LORD DAVID PUTTNAM
PATRON
I am honoured to join Cork International Film Festival as its Patron.
Film festivals have become ever more important places of discovery, where the opportunity for film to tell important stories is truly activated. Talent sits in every corner of our society, and to challenge our ever-more complex and difficult world we need to encourage creative risk-taking and enable a diversity of voices to enrich and ignite our knowledge and experience. Film can be a great force for good, and film festivals create a unique space for shared experience, to entertain and provoke, to inspire and delight, and to promote thought and action.
This 67th edition places discovery at its core, encouraging us to reimagine our world through a wonderful diversity of features and documentaries from around the world, alongside a thoughtful retrospective on childhood, ‘Wild Child’. A new generation of filmmakers will showcase their work with an extensive shorts programme, and we will proudly present the contribution from this year’s Puttnam Scholars, drawn from all disciplines at University College Cork, demonstrating the opportunity this valuable creative partnership once again offers.
The Festival plays a vital role in the cultural life of Cork, maximising participation for audiences and artists in a shared creative experience. As Patron I am delighted to support the Festival’s continued development and success as it approaches its 70th anniversary in 2025.
We look forward to welcoming you!
CLLR. DEIRDRE FORDE
ARDMHÉARA CHORCAÍ – LORD MAYOR OF CORK
It is with great pleasure and anticipation that we invite you to join us in celebrating the 67th edition of Cork International Film Festival, which the City Council is truly proud to support. Cork has long been a city that embraces its unique culture and through the arts, the city and its people find expression for layers of our shared lives in this place. As the past few years have demonstrated, the value of arts in our lives has never been so apparent. Cork is renowned for its resilience, creativity and independent spirit, qualities that underpin our internationally respected film festival. Built on 67 years of legacy, Ireland’s first and largest film festival will showcase the very best in Irish and international film, enhancing the city, and welcoming all.
