Toni Erdmann

When Ines, a businesswoman working for a large German company based in Bucharest, sees her father Winfried arrive unannounced, she does not hide her exasperation. Her perfectly organised life cannot tolerate the slightest disruption, and she is ashamed of her practical joker of a dad. But when he asks her ‘Are you happy?’, her inability to answer marks the beginning of a phenomenal upheaval. Winfried shows up at her workplace, disguised as the flashy Toni Erdmann, a “life coach” with a particular taste for outrageous humour. He wants to make sure she is still able to smile.

Toni Erdmann was infamously ignored by the Cannes film festival’s jury in 2016, when it had in fact dominated the world’s prime film event. Winning over everyone’s heart, the film had its magical first screening's lucky spectators united as one single organism that ideally responded to the film’s twists and turns. It was, clearly, the masterwork that confirmed Maren Ade as the flag-bearer of a very talented generation of German filmmakers, not only smart but never losing sight of the pleasures that made them film lovers themselves. Of the simple things that make life, and a movie scene, fun, moving and beautiful.

Starring the great Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall).

This screening is supported by the Goethe-Institut Irland.

Cork International Film Festival is delighted to return to its Principal Venue, The Arc Cinema on North Main St, Cork, for its 70th Festival edition, Thursday 6th to Sunday 16th November 2025.

The Arc Cinema Cork is home to The GATE Screen — a space dedicated to preserving and celebrating the legacy of the beloved former Gate Cinema — and an ideal spot for meeting fellow festival goers in between screenings. The GATE Screen features luxurious double sofa seats and tables, creating an intimate and sophisticated viewing experience. It is dedicated to showcasing arthouse films, including independent and local productions, foreign and Irish language titles throughout the year.