The opening weekend of the 71st Cork International Film Festival is almost here, and we are kicking things off with a variety of special events, from thought-provoking talks and contemporary film art exhibitions to live performance experiments and a celebration of Irish food and drink. Whether you are looking to explore something new, join a conversation or enjoy a different kind of cinema experience, here are some of our recommendations.
WHEN SALLY MET HARRY LIVE: A THEATRE EXPERIMENT
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
FRI 13 | GRANARY THEATRE | 13:00 & 20:00
What happens when a classic romantic comedy is put under the theatrical microscope?
This playful live performance interrogates When Harry Met Sally through a contemporary lens, bringing the film’s ideas about love, friendship, women and identity into the room.
Alongside scenes from the film, three short monologues draw on Nora Ephron’s sharp, funny and incisive essays on women, identity and 1970s feminism, revealing another side of the writer behind one of cinema’s most beloved rom-coms. (Enjoy a sneak preview above of one of our wonderful Cork couples talking about when they first met, just like in the film!)
Performed by final-year University College Cork theatre students, this fresh, exploratory response invites audiences to look again at When Harry Met Sally and ask what it has to say to us now.
Presented in partnership with the Department of Theatre, University College Cork.
A SIP OF IRISH
CULINARY CINEMA
90 mins | Frank Mannion | Culinary | Documentary
FRI 13 | BALLYMALOE GRAINSTORE | 18:00
Join us for a Culinary Cinema experience celebrating Ireland’s remarkable contribution to the world of food and drink.
A Sip of Irish is a documentary that uncovers the people, places, ingredients and traditions that have helped shape Ireland’s culinary story, revealing some unexpected discoveries along the way and featuring a host of producers from East Cork.
There could be no more fitting setting than Ballymaloe Grainstore, at the heart of one of Ireland’s most influential food communities.
The evening begins with a Murphy’s and gin and tonic drinks reception, followed by an Irish supper of soda bread and butter, comforting stew, and a classic apple pie, followed by a screening of the film.
And the evening doesn’t end when the credits roll. We’ll raise a glass to Ireland’s whiskey-making tradition with a taster of Redbreast whiskey, as featured in the documentary, and in the very place where their grain is grown, offering the perfect finale to a celebration of Irish food, drink and storytelling.
Visit Ballymaloe Grainstore for more information or to purchase tickets to the film and wine tasting visit Eventbrite (ONLY).
NOTE: This Culinary Cinema event is available ONLY as a film + event package, there will not be tickets available for a ‘film only’ experience.
WHAT DOES ART HAVE TO DO WITH IT?
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
SUN 15 | GRANARY THEATRE | 15:45 | TICKETS €5
Art, Fascism and the Politics of Dissent
From the crackdown on Palestine solidarity to growing hostility towards queer and trans rights, Germany is experiencing an increasingly heated debate about freedom, identity and the limits of political dissent.
Can art challenge the way a country sees itself? And what happens when artists refuse to stay silent?
Berlin-based artist and filmmaker Vika Kirchenbauer explores these tensions in their new film This Suffocating Now, presented as part of the International Shorts competition.
In this special Festival conversation, Vika will discuss the power of art to expose political contradictions, challenge institutional hypocrisy and question the relationship between culture and the state.
A rare opportunity to meet one of Germany’s leading contemporary artists, whose work has been presented at the Berlinale, New York Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and London’s Whitechapel Gallery.
This event can be booked on its own. Alternatively, booking International Shorts 3 gives you free access to it.
Supported by
CINEMA OF FORESIGHT – A TALK
SAT 14 |  TRISKEL | 15:00 | TICKETS €10/€7
The Irish Times’ Donald Clarke and filmmaker Paul Duane exchange about the films that proved able, if not to predict the future, but to recognise forces shaping it. Does foresight make a film better?
Are the filmmakers who have this ambition and talent the ones who deserve our attention? Excerpts will fuel this must-see conversation as part of our Cinema of Foresight Retrospective.
Guest speakers: Donald Clarke and Paul Duane.
PARALLAX EMERGING FILM ARTIST AWARD
CORK LENS
OPENING RECEPTION: FRI 13 | LORD MAYOR’S PAVILION | 13:00-14:30
(EXHIBITION: THU 12 – SAT 28 | OPEN DAILY: 11:00-16:00 | FREE)
Established by Sample-Studios and Cork International Film Festival in 2023, the Parallax Emerging Film Artist Award partnership recognises outstanding emerging talent in artist film nationally and creates a distinct space to champion film artists and to bolster their practices at the early stages of development.
In 2026, we expanded the Parallax Award to allow it to positively impact more promising graduate film artists through a jury-selected exhibition in The Lord Mayor’s Pavilion of four shortlisted graduates, as part of the 71st CIFF.
The shortlisted graduates are:
- Autumn McNamara, ‘Swansong’, Limerick School of Art and Design, Technical University of the Shannon (TUS)
- Andy Chirali, ‘Mule Rider and the Stranger’, National College of Art & Design (NCAD)
- Nikol Ochichenko, ‘Still Tied’, Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT)
- Harrison Connally, MTU Crawford College of Art & Design
The winner of the Parallax Award will be selected from the shortlisted exhibitors and announced during the 71st Festival. They will receive a €3,000, bursary, 12-month honorary membership of Sample-Studios and accreditation at the 72nd CIFF.
All are welcome to the Exhibition Reception on Friday 13 November, 13:00-14:30 (no ticket required).
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