastille Day (14th July), join us at UCC Library for a free summertime programme French features and shorts.
All films are FREE but ticketed, and will be screening from Friday 17- Sunday 19 July in UCC Library.
As part of the Bastille Day celebrations in Ireland, the French Embassy in association with Irish cultural partners, presents a special French Film Programme from 1st to 19th July 2026 in Dublin, Cork, Dún Laoghaire, and online.
All screenings are free but ticketed, advance booking is recommended.
From sun-soaked romantic adventure in À l’abordage and the moving, award-winning family drama Jim’s Story, to thought-provoking shorts exploring women’s voices and rights, the programme offers something for every film lover. Families can enjoy a delightful collection of beautifully animated short films, while football fans won’t want to miss the inspiring closing film, Marinette, the remarkable true story of French football icon Marinette Pichon.
Cork International Film Festival is delighted to participate in this initiative by the French Embassy, celebrating French culture and marking the close friendship between Ireland and France. Discover the full national programme of Bastille Day Ireland here.
Bastille Day Ireland Film Festival is an initiative of the French Embassy in Ireland, presented in association with Alliance Française Irish network, Institut français, European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin City Libraries, dlr Libraries, Cork City Library, University College Cork, Cork French Film Festival, and Cork International Film Festival.
Presented in association with the French Embassy in Ireland and Institut français and UCC Library.
PROGRAMME
Friday 17th – Sunday 19th July, UCC Library
Cork International Film Festival is proud to celebrate France’s Bastille Day again with a curated programme of recent French films, both shorts and features. Hosted by UCC Library, these titles highlight the diversity and vitality of French film production. Summer is in the air with these beautiful films, including a special nod to football lovers with our closing film.
FRI 17 JULY | 17:30 | UCC LIBRARY
A L’ABORDAGE
Guillaume Brac | 2020 | 95 mins | Fiction
On a hot summer night in Paris, Félix meets a young woman, Alma, and falls in love. The next morning, Alma hops on a train to join her family in southern France. Félix, determined to follow his soulmate, embarks on a carpool ride with his best friend Chérif and their reluctant driver Edouard. When the car breaks down upon arrival, things turn sour: Alma doesn’t seem too pleased by this unexpected visit reality?
SAT 18 JULY | 14:30 | UCC LIBRARY
‘LOOKING AHEAD’ SHORTS PROGRAMME
100 mins | Subtitled
A curated programme of shorts around women’s rights: struggle and hope, change and solidarity.
THERE IS NO FRIEND’S HOUSE
Abbas Taheri | 2023 | 19 mins | Fiction
Sarah and Mehri, two friends, set themselves a perilous challenge in high school. But not only are they very young women, they’re also Iranians from families with completely opposing views.
BEACH FLAGS
Sarah Saidan | 2014 | 13 mins | Animation
Vida is a young Iranian lifeguard. Popular on her team, she is determined to fight in order to be the one to participate in an international competition in Australia. However, when Sareh who is as fast and talented as her, joins the team, Vida will have to face an unexpected situation.
SHADOWS
Rand Beiruty | 2024 | 12 mins | Animation
The true story of Ahlam, a teenage mother who fled Iraq, driven by a desire for freedom. The narrator recounts her memories in a metaphorical journey through the heart of an airport, where dreams and ghosts of the past mingle.
A POINT
Aurélie Marpeaux | 2021 | 20 mins | Fiction
Anna, eighteen years old, has always lived in a housing estate in Bourg-en-Bresse. But when a great professional opportunity obliges her to leave for Paris, she does not seem ready to leave behind her, her neighborhood, her friends and her memories. All his identity, in short. What will she be willing to give up?
PINK, BLACK, AND BLUE (LES ROSES ET LES BLEUS)
Claudia Lopez Lucia | 2021 | 22 mins | Documentary
Through their locker room chats, training sessions, and the balance they find between coquettish touches and muddied knees, three teenage rugby girls question their own prejudices and those of their social circles toward female and male attributes in our society.
A FREE RUN (UN CORPS BRÛLANT)
Lauriane Lagarde | 2021 | 14 mins | Fiction
Lina and Inès do not know each other. However, from roof to roof, from low wall to fence, the two teenagers observe each other from a distance, enjoy each other, try to get closer. But, because they do not wish to be seen, they are constantly interrupted.
SAT 18 JULY | 17:00 | UCC LIBRARY
JIM’S STORY (LE ROMAN DE JIM)
Jean-Marie Larrieu, Arnaud Larrieu | 2024 | 101 mins | Fiction
Aymeric runs into Florence, a former coworker, one evening in Saint-Claude in the Haut-Jura. She is six months pregnant and single. When she gives birth to Jim, Aymeric is there. They spend happy years together until Christophe, Jim’s biological father, shows up… It could be the start of a melodrama, it’s also the start of an odyssey into fatherhood.
SUN 19 JULY | 11:30 | UCC LIBRARY
‘POETIC GIGGLES’ FAMILY SHORTS PROGRAMME
61 mins | Animated
With these 8 wonderful short films young people will share the adventures of all sorts of adorable protagonists – human, animal, plants and even clouds!
From laugh-out-loud humour to soft-touch life lessons, the films encourage a gentle, poetic view of all things.
BAKING WITH BORIS (LA BOULANGERIE DE BORIS)
Masa Avramovic | 2023 | 8 mins | Animation
Every morning, Boris the village baker makes a fresh batch of crusty bread and pastries for all his neighbours until, achoo! He can’t stop sneezing. He has become allergic to flour. How will he manage to keep baking for everyone in the village?
BOOM
Romain Augier, Charles Di Cicco, Gabriel Augerai, Yannick Jacquin, Laurie Pereira De Figueiredo | 2022 | 6 mins | Animation
A couple of dumb birds tries its best to protect its eggs from a volcano eruption.
NUBE
Christian Arredondo Narváez, Diego Alonso Sánchez De La Barquera Estrada | 2024 | 7 mins | Animation
After witnessing an old dark stormy cloud painfully rain and die in sorrow, Noma, a puffy white cloud realizes that Mixtli, her daughter, a dark stormy cloud, is in danger of raining prematurely.
SUNFLOWER (TOURNESOL)
Natalia Chernysheva | 2023 | 4 mins | Animation
A sunflower like no other chooses to take a new look at his environment, he will discover a totally different universe.
CAPYBARAS (CARPINCHOS)
Alfredo Soderguit | 2024 | 10 mins | Animation
Hunting season has begun. A family of capybaras seek refuge in a chicken coop, but the hens don’t trust them. But the curiosity of the youngest capybaras creates a union with unexpected consequences.
FRIENDSHIP (EN SORTANT DE L’ÉCOLE)
Léon Verdé | 2023 | 6 mins | Animation
Holidays, summer heat, boredom. And suddenly, a voice is heard, like the promise of a friendship.
MY GRANDPA IS HIDING (MON PAPI S’EST CACHÉ)
Anne Huynh | 2018 | 7 mins | Animation
A grandfather explains to his grandson that he must take great care of his garden after his death. A moving and poetic discussion then ensues about the traces that remain after a beloved person dies.
YUCK! (BEURK!)
Loïc Espuche | 2023 | 13 mins | Animation
Yuck! Adults kiss each other on the mouth, and children find it disgusting! What’s more, you can see it from afar: when someone wants to kiss, their lips glow a neon pink color. Little Léo makes jokes about it, as do the other kids at the summer camp. But what he doesn’t tell any of his friends is that, in reality, he really wants to try kissing! And sometimes, his mouth starts to glow too!
SUN 19 JULY | 14:00 | UCC LIBRARY
AGE OF PANIC (LA BATAILLE DE SOLFERINO)
Justine Triet | 2012 | 96 mins | Fiction
On 6 May 2012, the day of the second round of the French presidential election, TV journalist Laetitia (Dosch) is late leaving home for her assignment covering the events on Rue de Solférino (at the headquarters of the Socialist Party) when her ex, Vincent (Macaigne), shows up a day late to his court-appointed time to visit their two daughters.
SUN 19 JULY | 16:15 | UCC LIBRARY
MARINETTE
Virginie Verrier | 2022 | 96 mins | Fiction
Marinette Pichon is one of the world’s greatest stars of football, having held for almost two decades the record for the number of goals and caps for the French team (men/women combined), before becoming a FIFA Legend by being the first French player to have a career in the US. Pioneer of French women’s soccer, the film follows her fight to spread awareness on women’s rights in sport. A path full of pitfalls, from a childhood ravaged by an alcoholic and violent father to the heavy burden of coming out in an era where there is no such thing as LGBTQ+ rights. Her success in sport will fuel her desire to make a difference in the recognition of French women’s soccer, homosexuality, and equal opportunity. It is the story of a woman’s life, a fighter, an uncompromising ode to freedom, to surpassing oneself.
Presented in association with the French Embassy in Ireland and Institut français and UCC Library.
