Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Irish cinema with our curated Festival selection, celebrating the unique voices, landscapes, and stories that make Irish film so iconic.
All Festival tickets and passes are on sale now at corkfilmfest.org and the myCIFF app.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: CAL
Cal by Pat O’Connor:
Cal McCluskey, a young man on the fringes of the Republican army, falls in love with a recently widowed local librarian, Marcella, who is unaware of the dark secret which has Cal wracked with guilt.
Featuring the onscreen debut of John Lynch in the titular role, with Helen Mirren giving a performance which landed her a Best Actress award at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, Pat O’Connor’s film is considered one of the finest portrayals of life in Northern Ireland amidst the sectarian violence of the times.
Produced by our Festival Patron, David Puttnam, we are delighted to present the film in a brand new restoration to mark its 40th anniversary. (8.30pm, Thu 14th Nov, The Everyman)
CORK LENS: BRÍAN CROTTY EXHIBITION
Brían Crotty Art Exhibition and Screening:
Visual artist Brían Crotty presents a brand new film and art exhibition (FREE but ticketed) that unveils a new artistic language in which cinema and painting converge to explore the ephemeral nature of memory and the profound depths of the Irish experience. (Exhibition: Tue 12 – Sat 16 Nov. Screenings: Tue 12, Wed 13 Nov, St. Peter’s)
BEST NEW IRISH FEATURE NOMINEES
Fréwaka (Fréamhacha) (8.30pm, Fri 8th Nov, The Everyman):
Haunted by a personal tragedy, home care worker Shoo (Clare Monnelly, Small Things Like These, Moone Boy) is sent to a remote village to care for an agoraphobic woman who fears sinister entities, the Na Sidhe. As the two develop a strangely deep connection, Shoo is consumed by the old woman’s paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, eventually confronting the horrors from her own past.
This screening concludes with a Q&A hosted by Roisin Geraghty. Director Aislinn Clarke will be in attendance at this screening and participate in this year’s Doc Day
Best New Irish Feature Award nominee, proudly supported by the Irish Examiner. 
September Says (8pm, Sun 10th Nov, The Everyman):
Sisters July and September are thick as thieves, but they couldn’t be more different. Their single mum, Sheela, is unsure what to do with them. When July acts on the attraction she feels for a boy at school and things take a bad turn, mother and daughters decamp to an old family home in Ireland, where a series of surreal encounters test the family to their limit.
Adapted from Booker Prize winner Daisy Johnson’s gothic novel Sisters, September Says is the confident directing debut of free-spirited actress Ariane Labed.
Best New Irish Feature Award nominee, proudly supported by the Irish Examiner.
FÍS ÉIREANN/SCREEN IRELAND SHORTS
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is proud to present the World Premieres (WP) of new Irish short films funded under the Focus and Real Short film schemes, along with Cork picks of recent Screen Ireland short films. The Frameworks short films featured in this screening are co-funded by RTÉ.
COME BACK (WP)
Helen O’Reilly | Ireland | 2024 | 15 mins
GAEL FORCE (WP)
Tara Hegarty | Ireland | 2024 | 8 mins
TURNAROUND
Aisling Byrne | Ireland, United Kingdom | 2024 | 17 mins
MERO
Jack Phelan | Ireland | 2024 | 3 mins
ONE MORE ROUND
Barry John O’Connor | Ireland | 2024 | 17 mins
PEAT
Paudie Baggott | Ireland | 2024 | 19 mins
CAT & MOUSE
Michael-David McKernan | Ireland | 2024 | 10 mins
IRISH VOICES
If I Fall Don’t Pick Me Up + Q&A (5.15pm, Fri 8th Nov + 3.30pm Wed 13th Nov, Arc Cinema):
Irish filmmaker Declan Clarke explores the relationship between iconic Irish author Samuel Beckett and renowned German theatre director Walter D. Asmus, and considers a legacy built on interpretation and performance: when the original actors have departed the stage, what remains? Director Declan Clarke will attend both screenings.
M/S (9pm, Sat 9th Nov, Arc Cinema):
M/S explores the representation of illness and the radical possibilities of love, care and dying on your own terms. The film draws on the filmmaker’s 17 years of experience as primary carer for his mother. Director Eóin Heaney will attend the screening and participate in a post-screening Q&A hosted by Don O’Mahony, senior programme manager.
