A reel festival!
The Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) gets underway today celebrating its first full return to cinemas and venues since 2019.
The festival runs from today, Thursday, until 20 November at Cork Opera House, The Gate Cinema and Triskel Arts Centre.
Celebrating its 67th edition, CIFF will present a curated programme of the latest and best Irish and world premieres and special events to audiences in Cork, as well as a 3 day digital programme of highlights available nationwide.
One highlight this year is the Wild Child Retrospective, a showcase of 7 extraordinary classic films about very different experiences of childhood.
Screening as part of the Wild Child Retrospective is ‘War of the Buttons’, which was filmed across West Cork.
CIFF Director of Programming, Anna Kopecká said: “In our Wild Child Retrospective we are focusing on children and childhood, not just seen as sweet and innocent but also strange, different, wild and unexpected portraits of kids by masters of Irish and world cinema.”
Also on the programme is Culinary Cinema, a “darkly delicious” selection of films about the culinary world, with each show accompanied by a special event to celebrate food and film in Ireland’s culinary and cultural capital.
Another one to look out for is Spirit of the Festival, which celebrates new and daring voices in contemporary fiction cinema from European first and second-time directors. Spirit of the Festival runs throughout the 10 days at the Gate Cinema.
Always unmissable is the CIFF Shorts with features Irish, international and family-friendly short films, including in-competition programmes eligible for the Grand Prix Short Award.
The shorts programme takes place across all 3 venues as well as online.
The festival will conclude on 20 November with the CIFF Family Gala featuring ‘Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical’ at The Everyman, starring Irish newcomer Alisha Weir as the inquisitive and sharp-minded Matilda Wormwood.
Adapted from the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical, the film features the adventures of Matilda, a little girl with big curiosity and a vivid imagination.
The film is directed by Matthew Warchus, with screenwriter Dennis Kelly, and features songs by world famous comedian and musician Tim Minchin.
Speaking in the lead-up, CIFF Festival Director and CEO, Fiona Clark said: “The theme of childhood on film carries through our 67th programme with our Wild Child Retrospective, featuring Irish and international classics, from enchanting stories to timeless tales.
“We look forward warmly welcoming audiences back to our cinemas this November to discover film and reimagine the world,” conlcuded Ms Clark.