Today, CIFF2024 kicked off a new week with a diverse selection of premieres, and we have plenty more to come, including filmmaker Q&As, the first of our renowned Industry Events, First Take and our always popular free Cork Film Trail Quiz .
All Festival tickets and passes are on sale now at corkfilmfest.org and via the myCIFF app.
MOMENTUM: SHAHID
Shahid (6pm, Wed 13th Nov, Arc Cinema):
A wildly clever film that’s part reality, part fiction, part theatre and part musical!
Director Narges Shahid Kalhor wants to remove ‘Shahid’ from her surname. Passed down from a great-grandparent, the name means ‘martyr’. She hires an actor to play herself and then, her heroic great-grandfather, who was given the title of martyr 100 years ago in Iran, turns up with his dancing friends to try and dissuade her. The Bavarian district administration sends her to a psychologist, who also has a difficult name…
Shahid is a political drama and a desperate comedy at the same time. A personal film that questions all kinds of radical ideologies – and doesn’t always take itself too seriously.
Eligible for the Gradam na Féile do Scannáin Faisnéise (Award for Best Documentary)
SPIRIT OF THE FESTIVAL:
THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE + DIRECTOR Q&A
The Village Next to Paradise + Q&A (7.45pm, Thu 14 Nov, Arc Cinema):
In a windswept Somali fishing village, Mamargade, a single father, works odd jobs to provide a better life for his son, Cigaal. Araweelo, his sister, comes back to live with them after her divorce. Each pursues their own ambitions in a country wrecked by civil war, natural disasters and the deadly threat posed by the U.S. drones constantly buzzing overhead.
On many occasions throughout this patient, and truly gorgeous, testament to love and resilience, multi-awarded director Mo Harawe could be tempted to sacrifice the truth of his protagonists for the sake of narrative shortcuts. He fends them all off and is rewarded, and us with him, with the kind of intense, slow burn emotional build-up that only such self-assured filmmaking can produce.
Director Mo Harawe will attend the screening and participate in a post-screening Q&A hosted by Aurélie Godet, Director of Programming.
Nominated for the Gradam Spiorad na Féile (Best Film & Best Screenplay) Awards
MOMENTUM: MOTHER VERA + DIRECTOR Q&A
Mother Vera + Q&A (5pm, Thu 14 Nov, Arc Cinema):
From the thick snow of the Belarusian forest to the heat of the reeds in the French Camargue, Mother Vera is the absorbing story of a young Orthodox nun; her turbulent past, and fragile future.
Spellbinding visuals introduce us into the enclosed, shadowy spaces of a convent outside Minsk. Sound and silence submerge us in the rhythm of the place: bells ring, nuns prepare to welcome the community for Easter, priests plunge into ice cold waters for the celebration of Epiphany. During solitary private moments, Vera reveals the painful experiences that led her to the convent and her hope to find true freedom.
Directors Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson will attend the screening and participate in a Q&A hosted by Rohan Berry Crickmar, Programmer.
Eligible for the Gradam na Féile do Scannáin Faisnéise (Award for Best Documentary)
SPIRIT OF THE FESTIVAL: UNDER THE VOLCANO
Under the Volcano (3.45pm, Thu 14 Nov, Arc Cinema)
A Ukrainian family of four are enjoying the last day of their holiday on the island of Tenerife, Spain. Once at the airport, their flight is canceled: Russia has invaded Ukraine. Trapped on the island, the tourists become refugees.
Award-winning Polish director Damian Kocur (Bread and Salt) returns with this striking example of cinema’s capacity to articulate the intimate impact of global events, and to do so as the world-altering events it tackles are still raging.
Under the Volcano is Poland’s entry for the Academy Awards®.
Nominated for the Gradam Spiorad na Féile (Best Film & Best Screenplay) Awards
MOMENTUM:
TWST – THINGS WE SAID TODAY
TWST – Things We Said Today (8.30pm, Thu 14 Nov, Triskel)
Taking its title from The Beatles song of the same name, and using the Fab Four’s arrival in the United States for their now legendary 1965 Shea Stadium concert as a launchpad, TWST – Things We Said Today takes this moment to harness a snapshot of the America of the time, a collage of captured reality and ethereal memory.
Eligible for the Gradam na Féile do Scannáin Faisnéise (Award for Best Documentary)
INDUSTRY DAYS: FIRST TAKE
FIRST TAKE (11.30am-5pm, Thu 14 Nov, Triskel):
First Take is a training and development platform for newly established film professionals, film and media students and the wider film industry, which comprises case studies, presentations and panel discussions. Its intention is to promote fresh thinking amongst emerging and working filmmakers, inspiring them to be proactive in creating and promoting their own film work.
Filmmakers and industry professionals will share their experiences and knowledge at panel discussions throughout the day, following by a networking session.
Sessions include: ‘Exploring Career Opportunities in the Irish Animation industry’, ‘Neurodivergent Voices in the Screen Industries’, ‘Spotlight on Writers | Stage to Screen’, ‘September Says | A Focus on Debut Feature Development’ with producer Lara Hickey, and ‘Fréwaka | Folk Horror Production Case Study’ with director Aislinn Clarke.
The event will be followed by a networking drinks reception 5-6pm, co-supported by the National Talent Academies.
Industry Days are presented in partnership with our Official Industry Partner:
Supported by:
Networking receptions are sponsored by our Sponsor & Drinks Partner, Murphy’s, and Rebel City Distillery.
FREE CORK FILM TRAIL QUIZ
CIFF Film Quiz (7.30pm, Wed 13 Nov, The Pav, Carey’s Lane, Cork):
Are you the biggest film buff this side of the River Lee?
Put your cinephile skills to the test at our CIFF Pub Quiz on Wednesday, 13th November at The Pav, Carey’s Lane, Cork, 7.30pm – 9.30pm. Great prizes to be won!
This is a free event for teams of up to 6 people or, you can join a team and meet other like-minded film fanatics.
Places are limited and it’s on a first-come, first-served basis.
Book now to reserve your table or seat ASAP.
Please note that The Pav is not wheelchair accessible, please visit our access page.
The Cork Film Trail is supported by:
This event and the Cork Film Trail are sponsored by:
