Submissions for the 2018 Cork Film Festival came to a close on Friday June 29th with a record number of films received from over 100 countries. Thank you to everyone who submitted their film in the hopes of selection for CFF18. Our programming team are busy reviewing every short and feature film in each category and we look forward to notifying filmmakers of their success on September 21st.
AVA 2018 Upgrade – 30 New Titles Added
Our expanded catalogue of Festival films is now live at Cork City Library on Grand Parade. Thirty one additional titles from the 2017 Festival were added to the existing 24 titles from the 2016 Festival and are available to view, for free, at the AVA viewing booth. Drop in during library opening hours and settle in to the dedicated viewing space where you can watch an exclusive selection of Irish and international titles at your leisure.
Additionally from the Autumn, library card holders will be able to view the entire catalogue online on their own internet-enabled devices. Please check our website for full programme details and for updates on how to access the expanded AVA programme from wherever you are.
Lux Film Prize Official Selection Announced
The European Parliament LUX Film Prize Selection Panel have revealed the ten titles selected for this year’s competition, as announced at the 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival last week.
More than 50 films were considered, from the most talked-about world-premieres at the biggest film festivals to smaller national releases. Once again, this year the spotlight was put on diversity behind the camera. Many of the films selected were directed by women and first-time filmmakers, coming from every corner of Europe.
The selected films are:
Border [+] – Ali Abbasi (Sweden/Denmark)
Girl [+] – Lukas Dhont (Belgium/Netherlands)
Mug [+] – Małgorzata Szumowska (Poland)
The Other Side of Everything [+] – Mila Turajlić (Serbia/France/Qatar)
U-July 22 [+] – Erik Poppe (Norway)
Donbass [+] – Sergei Loznitsa (Germany/Ukraine/France/Netherlands/Romania)
Happy as Lazzaro [+] – Alice Rohrwacher (Italy/Switzerland/France/Germany)
Styx [+] – Wolfgang Fischer (Germany/Austria)
The Silence of Others [+] – Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar (Spain/USA)
Woman at War [+] – Benedikt Erlingsson (Iceland/France/Ukraine)
The 10 films featuring in the Official Selection will be whittled down to a short list of three over the coming weeks, the outcome of which will be announced at the Giornate degli Autori press conference in Rome at the end of July. These 3 finalists will then travel across Europe as part of LUX Film Days 2018, battling it out in the final stage of the Competition for the ultimate award, the LUX Film Prize 2018.
The winning film is set to be announced on 14 November in Strasbourg.
Meanwhile Sami Blood (Dir: Amanda Kernell), which screened at CFF 2017, has been announced as the winner of the Audience Mention for the 2017 LUX Prize Competition based on feedback collated from voters from all over the continent.
The Festival Circuit – Edinburgh International Film Festival
Now in it’s 72nd year, Edinburgh International Film Festival came to a close last Sunday. Scottish Highland-set thriller ‘Calibre’ has taken the top prize, while Kevin Macdonald’s “Whitney”, the documentary on singer Whitney Houston that premiered in Cannes and has been strongly reviewed, scooped Best Documentary Feature Film.
Cork Film Festival 2017 Doc Day attendees will recognise Whitney co-producer Simon Chinn (pictured left) who was the keynote speaker at our documentary-focused industry day last year. Other EIFF 2018 highlights included an exceptional retrospective programme, especially its focus on female US directors from the eighties and nineties, with Jennie Livingston, Donna Deitch, Susan Seidelman and Lynne Littman all making personal appearances.
See below to be in with a chance to win two tickets to a preview screening of Whitney this Thursday 5th July at 6:30pm at The Gate Cinema, Cork.
Competition: Win 2 tickets to ‘Whitney’ preview screening at The Gate
With over 200 million album sales worldwide, and remaining the only artist to chart seven consecutive US No. 1’s, Whitney Houston was the voice of a generation, plucked from her gospel-singing roots to rule the world stage. She inspired a generation of singers from Mariah Carey to Beyoncé, but was being torn apart by her demons offstage. Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (Marley, Touching The Void) and from two-time Academy Award-winning producer Simon Chinn (Man On Wire, Searching For Sugarman), the film will for the first time, give audiences an unprecedented and unique look into Whitney’s life.
Our good friends and principal venue partner, The Gate Cinema Cork, are hosting a preview screening of Whitney, this Thursday 5th July, at 6:30pm and we have two tickets to give away to one lucky winner. Just answer the following question to be in with a chance to win:
In what year was Whitney Huston born?
Answers in an email to admin@corkfilmfest.org, subject: “Whitney”.
Winners will be notified via email on 4th July by 5pm.
For more information please visit The Gate Cinema website here.
Cinema Picks for July at CFF Partner Venues
Here is a selection of our cinema picks for July:
Hereditary | Dir: Ari Aster – Now screening at The Gate Cinema, Cork (pictured)
Whitney | Dir: Kevin MacDonald – Screening from this Thur July 5 at The Gate Cinema
L’amont Double | Dir: François Ozon – Now screening at Triskel Christchurch, Tobin Street
Jeune Femme | Dir: Léonor Serraille – Screening from Sun July 22 at Triskel Christchurch
Mary Shelley | Dir: Haifaa Al-Mansour- Screening from Sun July 29 at Triskel Christchurch
Visit Cork in November
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