Cine Club to bring a feast of films to Cork audiences

Cork’s newest cinema club, CIFF Selects Cine Club @ GATE Screen, gives audiences the chance to experience a curated selection of films from the Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) programme.

Screenings take place monthly at the Arc Cinema, each followed by a conversation about the film.

Aurelie Godet, Director of Programming for CIFF, says the idea of establishing the Cine Club came from surveys conducted by the festival organisers following last year’s event.

“The idea for the club came from our audience. We did a survey after the festival and had over 300 responses telling us they wanted more, so the club is an extension of the festival. We’re also prioritising films that we premiered at CIFF but that will soon be on release [in Ireland], so it’s meant to further support these films before they go on theatrical release.”

After each screening, Godet will host a discussion with the audience, providing film fans with the chance to share perspectives and engage in thoughtful conversation.

“I have never done a post-screening conversation without the filmmakers present, so for the Club conversations, it’s more like moderating a discussion between the viewers. I bring some context and facts so I can answer any questions they have. It’s like a book club: you continue the conversation, and we do it on the spot, so it’s very much based on your first impressions of the film - when your emotions are still warm.”

DJ Ahmet will be screened next week, on Wednesday, March 25. A warm and engaging coming-of-age drama, it is set in rural North Macedonia and follows Ahmet, a quiet teenager who spends his days herding sheep and helping his family, but whose life changes when he discovers the electrifying world of electronic music.

Drawn to underground parties and the possibility of becoming a DJ, Ahmet begins to imagine a future beyond the expectations of his traditional community.

Director Georgi M. Unkovski blends humour, music, and gentle social observation to tell a story about youth, freedom, and self-expression, making DJ Ahmet both locally grounded and widely relatable.

The April screening will be Romeria, a 2025 drama directed by Carla Simón. It follows 18-year-old Marina, who travels to her father’s family in Vigo to secure signatures for a scholarship. Orphaned at a young age, Marina navigates the complexities of reconnecting with relatives she has never met, uncovering long-buried family stories along the way.

Llúcia Garcia delivers a compelling lead performance, capturing both vulnerability and quiet determination.

Premiering in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Romeria combines intimate storytelling with a sensitive exploration of memory, identity, and family bonds. It is a poignant, reflective portrait of roots and belonging.

While most of the films in the line-up were previously screened at the festival, the documentary, Mr Nobody Against Putin, which will be screened in May, was not included in last year’s programme. Godet says she is glad to be able to bring the film to Cork audiences.

“ Mr Nobody Against Putin is a film I wanted at the festival. We couldn’t screen it because it went to BBC Story House just before the festival, so it wasn’t eligible. However, I felt it was really aligned with the festival, and it’s interesting to discuss. It’s an incredible watch -more suspenseful than Mission Impossible, honestly, because it’s real life, and the stakes are even higher.

The film follows Pavel Talankin, a school videographer in the remote Russian town of Karabash, whose routine job filming assemblies and school events takes on unexpected significance after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

As patriotic messaging and pro-war lessons begin appearing in classrooms, Talankin quietly documents what is happening around him. Over two years, he gathers revealing footage illustrating how state propaganda filters into everyday school life. Eventually forced to leave Russia, he took the material with him.

Co-directed with Danish filmmaker David Borenstein, the documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and this week won the award for Best Documentary at the Oscars.

The final film in the season is We Believe You, a 2025 Belgian court-room drama that turns a family hearing into a gripping narrative.

Directed by Charlotte DeVillers and Arnaud Dufeys, the film centres on Alice (Myriem Akheddiou), a mother fighting to retain custody of her two children as a family court decides their future.

The majority of the story unfolds in a single courtroom, with events in real time. The film immerses viewers in emotional testimonies and legal struggles, powerfully portraying the pain of family separation and the impact of court decisions.

It garnered multiple awards at film festivals, including at the Seville European Film Festival and Belgian René du Cinéma Awards, and won the Spirit of the Festival Award for Best Film and the Lookout Award at the 70th Cork International Film Festival.

Godet hopes that the Cine Club will be something CIFF can build on in the coming years.

“The festival is an annual event, but we want the bond with our audiences to be maintained, to nurture this relationship even if it’s only through occasional rendezvous like this.

“We had the Lux Awards European Films weekend in January, now we have the Cine Club, and we have some school screenings in April. These events mean we can keep in touch with our audience and provide them with quality films at different stages throughout the year.

“Hopefully, Cine Club will continue after this first season.”

The next CIFF Selects Cine Club @ GATE is on March 25, https://corkfilmfest.org