The Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) is back, with a programme bigger and bolder than ever! From November 7th to 17th, the streets of Cork will be awash with film buffs, cinephiles, and anyone who loves a good story. This year’s festival is a veritable smorgasbord of cinematic delights, with a diverse program that caters to every taste. Whether you’re a fan of arthouse indie flicks, blockbuster hits, or quirky documentaries, there’s something for everyone.
CIFF Director & CEO Fiona Clark spoke about this year’s Festival: “We are delighted to present this outstanding and extensive programme, curated under the direction of Aurélie Godet, who brings a fresh artistic perspective to CIFF. Our Festival is a dynamic platform that creates transformative experiences for audiences, fostering connection and dialogue, and we are excited to engage our local and global audiences through this electrifying blend of Irish and International films, cementing CIFF’s place as a world-class film festival on the global stage.”
Here are some of our must see highlights for the 2024 festival.
1/ NIGHTBITCH
This new movie about original exploration of motherhood and identity follows a suburban stay-at-home mother (Amy Adams) who is exhausted due to raising a hyperactive child on her own. As she becomes increasingly isolated and tired, she starts to experience strange dog-like symptoms. She begins to crave raw meat, develops a heightened sense of smell, and even starts to bark at night.
2/ RUMOURS (with Q+A)
In this exhilarating dark comedy, the seven leaders of the world’s richest liberal democracies meet at their annual G7 summit, hosted by the German chancellor. They soon become spectacles of incompetence, contending with increasingly surreal obstacles as night falls in the misty woods and they realise they are alone. Is the end near? And if it is, could it be Canada’s chance to prove itself as a leading nation? The film will be be followed by a Q+A with cinematographer Stefan Ciupek.
3/ Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour ’74 +Q&A
The rock and popular music documentary film was still in its infancy at the time, but having made such landmark and groundbreaking music portraits as Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels, British filmmaker Tony Palmer was perfectly placed to bring something fresh and timeless to the nascent form. The film will have a post-screening Q&A with Donal Gallagher, Rory’s brother and manager.
4/ Paddington in Peru
One of the most anticipated family films of 2024, ‘Paddington In Peru’ sees our furry friend embarks on a journey to his homeland to visit his Aunt Lucy in the Home for Retired Bears, only to learn from the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) that she has gone missing, leading to an adventure through the Amazon.
![PADDINGTON IN PERU - Official Trailer [4K] - Paddington Bear is back!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lKgitu25ZAg/hqdefault.jpg)
5/ BRING THEM DOWN
The Irish-produced and award-winning ‘Bring Them Down’ starring Barry Keoghan will have its Irish premiere with director Christopher Andrews participating in a Q&A afterwards (also nominated for the CIFF Best New Irish Feature Award). The film tells the story of Michael (Christopher Abbott), the last son of a shepherding family, lives with his ailing father, Ray (Colm Meany). Burdened by a terrible secret, Michael has isolated himself from the world. When a conflict with rival farmer Gary (Paul Ready) and his son Jack (Barry Keoghan) escalates, Michael is drawn into a devastating chain of events, leaving both families permanently altered.
6/ THE MAKING OF A JAPANESE
This documentary is an immersive look into pupils of a Tokyo public elementary school for a year, asking questions about the formation and dismantling of identities, both personal and national.
Filmmaker Ema Ryan Yamazaki will be in attendance at the screening.
7/ CONCLAVE
How do you follow one of the biggest international films in recent history? Director Edward Berger, who’s 2022 anti-war epic “All Quiet on the Western Front” won four Academy Awards and a record-breaking seven BAFTAs, returns with a new film already tipped for award glory! Ralph Fiennes plays a conflicted Cardinal in this thriller about dark secrets within the Vatican. After the death of the sitting pope a conclave of cardinals gather behind closed doors to pick his replacement.
8/ Fréwaka (Fréamhacha)+ Q&A
Irish horror film FRÉWAKA received its world premiere at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland earlier this year where it was lauded for its “visceral scares” and “genuine terror“. Written and directed by Aislinn Clarke, the Irish language feature stars an all-female cast including Clare Monnelly (Doineann, ‘Moone Boy’), Bríd Ní Neachtain (The Banshees of Inisherin, Róise & Frank), and Ukrainian actress Aleksandra Bystrzhitskaya (F20). The screening will be followed by a Q+A.
9/ THE BRUTALIST
This film won Brady Corbet the Best Director award at the Venice Film Festival. It tells the story of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian Jew who survived the Buchenwald concentration camp, and finds passage to America. Separated from his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), a survivor of Dachau and herself trying to find her way out of the old continent, but they manage to correspond through letters. László’s talents as an architect come to the forefront when he and his cousin get hired to remodel a study into a library by the son of mysterious billionaire Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce).
10 Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story
Sinéad O’Shea’s Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story is a portrait of a bastion of the Irish Literary landscape, with narration from Jessie Buckley and contributions from Edna’s family, friends and collaborators. Featuring an insightful and affecting interview with Edna from just before her passing earlier this year, the film richly honours her legacy, as well as her profound passion and dedication to art.
11/ CAL
This year CIFF celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Cal, produced by CIFF Patron David Puttnam. Still considered one of the finest portrayals of life in Northern Ireland during the sectarian violence, CIFF will be screening a new restoration of the landmark film. 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, catapulting her career to the next level.
12/ Hard Truths
Veteran director Mike Leigh, who has been Oscar-nominated five times for writing and twice for directing (“Secrets & Lies,” “Vera Drake”) returns with this film about Pansy, a woman of Jamaican heritage (played by “Secrets & Lies” Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who is so miserable that her massive pain and anger leak out on anyone unlucky enough to be near her, from her hapless husband (David Webber) and son (Tuwaine Barrett) to people in a store line or on the street.
FOR MORE ON THE FESTIVAL VISIT https://corkfilmfest.org/