Fright-Fest: The Best of Horror Beyond Halloween
Three Terrifying Titles Guaranteed to Keep You
On the Edge of Your Seat this November
Who doesn’t love a horror film to send shivers down your spine? This year’s Cine Concert is a landmark film of the horror genre, 1920s classic ‘Der Golem‘, kindly supported by Goethe-Institut Irland. ‘Der Golem’ tells the tale of Rabbi Loew, a Jewish community leader who creates a huge monster from clay to help save his people from persecution. Experience this acclaimed gothic masterpiece in a glorious new 4k restoration, with a live score by international silent film accompanist Stephen Horne, house pianist at London’s BFI Southbank for 30 years. (If you miss out on our Cine Concert on Wednesday 13 November, there is a second chance to see ‘Der Golem’ at lunchtime on Thursday 14 November.)
‘Tetsuo The Iron Man‘ exploded out of Japan 30 years ago and changed the face of both the cyberpunk and body horror genre forever. Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto who also stars as a masochistic fetishist, ‘Tetsuo The Iron Man’ packs a ferocious, iron-fisted punch unlike anything else before or since.
‘Ghost Town Anthology‘, a moody and magnificent feature from maverick auteur, Denis Côté, tells the tale of a 21 year old driver killed in the snowy Quebecois outpost of Irénée-les-Neiges and silent figures who start visiting the village. A ghost story that is striking, original and utterly mesmerising.
‘Spirit of the Festival Award’ Nominated Films
The Spirit of the Festival Award celebrates films that demonstrate originality and innovation by new voices in international filmmaking. Our nominees for this year’s Spirit of the Festival Award, proudly presented by The Gate Cinema, will transport you all over the globe, without leaving your cinema seat. Journey from the heat of a Madrid summer in ‘The August Virgin‘ to a futuristic Ukraine following a brutal war in ‘Atlantis‘, or from small town America in the contemporary noir, ‘Knives & Skin‘ to the Caribbean shore of Costa Rica in ‘Land of Ashes‘. Visit Eastern Europe in the final throes of World War II in The Painted Bird, via the arid desert of southern Morocco in ‘The Unknown Saint‘; experience domestic body horror thriller ‘Swallow‘, and explore the internal landscape of the masculine psyche in ‘Tito‘.
It’s All About the Films…What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael
Film critic Pauline Kael’s combative and feisty writing in the late 1960’s arguably became more influential than any producer or studio in encouraging the maverick filmmakers who defined the next decade of American cinema. Although adored by readers, she was often held in contempt by directors and publicists when she slated their films. Rob Garver’s captivating documentary ‘What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael’ brings Kael’s brilliant writing to life and celebrates this titan of film criticism.
The screening on Friday 8th November will be introduced by Donald Clarke, Chief Film Correspondent of The Irish Times.
Second Chance Screening: Monday 11 November
‘Bonnie and Clyde‘, famously championed by Pauline Kael will be screened on Saturday 9 November.
Meet the Makers at Cork Film Festival
Cork Film Festival is thrilled to welcome filmmakers from all over the world to share unique insights into their work with audiences in post-screening Q&As. Director of ‘The Cave’, Tom Waller will join us for a Q&A on Saturday 9 November, following the screening of his thrilling recreation of the events that unfolded in the summer of 2018 when the world’s attention turned to 12 schoolboys and their football coach who were trapped deep inside a waterlogged cave in northern Thailand.
‘To The Stars’ is a striking, coming-of-age tale set in Oklahoma in the early 1960’s, about Iris, a reclusive teenager, and Maggie, the new girl in town, who hold secrets that will have alarming consequences for the community if exposed. Following the screening on Sunday 10 November, we will be joined by Director Martha Stephens for a special Q&A.
Director Claudia Marschal was granted intimate access to the lives of remarkable characters, Indira and her sister Mehdina, in striking documentary ‘In Our Paradise’. Giving a rare voice to the unheard, the film addresses issues about migration and racism with veracity and urgency. Claudia will offer an insight into her filmmaking process in a post-screening Q&A on Friday 8 November.
Journeys have been the basis of Andrew Kötting’s idiosyncratic documentary work, and in ‘The Whalebone Box’, Kötting and psychogeographer Iain Sinclair travel from London to the Outer Hebrides to bury a box made of whalebone. Within is possibly experimental cinema’s greatest MacGuffin, though an answer may be found after the end credits. Meanwhile his daughter Eden, in folk costume, narrates her own fairy tale with our two heroes as mere players. ‘The Whalebone Box’ will be accompanied by a screening of ‘In Far Away Land’, a film exploring Eden Kötting’s animated drawings, and a post-screening Q&A with Andrew Kötting.
Experience the Best of the Festival on Your Doorstep: CFF County Programme
No Uber Eats required – sample a taste of this year’s Festival to residents in Cork County with a ‘Pocket Festival’ delivered to your doorstep! Thanks to our Principal Venue Partner, The Gate Cinema in Mallow and Midleton, we are presenting a beloved musical classic, family favourites, a new political thriller and a hand-picked selection of short films, direct to audiences in East and North Cork to enjoy.
Take a trip back to 1992 with ‘Into the West’, the ever-popular family film about two boys who escape the harsh reality of their lives in a Dublin high-rise with the aid of a magical white horse. Gene Kelly’s glorious musical ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ will get your feet tapping, no matter what the weather! Enjoy hand-picked highlights of our Irish and international shorts programme that will take you ‘Around the World in 80 minutes’. Darkly gripping political drama, ‘The Report’, about the CIA’s use of torture after 9/11, will screen in The Gate Cinemas Midleton, Mallow and The Regal Cinema, Youghal, ahead of its hotly anticipated general release – see it first at Cork Film Festival.
No Borders to Talent: The Best of Cork, Irish and European Short Film at Cork Film Festival
From nearly 4,000 short films submitted from over 100 countries, Cork Film Festival’s Shorts Programme presents the cream of the crop, with 12 Irish and international short film programmes, alongside specially curated programmes celebrating local filmmakers. The ‘Best of Cork’ proudly presented by Red FM, is your chance to experience the best of homegrown filmmaking talent from the Rebel County and films which celebrate all things Cork! We are delighted to partner with Screen Ireland to present their ‘Screen Ireland World Premiere Shorts‘ of new work produced under their Focus Shorts and Reel Shorts schemes. As a local Festival with global reach, we’re proud to celebrate our strong European connections by presenting the free screening of EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) Short Shorts from Europe, representing the home countries of nine members of EUNIC throughout Europe.
Talks: Artists, Archives and Film Artist in Residence
Alan Gilsenan, Arts Council and UCC Film Artist in Residence 2019/20, will join Cork Film Festival on Thursday 14th of November for a career discussion, following a special 10th anniversary screening of his celebrated documentary ‘The Yellow Bittern’, a film that chronicles the life of Liam Clancy. A key figure of Irish theatre and film, Gilsenan’s film work is rich, captivating and widely admired; his films include ‘Meetings with Ivor’ (2017), ‘The Ghost of Roger Casement’ (2004) and ‘The Road to God Knows Where’ (1988).
‘The IFI Irish Independence Newsreels Collection: Cork in the Newsreels’: The era of the cinema newsreel in the 1900-1930 period coincided with an era of turmoil in Irish social and political life, and Cork appeared frequently in newsreels during the War of Independence and Civil War. This free illustrated talk in Cork Film Festival’s new venue, The Cellar Theatre, will explore stories relating to Cork. Dr Ciara Chambers (UCC) will consider the history of early newsreel production and distribution, while Kasandra O’Connell (IFI Irish Film Archive) will talk about the acquisition, digitisation and preservation of the the IFI Irish Independence Newsreel collection.
Artist Patrick Hough will present a free Artist Talk ‘The Two Faces of Tomorrow’ on Friday 8th of November which will offer insights into the creation and development of this new work, a National Sculpture Factory commission that will premiere at Cork Film Festival 2020.
Come and Say Hello! Visit Our New Festival Box Office
Pick up a brochure, talk to our team and book your tickets in our brand new Festival Box Office at 88 North Main Street, next to St. Peters Church, in Cork City Centre.
Open Daily:
Monday to Saturday: 10am – 5pm
Sundays: 12pm – 5pm
