Bring your own dog! Highlights of 70th Cork Film Festival include pet invite

The Cork International Film Festival is returning to the county on November 6, and this year it is celebrating a significant milestone: its 70th anniversary.

The festival, which runs until November 16, honours the best in cinema and this year will pay tribute to its seven-decade history.

Fiona Clark, the Festival Director and CEO, emphasises the importance of continuing the legacy begun by the festival’s founders.

“It’s a privilege to be one of the custodians of the festival. The principles on which Dermot Breen founded the festival still hold today,” said Fiona.

“The festival began in 1956, fuelled by passion, vision, tenacity, and ambition. We’re always working to deliver the promise of our name.

“The festival grew in tandem with the city; it is so inter-connected yet also has an international outlook.”

Clark says the early days of the festival, which began before Cork had an airport, had a strong emphasis on bringing international film-makers and delegates to Cork.

“Through the festival, Cork became a destination for culture and tourism. Culture unites us and reminds us of what we share, despite our differences, across the world, and film is a wonderful way to experience that.

“This year’s programme features a diverse range of films, from beautiful family animations to a film screened in a dome with celestial cartography.

“We have features, shorts, and documentaries. It is a kaleidoscope of film.”

The Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) has always championed connecting films with experiences, and this year is no exception, as Clark explains.

“The festival is about bringing people together to have transformative experiences and to share the experience of stories being told on screen that resonate with us and take us to worlds we don’t know.

“We strive to have strands where the experience is wider than the film.

“For example, with our Culinary Cinema, we have four wonderful films with stories that revolve around food, and each film will be screened in conjunction with an amazing dining experience.”

This year’s family gala film is the classic Lady And The Tramp, which shares its 70th anniversary with CIFF.

In the spirit of experiences, the screening will be dog-friendly, allowing families to bring their beloved pets to watch the film.

Pillion, starring Alexander Skarsgård, will be followed by a drag show inspired by the film by Krystal & The Queers.

Clark says there are some excellent music-related films, and one in particular will be popular with local audiences.

“We’ve got some wonderful music-related films, including Gealtra, a documentary by Brendan Canty, about the Kabin Studio in Knocknaheeney. It is the premiere of the film, and the Kabin will perform on stage afterwards, so we expect it to be a very lively night.”

Another film with a significant Cork connection is Saipan, which charts the infamous showdown between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy in the lead-up to the 2002 World Cup. The film stars Glanmire actor Éanna Hardwicke as Keane, with Steve Coogan as McCarthy, and Clark says it is the perfect choice to open the festival.

“Right from the get-go, we knew that Saipan had to be the opening night gala film for the 70th anniversary.

“It’s not necessarily easy to organise; there are lots of moving parts when you want to premiere a film, but we are so glad we were able to secure Saipan. It is going to be an amazing night.”

The gala screening of Saipan will be followed by a special award ceremony and documentary screening, which Clark says will celebrate the past, present, and future.

“We’re giving an honorary award to the great David Putnam, our patron, and that’s going to be presented by Gabriel Byrne. We will also be showing a gorgeous, 15-minute documentary made during the 10th year of the festival. It will be a lovely connection between the festival’s legacy and heritage, and a story of Saipan, which is very important to Cork.”

Puttman, who lives in West Cork, will also give a talk on the importance of festivals, which Clark says is a terrific opportunity to hear from a film industry legend.

“He is such an engaging speaker, and he will discuss various aspects of his films and why festivals are an important platform since many films begin their journey at such events.

“He will talk about how audiences and filmmakers connect.

“I encourage audiences to come along. It is an amazing opportunity to hear from someone who has made such a huge impact, not just on film, but on education.”

Clark emphasises the importance of providing people living in the surrounding county with the chance to see the latest and best films, including special films connected to Cork.

“We are touring our Cork on Camera programme throughout the county, and that includes that lovely archive film about the 1965 film festival as well as two other films inspired by the work of the Cork writer Frank O’Connor.

“We will also be bringing the 2025 Palme d’Or winner, It Was Just An Accident, directed by Jafar Panahi, which is a compelling dark comedy.”

There are also talks from the costume designer Joan Brennan and Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney, and industry events like First Take designed for people new to the industry, and this will include a screening of Mary Is Missing which features a cast and crew of adults with intellectual disabilities.

Plus, new films from Richard Linklater, Bradley Cooper, and Hugh Jackman.

The 70th outing of CIFF truly has films and events to suit all tastes. Clark says she hopes people will use the festival as an opportunity to explore Cork.

“We want people to spend the day or evening and go to two or three films and events.

“We have the wonderful Cork Film Trail, which goes around the city. Stop for a pint or some music, use the festival as your road map for having a great time in Cork.”

Cork International Film Festival runs from November 6 to 16, see corkfilmfest.org