A key area of focus for CIFF this April is on young people and education through our Spring Schools Screenings; Intinn, our unique film and youth mental health programme; and Look@Me, our primary school education outreach project that we are delighted to announce is returning for a second year.
The Regular Deadline for Submissions to the 68th CIFF is next month (19th May), and don’t forget to rate any of the five shortlisted films you’ve watched to have your say in the LUX Audience Award 2023.
For more details on this and other industry news, read on below.
SPECIAL CIFF SPRING SCHOOL SCREENINGS
This month, we are delighted to present a special programme of films for young people as part of our Spring Schools Screenings. The programme includes four feature films, each accompanied by a short film, suitable for Junior Cert, Transition Year and Leaving Cert students, and will take place at The Gate Cinema in Cork City from 25th to 28th April.
The Schools Programme includes French documentary The Velvet Queen, which follows a wildlife photographer and adventurer as they try to spot the snow leopard; Spanish drama, Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea, about a Spanish lifeguard who heads to a Greek island to help the unfolding humanitarian crises; environmental documentary I Am Greta, a film about acting to stop climate change before it’s too late; and The Lesson, a German film exploring how new generations of Germans grapple with the reality of the Holocaust.
Each student ticket is €6.50, accompanying teachers can attend free of charge.
Please note that advanced booking for all screenings is required; limited availability. To inquire, please contact schools@corkfilmfest.org
YEAR-ROUND INTINN SESSIONS
Our young people’s outreach activities will also include a spring iteration of our free Intinn Youth Film and Mental Health Programme on Monday, 24th April in St Peter’s Cork. Intinn offers Transition Year students the opportunity to explore mental health, personal well-being and strategies of resilience through film, Q&As with filmmakers and well-being workshops led by youth mental health specialists. With the continued support of Intinn‘s partners, ESB Energy for Generations and The Gate Cinema (for which it has been nominated for multiple Business to Arts Awards in 2021 and 2022), we have expanded this vital programme to train more workshop leaders to specialise in delivering this unique early intervention method.
Developed in collaboration with University College Cork, the Intinn Programme comprises two short films exploring mental health topics, directed by Irish filmmakers: Hum (Nathan Fagan), an intimate portrait of an artist and musician, diagnosed at 19 with schizoaffective disorder; and An Open Door (Aoise Tutty Jackson), about a pioneering Mental Health Service initiative that provides a space for hope and recovery for the local community. Following the screenings there are well-being workshops exploring the topics and situations raised in the films, and providing practical resilience and well-being tips, and appropriate supports.
LOOK@ME 2023
Building on the success of our pilot of Look@Me, the filmmaking and primary school education outreach project pioneered by CIFF in 2022, we are excited to announce a second iteration that will take place with a Cork City school this year. CIFF has expanded Look@Me to commission two filmmakers – Maximilian Le Cain and Vicky Langan – to work with a new group of 5th class pupils in Cork City and UCC film students to create a short film, facilitating their learning to explore and share their experiences on film.
Look@Me was piloted successfully in 2022 with the support of Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together Arts Fund in association with Business to Arts. For this programme, the 5th class pupils of Blarney Street N.S. co-created a short film, The Magical Tortilla Chip, with filmmaker Maximilian Le Cain and the assistance of UCC film students, which was screened at the 67th CIFF last November.
68th CIFF SUBMISSIONS: WE WANT TO PREMIERE YOUR FILMS!
Looking to submit your film to a festival recognised across the globe and which celebrates an ever-growing variety of filmmakers and their achievements through 11 prestigious awards, three of which are Academy Award® qualifying? Then Cork International Film Festival is the one for you. CIFF was rated as one of the top 40 film festivals in the world under ‘Film Festivals Worth Your Time and Money‘ by Adorama.
The Regular Deadline for the 68th Cork International Film Festival is Friday, 19th May. See here for more information or submit your films now via the online submission platform FilmFreeway.
Image by Jed Niezgoda: Oscar®-winning director Sam Mendes specially introducing his latest film ‘Empire of Light’, to the audience of the Closing Gala at the 67th CIFF 2022.
RATE YOUR FAVOURITE LUX AUDIENCE AWARD FILM
We were delighted to partner with the European Parliament Liaison Office in Ireland to present the five films shortlisted for the 2023 LUX Audience Award to packed cinema houses at our free LUX Audience Award Weekend (24th-26th March), with the support of The Gate Cinema.
We invite you to become a part of the largest audience award in the world by rating your favourite film via a simple LUX Audience Award star rating, available here or on corkfilmfest.org. Rating is open until 12th June 2023.
OTHER NEWS
EWC Open Club with Lord David Puttnam
Calling all creators, writers, producers and broadcasters!
European Writers Club, Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland and The National Talent Academy for Film & TV will be presenting Open Club, open to anyone working in the Film & TV industry, with Oscar®-winning producer, film education luminary and our Festival Patron, Lord David Puttnam, on Friday, 14th April at 6pm in Triskel Arts Centre, Cork.
Tickets are limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis (RSVP by Monday, 10th April).
Docs Ireland Marketplace 2023
Are you a documentary filmmaker?
The Docs Ireland Marketplace is an unmissable opportunity for filmmakers to meet with leading international documentary industry decision-makers, including international funders, broadcasters, distributors and exhibitors on a one-to-one basis, taking place during Docs Ireland 5 on Friday, 23rd June.
A hub for funding, sales and distribution of documentaries in Ireland and globally, the market is an incubator for nurturing domestic talent so that the industry can continue to thrive in the future.
Application Deadline: Friday 14th April 2023
