Galas Archives - Cork International Film Festival

Galas

Animation Gala: Julián

Showtime: Fri 20 Nov at 10:15, Sun 22 Nov at 14:00

MTU Cork School of Music, MTU Cork School of Music

90 mins mins

Ireland, Canada, Luxembourg, Denmark

Louise Bagnall

Wide-eyed Julián is about to spend the summer with a grandmother he barely knows. He is amazed to discover her treasure-trove apartment, his own Caribbean heritage and the lively Brooklyn community he is surrounded by. But most surprising of all, Julián discovers that he is, in fact, a mermaid! From the Academy Award® nominated director Louise Bagnall comes a joyful story of discovery and celebration, inspired by the acclaimed children’s book Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love. A colourful, contemporary addition to Cartoon Saloon’s remarkable body of work.

Awards Gala: Paper Tiger

Showtime: Sat 21 Nov at 19:30

Everyman

115 mins

United States

James GRAY

James Gray’s Paper Tiger follows brothers Gary (Adam Driver) and Irwin (Miles Teller) as they try to build a new life in 1980s Queens. Gary, a charismatic former cop, sees an opportunity to make money and brings his more cautious younger brother into the business. What begins as a promising venture soon draws them into the world of the Russian mafia, putting their family and their relationship under increasing strain. Yet it is Hester, Irwin’s wife, played by Scarlett Johansson, who gradually becomes the film’s emotional centre. Johansson brings extraordinary range and depth to the role, moving effortlessly from humour and forcefulness to an unexpectedly tender vulnerability. As the men around her try to prove themselves, Hester reveals a different kind of strength. At its heart, Paper Tiger is a deeply human film about family, loyalty and the bonds between people who have grown up together. With three remarkable performances and Gray’s distinctive eye for character and place, it is as much an intimate family story as it is a gripping crime drama.

Closing Gala: The Debut

Showtime: Sun 22 Nov at 19:30

Everyman

105 mins

United States

Jesse EISENBERG

Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore), a timid New Jersey housewife, seeks escape from her suffocating suburban life by auditioning for a local community theater musical. When she unexpectedly lands a minor supporting role, she falls deep under the spell of Jerry (Paul Giamatti), the production’s brilliant but domineering director. Driven to prove her worth, Mona transforms into a zealous, unhinged method actor. Engaging in an all-out psychological war against the tyrant director, Mona turns the local stage into a beautifully bizarre battlefield of self-discovery. The Debut is one of these films that are a true gift for its lead actors, with Julianne Moore convincingly embodying a timid amateur whose singing is poor… until it becomes beautiful. A gift for the viewers, too.

Documentary Gala: Here We Remain

Showtime: Fri 20 Nov at 20:45

Triskel Cinema

90 mins

Ireland

Peadar Ó Goill, Ainle Ó Cairealláin

Aida follows the Irish speaking Ainle Ó Cairealláin on a six-year journey helping open and run a gym in the Aida Refugee Camp in the Occupied West Bank in Palestine. What begins as an Irish-Palestine solidarity initiative turns into a story of true friendship rocked by arrests, attacks, and the unforeseen challenges of getting a community gym off the ground under the spectre of Israeli occupation. The Aida camp is home to nearly 6000 internally displaced Palestinians who live in the shadow of the apartheid wall, and are subject to around-the-clock surveillance from security cameras that scrutinize every aspect of their lives. From the early stages of trying to open the new gym, to establishing it as a valuable community resource, Aida touches on eye-opening aspects of Palestinian life from home demolitions, displacement and imprisonment, to their unbreakable determination to return to their original villages and to be free.

Family Gala: Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

Showtime: Sat 21 Nov at 11:30

Everyman

84 mins

United States

Duwayne Dunham

**** Dog-Friendly screening!! **** A family leaves their three pets behind while they go on a vacation. The pet - a fun-loving American bulldog pup, a hilarious Himalayan cat, and a wise old golden retriever - assuming that they have been abandoned, set out on an adventurous journey to reunite with their owners.

Opening Gala: Lucy Lost

Showtime: Thu 12 Nov at 19:00

MTU Cork School of Music

170 mins

France

Olivier Clert

On the edge of a quiet fishing village in a remote archipelago lives a family bound to the sea. Jim and Mary share their home with their son Alfie — and with Lucy, a mysterious eleven-year-old girl whose gifts spark suspicion among the villagers. Lucy and her secret imaginary friend, Milly, set off on a magical quest to uncover the secret behind her mysterious powers. Olivier Clert’s Lucy Lost is an exquisitely crafted tale of friendship, courage and belonging. Its extraordinary, unusually sophisticated animation captures both the wild beauty of the sea and the fragile inner world of its heroine, moving seamlessly between reality and dream. Anne-Sophie’s Versnaeyen’s gorgeous, haunting score completes the spell, lending the film an extraordinary emotional resonance. A luminous, poetic and deeply atmospheric achievement, Lucy Lost is a film to lose yourself in.